AWP Testimonials

“King Solomon is quoted in the book of Ecclesiastes of saying “that there is nothing new under the sun” So, it is with WFP, my first day as a foreman was gut wrenching until an evening call to my Dad where he instructed me that I only needed to do 3 things. 1 – ensure my men have the right information the first time. 2 - do a MTO from the drawings and get their material as close to the work front as possible. 3 – ensure that the tools and equipment they require to install the material is at their work front. Then he said step back and let those boys do what they have been trained to do and they’ll meet your schedule and beat your budget every time. That, was 26 years ago.

I have learned to look at this best practice through the lenses of PRINCIPLES and PRACTICES where principles are timeless and practices are timely. So, on every project no matter its location, industry or size from a principle perspective we are always doing WFP. However, the practice of how we execute the principle changes drastically in size, location and industry, and allows for a continuous improvement.

Understanding that consistency builds discipline, and that disciplined actions done consistently create success, then the biggest benefit I see today is a standardization of how we plan, delegate and track project completion.

We have come along ways since the early 2000’s, but we still have a way to go.”

Ben Swan Element Construction
Nth America

“The key benefit in my world is the implementation of 3D modelling software. The development of a construction plan backed with a visual representation is an absolute must in my mind. This is because the project as a whole is not always able to envision what or how a plan on paper is able to be executed. We saw this on a recent project where a weekly meeting consisted of yelling and arguments, which accomplished nothing but headaches, until we were able to move the plans from the minds of Supervisors into a 3D visual that could be shared with everybody. This changed the mentality and attitude of the meetings into a team focus on one goal, executing the plan. As a pipefitter by trade who transitioned into WFP/IM I was able to understand the importance of a detailed plan with strong focus on constraint removal to ensure there is limited delays in the field. This really came to light in my career when the industry slowed down a couple years ago and I had to go back to a pipefitting job for a few months to keep me busy. The company I went to work with had never heard of WFP or had any planning knowledge or interest in planning. I saw at this point that AWP/ WFP is a key tool to assist in a projects success just as much as a strong safety and quality plan are.”

Brent Huntley AWP/IM Specialist
Nth America and Europe

“I had the opportunity to practice the job of Workface Planner Leader implementing the new principles of (WFP – AWP) - I will consider them as an entity since I consider Advanced Work Packaging the ‘’extension’’ of WFP principles to the overall stages of a Construction Project – which are difficult to apply in the middle of the project. Key benefit of this process was the total study and identification of scope in each area, which helped tremendously in keeping available work fronts for our teams in the field. One of the biggest difficulties we dealt with was the denial of supervisors, superintendents and the construction teams to follow the philosophy and wait for the constraints to be removed. They are constantly seeking any kind of progress so they are willing to start in an area without all the requirements that assure efficiency can be met. Waiting for materials, scaffolds and other subcontractors is considered to be part of the normal construction process. Big breakthrough for us was that the teams that used the packages even without following 100% of the principles, found huge benefits and recognized that in the end it made a big difference. Plus, the area that used the WFP packages and waited for constraints to be removed was the most organized and achieved the highest percentage of completion in less time than all the other areas. Before WFP there was no single person that took an overall view of the work to be executed from the view of all departments (material, quality, construction, etc.). The WFP packages made the building of the ‘4 week look ahead’ accurate and sustainable. Before WFP it was just an unrealistic template with no connection to the work in the field. The transition was very frustrating and challenging and since it was in the middle of the project a lot of targets were unrealizable. Nevertheless, it is common knowledge now that AWP has huge benefits. Next time we would definitely like to start earlier, choose Workface Planners with the proper mindset and skills and apply key components that will facilitate WFP procedures implementation.”

