Articles

A PDF version of an article is available on request; simply send an email to [email protected].
Effective Final Review Strategies for Manufacturing Record Books and Turnover Packages
21Oct

Effective Final Review Strategies for…

How should final documentation for a project’s equipment and materials be reviewed, and by whom? Unless instructed otherwise, personnel may follow previous project methods. However, will those methods suit project…

Cake, Craps, and Quality
12Oct

Cake, Craps, and Quality

How to avoid gambling with project success. 1. Introduction Craps is a game of chance played with two dice, where the outcome is unpredictable, much like a risky business venture—hence…

Understanding Quality Surveillance Assignments: Inspection Roles, Levels, and Activities
15Sep

Understanding Quality Surveillance Assignments: Inspection…

Introduction This article provides an overview of Quality Surveillance (QS) Assignments (QSAs) for capital projects, focusing on how inspection roles, QS levels, and QS activities differ based on work location…

Elevate Your Career: Actionable Advice for Professional Growth
04Aug

Elevate Your Career: Actionable Advice…

Today, someone reached out to me for advice on advancing their career in the energy sector. With their solid experience, certifications, and education, they’re already on a great track, but…

Plant Your Flag: Job Search Pointers
27Jun

Plant Your Flag: Job Search…

Searching for a job can feel even more challenging than working. It comes with no guarantees and no paychecks! Yet, it’s a necessary task. And the sooner you find success,…

How to Travel Worry-free for Work: Check It. Forget It. Repeat.
23Sep

How to Travel Worry-free for…

There is already too much work. And now I need to travel for work? Now there is more to do. And even more to remember! How will I manage? 1…

How to Greatly Improve Your Resume and Cover Letter
06Nov

How to Greatly Improve Your…

This article describes how to greatly improve your resume (Section 1) and cover letter (Section 2) at a high level. It also describes the benefits of using a career coach…

What Learning Danish Really Taught Me
12Mar

What Learning Danish Really Taught…

Worldwide, only 6 million people speak Danish. Why learn it? Because, while reaching the destination is rewarding, it is in the journey that we learn the real lessons. It is…

How to Reduce the File Size of Documents and  Photographs So They Can Be Emailed
21Feb

How to Reduce the File…

Read the article here: How to Reduce the File Size of Documents and Photographs So They Can Be Emailed Note Because of the complex nature of this article, with many…

Processing Supplier Non-conformance Reports: Are You Leaving Money on the Table?
27Nov

Processing Supplier Non-conformance Reports: Are…

A supplier non-conformance report (NCR) is often a bain (a thing that ruins or spoils) that causes chronic headaches and drains money and time from capital projects in energy and…

SQS and Technology: Adapt or Perish!
26Oct

SQS and Technology: Adapt or…

For supplier quality surveillance (SQS), using shared folders and Microsoft (MS) Excel spreadsheets is tried and true (proven in the past to be effective and reliable). However, some information technology…

How Smart Projects Review Welding Procedure Specifications
20Jul

How Smart Projects Review Welding…

1 Introduction This article summarizes considerations and requirements for welding procedure specification (WPS) reviews. Smart projects review WPSs as described in this article. Suppliers (i.e., constructors, fabricators, manufacturers, or organizations)…

Creating Video Presentations Using PowerPoint Alone
29Jun

Creating Video Presentations Using PowerPoint…

Introduction Did you know it is possible to create high-quality Microsoft (MS) PowerPoint presentations with audio and video narration using PowerPoint alone? It is! I recently discovered this and started…

Reading a Glossary for Advancement and Enjoyment
02Jun

Reading a Glossary for Advancement…

Introduction Reading a glossary for career advancement and enjoyment is becoming increasingly common. Read a glossary to: Confirm understanding of known terminology; For enjoyment and to lighten mood; Improve education;…

Case Study:	A Supplier Quality Surveillance Plan That Got Punched in the Mouth
16May

