Technical Limit methodology is a continuous improvement process that has been widely adopted in the oil and gas industry since its first application by Woodside in 1993. The significant savings that can be achieved by the methodology are particularly applicable to lean operations and effective exploitation of ‘brown field’ and marginal wells. Whilst the process is widely used in oil and gas, where it has delivered cost savings of up to 40%, the principles of the method are equally relevant in any industry.

Technical Limit

The ‘Technical Limit’ of a piece of work is defined as optimum operational performance under perfect conditions. An often used analogy is a ‘world record’ in sport. By using a perfect world scenario to examine a project, we enable our thinking to break out of the constraints we normally impose upon ourselves in order to ask whether we are doing the right job at all; whether there are better ways to do it and how we can achieve the best possible operational execution including what is needed for our teams to close the gap between current performance and the ‘world record’.

This is an approach to project and task management that is designed to initiate a set of team-based learning processes through:

• Understanding the possible,
• Interactive task and resource planning, 
• Risk assessment and mitigation, 
• Critical path analysis, 
• Time target-setting, 
• Performance tracking,
• Performance review for learning and action planning.

Methodology 

The methodology is holistic. It relies on a combination of rigorous planning, the right technology and the right people striving for perfection in the right environment. At each stage in the project lifecycle different facilitation skills and methods are used to explore assumptions and to identify means of achieving a perfectly executed piece of work. Facilitation ensures that assumptions are challenged during concept design, that operations are planned in depth and contingencies are identified. Throughout the life-cycle feedback loops are established to allow planning refinement and organisational learning.

Performance Optimisation

Agile Business Consultants provide consultancy on in all aspects of Technical Limit performance optimisation including:

• Multiple project gate facilitation.
• Facilitation of operational on the job planning and review.
• Building the team-based enabled environment.
• Team training in Technical Limit practices.
• Action planning for perfect execution throughout the project life-cycle.
• Facilitated reviews of operational performance to lock-in organisational learning.

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