Christina Tsepeli Workface Planning Lead Oil & Gas Construction Contractor
Europe

“I first worked with Geoff in 1999, when the study of industrial productivity was just getting started in Canada. Later we both worked on the inaugural COAA Workface Planning committee for almost three years during the research and development of the WFP model. I then used that model to help me set up WFP on a series of mega projects for a major EPC company. We have come such a long way in WFP in the past 12 years but we have so much further to go. In the beginning the basic premise was to have IWPs no larger than 500 hours but contractors continue to build these sometimes in excess of 3,000 hours. These are much too large to manage. While working in England this past year we were losing schedule and we had poor productivity. The client gave us permission to use Navisworks 3D software so that we could visualize the IWPs and show the field supervisors the advantages of utilizing WFP. When they arrived, the contractor was only obtaining 25% of their three week look ahead goals and within one month we changed this to 75% schedule compliance. The AWP processes described in the first sections of this book work well if you have an EPC executing construction, but all too often this is not the case. Contractors are brought onto the project much too late and they struggle to get a backlog of IWPs, which leaves them poorly prepared to meet the fast schedule of today’s projects. Much can be done to improve WFP but it must be driven by the client. They are the ones that stand to gain the most from its implementation.” Dan Garon Construction Manager Major projects Nth America and Europe

Dan Garon

Construction Manager
Major projects
Nth America and Europe

“The workface planning process is an essential piece of any successful mega construction venture within the projects environment, which increasingly dictates safe, quality results while accelerating schedules and continuing a capital efficient cost strategy. Advanced Work Packaging as a foundation for WFP is nothing new in my opinion. It does fill an obvious gap in the expertise level of the current project professions, that has formed in the construction industry due to the cyclic nature of the economics and the attrition rate. EPC contractors have, over time, lost their ability to retain the experience and knowledge of managing construction. Essentially the most capable EPC’s on the books are in reality EP’s with C being an after thought which is subcontracted at every level of the construction team. The AWP process provides a framework by which to build an efficient construction execution methodology that can bridge this gap, but needs implementing and to be fully supported in a timely and organized way. To reap the full benefits a project needs to implement AWP in late FEED early detailed design to ensure engineering is organized and focus to support predictable construction performance. Obtain early buy in from all key stakeholders and integrate into the contracts strategy to ensure accountability.”

Daniel Laud

Project Controls Manager
Nth America and Europe

“I have been working in this area of specialty for over a dozen years and improvements are advancing in field productivity of the Industrial Construction Sector through the methodology and application of Advance Work Packaging. But in all honesty, it is still in the very early stages of acceptance with nothing but blue skies of opportunity ahead for those with vision. Until we reach the acceptance in industry that field productivity is as equally important as our current cultures in Safety & Quality, which have taken many years to develop. Today they are accepted has unquestionable departments of value added business units. I do believe that we will proceed slowly but positively forward on AWP. Strong leadership on the Owner side along with partnership of Contractors coupled with educational tools like this book “Even More Schedule For Sale” are paramount. I would like to thank Mr. Ryan in his efforts to give back and move forward the industry with strong advance planning efforts, with the goal of seeing all interested parties benefit in a win/win partnership of successful field construction executions.”

Dennis Meads

Industrial Engineer
Nth America and Europe

Being part of the team that pioneered the development and implementation of ConstructSim, which automates the best practice of Advanced Work Packaging, has given us at Bentley many valuable lessons learned. We now know that success in Advanced Work Packaging is 10% Technology and 90% Sociology. The technology portion of this equation is a critical enabler of data centric execution. The creation of Virtual Construction Models, leads to an integration of the project IT systems, which creates an environment that facilitates work pack creation, status visualization, look ahead planning, constraint analysis and change management. We have also learned that it takes a programmatic approach combined with disciplined, rigorous project management leadership to make it successful. There is no big easy button, however our track record shows that an upfront investment of 1-2% of the total installed cost can yield a 10% reduction in overall cost and schedule, via productivity improvements and predictability. As proof that AWP does work, we only have to look as far as the rich content of the submissions we receive in the Construction Innovation category of Bentley’s annual ‘Be Inspired’ awards, as evidence that the effective implementation of AWP enables capital projects to be delivered on time and on budget! AWP, as we know it today, has many forefathers: individuals, companies and industry groups like: COAA, CII and FIATECH that have worked tirelessly to bring the industry together. Building a collaborative pool of knowledge over the years that has led to AWP being identified as a formal best practice. I would encourage anybody who is serious about applying AWP to get involved with at least one of these organizations. My time as the Chair of the Construction Industry Institute’s AWP Community of Practice has been rewarding and I feel that we are on the cusp of a digital revolution. What an exciting time to be in the construction industry!!”

