MP Materials

Ali Safaie

Operational Readiness Leader

Closing the Gap between Project Delivery and Operations

In capital projects, significant effort is spent establishing governance around engineering, procurement, construction, quality, and commissioning. Each discipline typically has dedicated resources, defined processes, clear metrics, and accountable leaders. Yet one critical discipline is often overlooked: Operational Readiness.

Over the course of my career, I have observed that many project teams successfully achieve mechanical completion and commissioning, only to encounter unexpected challenges when attempting to transfer ownership to operations. The equipment works, systems perform as designed, documentation packages are largely complete, and testing has been successfully executed. However, the organization receiving the asset is often not fully prepared to own, operate, and sustain it.

This gap is frequently misunderstood as a commissioning problem. In reality, it is an Operational Readiness problem. Operational readiness is the bridge between project execution and sustainable operations. It ensures that people, processes, systems, maintenance programs, spare parts, training, documentation, and organizational structures are prepared before the first day of operation. Without it, project teams often find themselves trapped in a prolonged transition period where responsibility for the asset becomes unclear.

Managing Design Volatility during Project Execution

Across many industries, practitioners often encounter evolving turnover expectations. A project team may complete commissioning based on agreed design criteria, only to encounter new operational requirements after testing is finished. Operations personnel may identify modifications they would like incorporated, maintenance organizations may request additional spare parts or documentation, and production groups may raise concerns about operability. Many of these requests are valid, but when they arise late in the project lifecycle, they create rework, schedule impacts, and uncertainty regarding when a system can truly be considered complete.

Another recurring challenge is design volatility. Many industrial projects these days often operate under aggressive schedules where engineering deliverables continue to mature while construction and commissioning activities are already underway. At the same time, operational stakeholders gain a better understanding of the facility as it begins to take shape, leading to additional requests and modifications. Without a formal Operational Readiness framework, project teams can find themselves in a continuous cycle of design changes, field modifications, retesting, and delayed acceptance.

The issue becomes even more pronounced during facility startup. Operations teams are typically measured against production targets, customer commitments, and business objectives. As a startup approaches, pressure naturally increases to gain access to systems as soon as possible. Construction and commissioning teams, meanwhile, are working to verify technical readiness and close outstanding deficiencies. In the absence of clearly defined operational acceptance criteria, these two objectives can compete with one another, creating friction during turnover.

Closing the Ownership Gaps between Projects and Operations

Operational readiness also extends well beyond the equipment itself. A facility cannot be considered ready simply because the machinery functions. Operators must be trained and qualified. Maintenance strategies must be established. Critical spare parts must be identified and procured. Asset information must be loaded into maintenance systems.

Operating procedures, lockout-tagout requirements, and emergency response processes must be defined. Vendor documentation must be complete and accessible. These activities often span multiple departments and stakeholders, making coordination difficult when no individual or group is explicitly accountable.

Lack of a dedicated Operational Readiness group or program typically leads to commissioning teams often becoming the default owner of these gaps. Rather than transitioning completed systems to operations, commissioning personnel frequently remain engaged supporting maintenance activities, documentation issues, operator training needs, process changes, and unresolved acceptance discussions. This not only delays turnover but also limits the organization's ability to scale as project volumes increase.

Building Operational Readiness into Every Project Stage

The solution is not additional commissioning. Many organizations have improved startup performance by establishing Operational Readiness as a formal discipline.

Organizations should define operational readiness ownership early in the project lifecycle, establish measurable readiness criteria, and create stage gates that extend beyond commissioning completion.

Operational stakeholders should be involved during design reviews, construction planning, commissioning execution, and startup preparation, not simply at the point of handover. Readiness requirements for staffing, maintenance, training, spare parts, procedures, and operational support should be tracked with the same rigor as engineering deliverables and construction progress.

Measuring Project Success by Operational Performance

The most successful projects recognize that completing a facility and operating a facility are two different achievements. One demonstrates that the asset was built correctly. The other demonstrates that the organization is prepared to use it successfully.

As capital projects become increasingly complex and organizations continue pursuing faster delivery schedules, Operational Readiness will only become more important. In my experience, it is one of the most overlooked risks in project execution and one of the greatest opportunities for improving startup success, reducing turnover friction, and achieving sustainable operational performance.

The industry has long accepted engineering, construction, quality, and commissioning as essential project disciplines. It is time for Operational Readiness to receive the same level of leadership, structure, and accountability. After all, the true measure of project success is not when construction and commissioning end. It is when operations can confidently take ownership and deliver the outcomes the project was built to achieve.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and are based on industry experience across multiple projects and organizations. They do not reflect the operational status, practices, or performance of any current employer.