Case Study: A Supplier Quality…

1 Abstract The project’s supplier quality surveillance (SQS) plan was prepared using a conventional criticality rating procedure (Section 2.2). Before and after purchase order (PO) award, these unexpected changes occurred…

Hydrogen: An Introduction to the Clean Energy of the Future
11Mar

Hydrogen: An Introduction to the…

This article introduces and contains a brief overview of the history of hydrogen, describes pros and cons of hydrogen, and discusses factors for bringing hydrogen to the market in Canada…

Miscommunication at a Government Job in Denmark that Contributed to a Strike
08Mar

Miscommunication at a Government Job…

Introduction The Glossary of Common Industry and Project Terminology, a Knowledge Transfer (KT) Project guideline, defines a government job as work performed for one’s own benefit using an employer’s resources…

Top Ten Myths of Third-party Inspection
21Feb

Top Ten Myths of Third-party…

Misunderstanding of third-party inspection is caused by hidden knowledge gaps and not limited to inexperienced personnel. Third-party inspection (inspection) is a strategy used by capital projects in energy and other…

A Simple Solution for Complex Capital Projects
21Jan

A Simple Solution for Complex…

Companies know capital projects often cost more and take longer than expected[1]. These problems are recognized industry-wide and significant. An increasing number of projects are delivered behind schedule, beyond the…

The Solution to the Project Communication Challenge is Hidden in Plain Sight!
28Oct

The Solution to the Project…

Recently, I discussed the never-ending challenge of project communication with a friend, a professional who works in the oil and gas (O&G) industry. Our discussion got interesting … and quickly!…

What is the First World?
22Oct

What is the First World?

Once, my 12-year-old son asked what the first, second, and third worlds are. I said: You are standing by a swimming pool on the roof of a hotel, with an…

For Project Success, Say and Write What You Mean
10Oct

For Project Success, Say and…

The Project Management Institute’s report The Essential Role of Communication revealed that ineffective communication has a negative impact on project success >50% of the time. So, why make it difficult…

What Reading is Essential for Your Career? A Glossary!
24Jul

What Reading is Essential for…

Introduction Reading is a known career advancement strategy. Self-directed reading is key to earning and maintaining professional credentials. Daily reading has many benefits including increased knowledge and reduced stress, and…

Stacking Lumber: What My Father Taught Me About the Importance of Quality Work
14May

Stacking Lumber: What My Father…

Like lessons from most fathers, the advice I received from my father was as influential as it was pervasive. The knowledge he passed to me affects the way I approach…

Supplier Quality Surveillance Before and After COVID-19
26Mar

Supplier Quality Surveillance Before and…

Inspection strategies have not changed but inspection considerations have. COVID-19 is an infectious virus that was first identified in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. Its spread has become a global pandemic.…

Precast Concrete Needs Alternative Inspection Methods and Resources
16Mar

Precast Concrete Needs Alternative Inspection…

Inspection is part of an effective supplier quality surveillance (SQS) program that successful projects use to ensure equipment and materials are delivered complete, correct, and on-time. Occasionally, an oil &…

Is Your Project Using the Master Keys to Success?
08Jul

Is Your Project Using the…

Words are the master key to successful communication. Communication is the master key to successful projects. According to the article What Are the Causes of Communication Failure?, three (of four)…

We Need Smart Boots More Than Smart Phones
12Nov

We Need Smart Boots More…

Projects need to work smarter with fewer resources but will always need boots on the ground. The Engineering News-Record article Three Industries That Are Helping Drive Construction Companies Forward makes…

Canada’s Oil & Gas Workforce Will Need More Than Talent
05Jul

Canada’s Oil & Gas Workforce…

New talent will need to be attracted and retained, while knowledge will need to be transferred from the existing and departing talent. Research by PetroLMI about Canada’s oil & gas…

A Pipeline’s First and Best Defence
22Jun

A Pipeline’s First and Best…

A pipeline’s first and best line of defense against corrosion damage is the external coatings.   Coatings are only one of many methods, technologies, and practices used to ensure pipeline integrity…