Eric Crivella

Bentley Systems
Global

“I have been working on Workface Planning or Advanced Work Packaging projects for over 10 years now, starting in Canada and now in the USA. I have seen the good and the bad and I know that we have made some real advances in the organisation of engineering through our early involvement there. Over the ten years one of our biggest improvements has been to radically change the way that we handle documents, now we have one document control system, based on the cloud, which means only one version of each document. Our next challenge is to bring fabrication up to the level of organisation that we need by making sure that they follow the right sequence and use the correct naming conventions.”

Jeff Furlotte

AWP Specialist
Nth America

“We had the opportunity to implement WFP in a complex revamping project in Europe. The process had something to do with a cultural change that, even if imminent, it’s far to achieve. Even so, the benefits are many and easy to be cleared out. Which are the benefits coming from more and better planning in construction? The information is more accessible, and easier to manage and to communicate. The scope of work is clearer and easy to plan. The people within the organization speak a new common language and are aligned on what they need to discuss. And more, and more... A final remark, WFP is about people and not about paper. It requires courage. It’s a reasonable planning methodology made to serve the people that are working in the construction field making life easier to the people that are working in the office.”

Gregorio Labbozzetta

Project Field Engineer
Europe

“I had the pleasure of first meeting Geoff Ryan on a study visit to Alberta back in 2010. On this trip, I undertook a weeklong course in WFP under Lloyd Rankin and then attended the COAA conference where I met up with Geoff and undertook a few site visits. I could take away numerous learnings about WFP and assist companies here in Australia embrace a new way to deliver work in construction projects. Having applied WFP thinking into coal seam gas well construction and across numerous typical construction projects, the results speak for themselves. Along with productivity gains, the waste reduction and improved quality and schedule improvements are undeniable. Whilst the industry in Australia seems foreign when it comes to driving broad improvements across construction projects, there are a few real leaders that acknowledge the actual challenges in construction projects, and by embracing a proven planning technique such as WFP, change can happen for the better. The greatest benefit we are now seeing is that by having a fully unconstrained work pack, the coordinated planning process is a key focus as the enabler of constraint removal, and waste reduction is now front of mind for everyone.” DipEng; MMgt MAIPM, Fellow SCLAA, UQ Industry Fellow, LCIAQ Council Member Managing Director Essco-pl Queensland, Australia

Liam Stitt

DipEng; MMgt MAIPM, Fellow SCLAA,
UQ Industry Fellow, LCIAQ Council

Member Managing Director Essco-pl Queensland, Australia

“When I joined the COAA committee in 2003, as the principle researcher, I could never have imagined that 15 years later we would see AWP being used in all corners of the world. When executed properly, I have seen AWP reduce capital projects Total Installed cost by at least 10%, reduce safety incidents to zero and improve schedule performance. The application of AWP is complex and difficult. It takes perseverance, faith and determination, but it works and it will be the way that projects are executed in the future. Like any change the hardest part is getting started. Our experience hosting the AWP conference over the last 9 years has exposed us to Owners who are hungry for change being pursued by Contractors who are eager to please. This makes the annual AWP conferences (awpconference.com) the ideal garden for many mutual-gain relationships.” Lloyd Rankin, MBA, PMP Global AWP Specialist ASI Group Global

Lloyd Rankin, MBA, PMP

Global AWP Specialist

ASI Group
Global

“I have been on numerous projects without AWP and it is the norm for them to go over budget and behind schedule. It has almost become an acceptable practice. So, how can we put an end to this and bring our projects back in the black and finish on time? I have applied Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) on several projects now and believe that it could be the answer. The earlier AWP can be implemented on our projects, the bigger the chance of success. We have proven time and again that AWP practices can save millions of dollars and keep the schedule from slipping too far to the right. There are several great 3D programs out there that can help manage and organize your documents and schedules, but without the expert manpower working behind the scenes, your IWPs will not be worth the paper they are printed on. Good quality Workface Planners are the driver for a company’s AWP success.”

