Planning a shutdown or turnaround
Shutdown or turnaround planning is the structured preparation of a major planned outage during which equipment that cannot be maintained while running is inspected, repaired and overhauled. It builds a frozen scope, a critical-path schedule and the resources, materials and permits needed to complete the work safely in the shortest credible window.
What it is
A turnaround is a periodic, comprehensive maintenance event covering work that is impossible online — internal vessel inspection, heat-exchanger cleaning, valve overhauls and statutory inspections. Planning is the months-long discipline of defining exactly what work will be done, sequencing it on a critical path, and arranging the labour, parts, contractors and permits so the outage runs to plan rather than discovering work and waiting for parts mid-event.
Why it is done
Turnarounds are among the most expensive and disruptive events a plant undertakes, because lost production stacks on top of the maintenance cost. Poor planning extends the outage, blows the budget and still leaves work undone. Disciplined planning — especially a frozen scope and a realistic critical path — is what keeps the event on time and prevents the scope creep that lengthens every unmanaged shutdown.
How it is done
A scope is built from inspection findings, statutory requirements and deferred work, then challenged and frozen by a cut-off date so late additions are controlled. The scope is sequenced into a critical-path schedule, and long-lead materials and specialist contractors are ordered against it well in advance. Permits, isolations and safety plans are prepared, work packs are issued, and during execution daily progress is tracked against the critical path with a controlled process for any emergent work found on opening equipment.
- Build and challenge scope
- Freeze scope by cut-off
- Sequence critical path
- Order long-lead items
- Prepare permits & isolations
- Track progress daily
What to watch for
The chronic failure is uncontrolled scope growth, where work added after the freeze date wrecks the schedule. Underestimating emergent work found when vessels are opened, and ordering long-lead parts too late, are the other reliable ways to overrun a turnaround.
Related practices
Transitioning to condition-based maintenance
Rolling out reliability-centred maintenance
Running an asset criticality ranking exercise
Related topics
Unplanned Downtime · Backlog Management · Asset Criticality
Common in: Chemicals · Power Generation · Cement · Steel & Metals · Paper & Packaging