Project control preliminary

The accuracy of a fixed capital estimate tends to be a function of the design effort involved. As the project definition is refined, the estimates evolve from the various preliminary phases, ie, order of magnitude, predesign, factor estimates, etc, into the more detailed estimates used for budget authorization, project control, and contracts. At the same time, the uncertainty in the estimate decreases from 50% to as Htfle as 5%. 

Project Control (factored and take off) 5% Mechanical Flowsheets, Preliminary Plot Plans, Location, Off Site Definition... 

Definitive estimate (project control estimate). "The data needed for this type of estimate are more detailed than those for a preliminary estimate and inclnde the preparation of specifications and drawings. The probable accuracy is -10 to -1-15 percent. 

For example a process flow scheme for crude oil stabilisation might contain details of equipment, lines, valves, controls and mass and heat balance information where appropriate. This would be the typical level of detail used in the project definition and preliminary design phase described in Section 12.0. 

The case study described here concerns a human factors audit of a computer controlled process system which was being introduced in a distillation imit of a chemical plant. The unit was in transition from replacing its pneumatic panel instrumentation with the new system. However, control had not yet been transferred and the staff were still using the panel instrumentation. The role of the project was to evaluate a preliminary design of the computer-based display system and provide recommendations for future development. 

Cole RH, Frederick RE, Healy RP, et al. 1984. Preliminary findings of the priority pollutant monitoring project of the nationwide urban runoff program. J Water Pollut Control Fed 56(7)898-908. 

One day as the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi and George Uhlenbeck (who had come to the United States on a visit) were looking out a window overlooking Manhattan, Fermi remarked, You realize, George, that one small fission bomb could destroy most of what we see outside Fermi was soon to be doing some of the preliminary experimental work that preceded the American atomic bomb project. It was Fermi who produced the first controlled nuclear chain reaction. 

Chen, C.S. Zoltek, J., Jr (1995) Organic priority pollutants in wetland-treated leachates at a landfill in central Florida. Chemosphere, 31, 3455-3464 Chin, B.H., McKelvey, J.A., Tyler, T.R., Calisti, L.J., Kozbelt, S.J. Sullivan, L.J. (1980) Absorption, distribution, and excretion of ethylbenzene, ethylcyclohexane, and methyl-ethylbenzene isomers in rats. Bull, environ. Contam. Toxicol., 24, 477-483 Cole, R.H., Frederick, R.E., Healy, R.P. Rolan, R.G. (1984) Preliminary findings of the priority pollutant monitoring project of the nationwide urban runoff program. J. Water Pollut Control Fed., 56, 898-908... 

Hopefully, all will go smoothly and a satisfactory outcome be achieved without the need for Intervention. Time and care given to the preliminary stages can be expected to heighten the prospects for this prognosis. So too will maintenance of a sense of excitement and enthusiasm for what is being done. How the project is controlled will also affect the outcome. Regular reviews are essential, whether to keep the project on its original course, or to adjust the course, or to revise objectives. 

All information used and/or developed for the estimate must be documented and kept at least until the project is completed and audited. This includes drawings, take-offs, preliminary sketches, vendor quotations, etc. The backup information is required for cost and scope tracking and control as well as final cost analysis. 

At our institute we are currently working on a project called Analysis of pollution control countermeasures in Oslo , or the Oslo-project for short. The Oslo roject is conducted by the Norwegian State Pollution Control Authority, and the objective is to identify pollution control actions, and to rank these according to their cost-effectiveness. The study is still in an early phase, and we are therefore only able to present some preliminary results. 

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