Lorne Sooley

AWP Specialist

Nth America

“I have spent the last ten years working with Geoff Ryan, first with Work Face Planning (WFP) and now with Advanced Work Packaging (AWP). I’m grateful that he has taken the time to put such a complex idea in simple terms on paper to push the change. This guide to AWP is explained carefully and thoroughly and I highly recommend everyone read it, regardless of where their organization is on the path of adoption of AWP processes. We, as Hexagon PPM, are excited to help our customers realize the benefits of AWP. Although it originated in North America, we’ve seen interest rapidly growing internationally, particularly in the oil & gas, mining, and power industries. For our customers who have adopted this process, we’ve seen them improve time on tools by ten percent. It’s incredible. Overall, the amount a company can save depends on how data-centric your execution is.” “It just makes sense”

Michael Buss

Senior Vice President
Hexagon PPM

“Advanced Work Packaging is, like Workface Planning, easy to say. Moreover, once folks look at what it is and its potential results, it makes sense. However, in our environment of instant gratification, it is hard to commit to, and an immense, thankless struggle to actually do. I feel that the rest of the world is living in the Information Age and its high time that we recognize that we have the same potential in construction. The reality is that information management is an integral part of Advanced Work Packaging, and it is our most challenging frontier. Consider the following: The answers to all the questions we ask on a project, depend on information; Where are materials, what is the scope, engineering status and construction progress. Somebody on the project already has this information and if we can find a way to pool this knowledge and then distribute it, everybody will know, which allows them to make informed decisions. I know firsthand that we already have the capacity to create a cloud based single version of the truth on projects, so we don’t need to know if it can be done, we just need people who have the will to do it. It will take determination, bravery, trust and most importantly, leadership to create an environment where data management is King.”

Marco de Hoogh

Information Manager
Nth America and Europe

“It’s been some time since Geoff Ryan and I worked at the same oil sands site and he gave me a copy of his first book. To say that it’s been an eye opener complete with revelations of how to effectively deliver on schedule with quality, both essential to staying on budget is an understatement! When reading it, I experienced an epiphany which has been the guidance for all of my professional activities since. The book describes in intimate detail the sequence of events and steps necessary to ensure that a project remains on track through the simple expedient of removing constraints which if not addressed and removed, would be obstacles in the path of progress. What has been most instructive is the vast area within which this simple step (constraint removal) increases overall productivity, while reducing wait times for all concerned. Implementing the basics of workface planning in industries other than construction has, in my experience, delivered the same outcomes, more effective detailed planning with better engagement of involved personnel, less waste time and resources, increased accuracy of materials received, issued and their ongoing status. I encourage anyone working anywhere, regardless of which industry to get your hands on a copy; mine is well and truly a shabby copy because of its continual use. It’s the only way that I know where you can strive for and achieve excellence in managing Cost, Quality and Schedule.”

Paul Kallaghan

Warehouse Coordinator Northwest Redwater Partnership
Sturgeon Refinery

Alberta, Canada

“Organizations are discovering that critical review and revamping of processes and practices, along with aggressive training and mandates are not sufficient to realizing sustainable AWP. To me, the underpinning to realizing sustainable AWP lies in recognition, understanding and passionate drive to overcome resistance to change. The term Organizational Transformation, has been cited a AWP cornerstone, but there is a more fundamental mindset in the workforce that dictates the likelihood in realizing sustainable improvement. Change Readiness focuses on individual and group perspectives and biases throughout the enterprise, that can cause reversion to past practices and compelling AWP benefits to slip away. With this in mind, organizations are able to better understand the hidden landscape of significant obstacles to more effectively target efforts needed to embrace AWP over the long-term.”

Reg Hunter

R.W. Hunter & Associates, LLC Fiatech Program Dir. (retired)
URS/EG&G/LSI Productivity Improvement Systems
Solutions Dir.

USA

William J. O’Brien, PE, PhD

Professor The University of Texas at Austin

Nth America and Europe

AWP Testimonials

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