Why is it that we can put men on the moon in 1969 but now, in 2024, we have astronauts stuck on the ISS (International Space Station)? One thing is for sure: you'd better believe multiple experts are working on that problem!
And in digging into capital projects, I found multiple experts with over 30 years each in the area of capital projects. And the fascinating thing? Despite being in varying fields they all raised similar points, all salient to the paper industry.
It's How You Work Together
Having talented or highly skilled individuals on your capital project team doesn't mean the team will automatically work well together. This lesson is best shown by two very historic years in hockey:
- In 1981 the Canadian national hockey team was full of fantastic - individual - players (including Wayne Gretzky). But that lineup did them no good because they couldn't work seamlessly together as a team. They lost against the Soviets (1-8).
- One year earlier, in 1980, the US Olympic hockey team was filled with young players no one had heard of, yet because their teamwork was outstanding they were called the "dream team". They won against the Soviet team (4-3).
These hockey stories show the importance of working together on a project. And when working on new projects, be aware of changing dynamics as different people come on each new capital project.
Keep Your Documentation
During capital projects, you can have part or all of a project that ends up getting pulled from use. Never throw your work out. File it instead.
Why? Because firstly, good knowledge was used in making the decision to remove that (part of the) project. You put careful work into the project, and want to keep the wise decisions and all helpful information on record for future use (even if you just need to recall why it was pulled in the first place).
Support for Capital Projects
A capital project clearly gets enhanced when the project manager and individuals in upper management over the project manager are truly championing the project, advocating not just for safety but also for best practices.
This provides the "extra octane" that really elevates a capital project and makes it truly successful - when the upper management has the back of the project manager, and supports the project manager. When best practices and safety aren't just words only but actually in practice? That also affects the morale of the whole mill. It's the trickle-down effect. We've all seen it.
And the interesting thing is, working well together, keeping your documentation, and supporting for best practices is something that applies across the board. At every mill, and across departments, too, not only for capital projects.
It's a winning combination.
Enjoy September, and make the most of the beautiful days. |
