Facility size, utilities, operator requirements and design affect one another. Record those dependencies in the work plan.
Know when changes become costly
Options are easier to change before contracts, approved designs and equipment orders create additional costs.
Pay particular attention to three points in the project:
- Design freeze. Changes to approved drawings may require redesign, further review or construction revisions.
- Contract award. Scope changes after signing may require negotiation and additional cost.
- Public commitment. Check the basis for announced dates and investment figures, and identify remaining conditions.
Work backward from commitment dates to identify the information and approvals needed.
What to check early
Start with the issues that could change the project’s feasibility, cost or schedule.
1. How the facility will operate
Confirm the services, operator and staffing before setting facilities and system requirements.
2. Utility and infrastructure availability
Ask providers about power, water, wastewater, connectivity and access capacity, costs and timing.
3. Rights to use the site
Review ownership, options, easements and restrictions with the appropriate specialists.
4. Required approvals
Identify permits, authorities, application order and expected timing with location-specific advice.
5. Who will fund each part
Assign costs to the sponsor, operators and other partners before calculating funding needs.
What to confirm before committing
Check each commitment against the information it depends on:
- Final technology selection. Confirm operating needs, support requirements and budget before selecting systems and signing purchase agreements.
- Detailed design. Agree on the concept and operator requirements before developing detailed plans. Record which assumptions still need confirmation.
- Commercial terms with partners. Define each partner’s scope, responsibilities and expected contribution before finalizing commercial terms.
- Construction sequencing. Coordinate the construction plan with permits, available funding, utilities and the intended opening schedule.
Record deferred work, the condition for proceeding and who will follow up.
A practical project sequence
Use this sequence as a starting point and adapt it with the project’s technical, legal and financing advisers:
- Step 1 — Define the project. Agree on the purpose, scope, priorities and target schedule.
- Step 2 — Check the site. Review site rights, utility availability, access, constraints and required approvals.
- Step 3 — Plan operations. Identify the operator, service requirements, staffing and phases of development.
- Step 4 — Build the budget. Estimate capital and operating costs, forecast revenue and examine alternative scenarios.
- Step 5 — Organize funding and partners. Identify potential funding sources, define partner scopes and prepare supporting documents.
- Step 6 — Confirm readiness. Coordinate detailed design, required approvals, funding commitments and contract decisions.
- Step 7 — Prepare for opening. Track construction, commissioning, staff training, system testing and handover.
Show which tasks can overlap and which require a prior answer or approval.
Five questions for your team
Use these questions to review the work plan:
- Which contracts or purchases have already been committed?
- Which approval or connection is likely to take the longest?
- Has the intended operator reviewed the service and facilities plan?
- Which budget figures still depend on unconfirmed choices?
- What needs to happen next, who will do it and by when?
Assign each open item and update the schedule and budget when the answer changes the plan.
Related capabilities: Infrastructure & Energy Development Advisory · Facilitation & Program Management · Partner & Consortium Coordination