Free Resources for Inspection Knowledge
05Jun

Free Resources for Inspection Knowledge

Education is an ever-important part of a successful career, but your education is not finished after obtaining a diploma or degree; the secret is that your learning should never stop.…

Tips for Awesome Excel Printing
01May

Tips for Awesome Excel Printing

Do your Excel files print-out into un-formatted pages that require rework and are unsightly? Do your clients and co-workers cringe when you send an Excel file that they need to…

The Ultimate Skills Challenge – Pipe vs. Plate Welder
01Dec

The Ultimate Skills Challenge –…

Related: Effective Supplier Quality Surveillance (SQS). Note This article was originally published by the AWS Welding Journal in the December 2015 Vol. 94 No. 12 edition https://www.aws.org/publications/weldingjournal and by FABTECH 8-Jan-16 https://www.fabtechexpo.com/blog/2016/01/08/the-ultimate-skills-challenge-pipe-vs-plate-welder/.…

How to Achieve FAT Success for Your Oil Sands Project
05Oct

How to Achieve FAT Success…

Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) is used to verify equipment compliance to project requirements and specifications INTRODUCTION When an internet search reveals limited results, it may be for one of two…

More Tips on Tipping and Claiming Meal Expenses
01Aug

More Tips on Tipping and…

Here are more tips for meals that are a business expense and getting reimbursed INTRODUCTION The article How to Tip Your Server at a Restaurant offers excellent advice about tipping. …

MTR Turnover–What is it Good For?  Absolutely Nothin’!
07Jul

MTR Turnover–What is it Good…

If you think that MTR turnover to owner-users is always required, think again! It is a commonly held belief with oil & gas (O&G), oil sands, and pipeline projects that…

Quality Matters
25Mar

Quality Matters

Quality Definitions for EP Projects Several quality-related terms are often used interchangeably by engineering and procurement (EP) projects and their clients or suppliers to describe various activities, but in fact,…

How to Write an Effective Consultant’s Resume
31Dec

How to Write an Effective…

And Make it Easy for Clients to Choose Your Services INTRODUCTION There are oceans of information on the internet and in other resources for writing an employment curriculum vitae (CV)…

Practical Business Development Ideas for NDE Service Providers – Part 6 of 6
01Nov

Practical Business Development Ideas for…

Note: This article is the sixth in a series of six that appeared in the Canadian Institute for NDE (CINDE) Journal throughout 2012.  These articles address valuable business ideas for…

Practical Business Development Ideas for NDE Service Providers – Part 5 of 6
01Sep

Practical Business Development Ideas for…

Note: This article is the fifth in a series of six that appeared in the Canadian Institute for NDE (CINDE) Journal throughout 2012. These articles address valuable business ideas for…

Practical Business Development Ideas for NDE Service Providers – Part 4 of 6
01Jul

Practical Business Development Ideas for…

Note: This article is the fourth in a series of six that appeared in the Canadian Institute for NDE (CINDE) Journal throughout 2012. These articles address valuable business ideas for…

Practical Business Development Ideas for NDE Service Providers – Part 3 of 6
01May

Practical Business Development Ideas for…

Note: This article is the third in a series of six that appeared in the Canadian Institute for NDE (CINDE) Journal throughout 2012. These articles address valuable business ideas for…

Practical Business Development Ideas for NDE Service Providers – Part 2 of 6
01Mar

Practical Business Development Ideas for…

Note: This article is the second in a series of six that appeared in the Canadian Institute for NDE (CINDE) Journal throughout 2012. These articles address valuable business ideas for…

Practical Business Development Ideas for NDE Service Providers – Part 1 of 6
01Jan

Practical Business Development Ideas for…

Note: This article is the first in a series of six that appeared in the Canadian Institute for NDE (CINDE) Journal throughout 2012. These articles address valuable business ideas for…