Utilizing Value Management to Increase Project Competitiveness

Abstract

With the current economic pressures being faced by the oil and gas sector, organizations are increasingly required to become more competitive on their capital projects. Enbridge has implemented the practice of Value Management (VM) to help achieve the needs and expectations of stakeholders with the least possible resources. VM is a systematic approach that is used by a multidisciplinary team to improve the value of a project (or aspects of a project) through the analysis of its functions, and is most effective when applied at the planning and development stages. A value study enables the expected performance (i.e. the desired functions) of a project to be clearly identified at the onset, and assesses a range of possible solutions/alternatives against the functions required by the owner. While VM is commonly used in the manufacturing industry, as well as on transportation and municipal projects, few examples of its application in the oil and gas sector were found. Enbridge researched a variety of VM best practices and created a framework that compliments existing company practices. This paper also highlights how the value methodology was recently applied to a capacity expansion project at the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) stage. Our approach to the various elements of a value study will be discussed, including pre-workshop activities, the VM workshop, and post-workshop activities. Enbridge has seen significant benefits from the VM studies completed on projects to-date. Given the broad applicability of the value methodology, it is believed that our approach can also be successfully applied in other areas (e.g. improving business processes).