Oil and Gas Capital Project Planning and Controls Course

Course Introduction

The Oil and Gas Capital Project Planning and Controls Course provides an advanced, practical framework for planning, coordinating, monitoring and controlling capital investments across upstream, midstream and downstream operations. It addresses the complex delivery environments associated with exploration and production facilities, offshore platforms, pipelines, gas processing plants, refineries, petrochemical facilities, terminals and supporting infrastructure. Participants develop the capabilities required to establish reliable project baselines, integrate engineering and construction activities, manage investment commitments and maintain control over cost, schedule, scope, quality, safety and performance throughout the capital project lifecycle.

Oil and gas capital projects frequently involve substantial investment, complex technical interfaces, long-lead equipment, specialized contractors, stringent regulatory requirements and exposure to volatile market conditions. Project teams must coordinate engineering, procurement, fabrication, logistics, construction, commissioning and operational readiness while responding to uncertainty in subsurface conditions, equipment availability, supply chains and execution productivity. This course examines how disciplined planning and controls practices can improve decision-making, identify emerging deviations, strengthen accountability and reduce the likelihood of cost overruns, schedule delays and value erosion across major energy investments.

A core focus of the programme is the development of integrated project plans that translate approved business objectives into executable scopes, realistic schedules, resource requirements and measurable performance commitments. Participants explore work breakdown structures, cost breakdown structures, responsibility assignment matrices, planning assumptions, estimate maturity, critical path analysis, schedule risk assessment and baseline approval processes. The course also addresses front-end planning, project definition, stage-gate governance and the relationship between engineering maturity, procurement strategy, construction readiness and investment confidence. Emphasis is placed on ensuring that plans are evidence-based, logically integrated and suitable for the complexity of each project.

Effective project controls require timely, accurate and consistent information across the full delivery organization. Participants examine cost forecasting, commitment management, earned value management, progress measurement, change control, contingency governance and estimate-at-completion analysis. The programme explains how to integrate schedule and cost performance, distinguish actual progress from reported activity, validate contractor claims and develop forward-looking forecasts that support corrective action. Participants also learn to improve reporting quality through clear performance indicators, trend analysis, quantitative risk assessment, structured variance explanations and management dashboards that highlight the decisions needed to protect delivery objectives.

The course incorporates modern digital approaches and emerging technologies that are reshaping project planning and controls in the oil and gas sector. Topics include integrated project controls platforms, common data environments, digital engineering, automated progress reporting, predictive analytics and artificial intelligence applications for schedule forecasting, risk identification and cost analysis. Participants consider the importance of data quality, cybersecurity, information governance, model validation and human oversight when using advanced analytics. The programme also integrates process safety, environmental compliance, emissions reduction, energy efficiency and climate-related considerations into project planning and performance monitoring, helping organizations balance delivery commitments with operational integrity and sustainability objectives.

By the end of the programme, participants will be better equipped to establish robust planning and controls systems, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, challenge unreliable forecasts and provide management with transparent information for timely intervention. They will understand how to align project controls with commercial management, procurement performance, contractor accountability, risk mitigation and commissioning readiness. The course supports organizations seeking improved capital efficiency, stronger governance, more predictable project outcomes and better lifecycle value from oil and gas investments, while reinforcing the importance of safety, regulatory compliance and responsible stewardship of capital resources.

Duration

10 days

Who Should Attend

• Capital project directors and project managers responsible for major oil and gas investments.

• Project planning managers overseeing integrated schedules, execution strategies and planning deliverables.

• Project controls managers responsible for cost, schedule, risk and performance management systems.

• Cost engineers and cost controllers managing budgets, commitments, expenditure forecasts and cost reports.

• Planning engineers and schedulers developing detailed execution schedules and critical path analyses.

• Project engineers coordinating engineering deliverables, procurement packages and construction interfaces.

• Engineering managers responsible for design maturity, technical integration and project execution readiness.

• Construction managers coordinating site activities, contractor performance, work packaging and productivity.

• Procurement and supply chain managers responsible for purchasing strategies and long-lead equipment delivery.

• Contracts and commercial managers managing variations, claims, payment assessments and contractor obligations.

• Risk managers and quantitative risk analysts supporting uncertainty assessment and mitigation planning.

• Finance professionals involved in capital budgeting, investment governance and project expenditure assurance.

• Offshore project personnel managing platform developments, subsea systems and marine construction interfaces.

• Pipeline and midstream project professionals overseeing transportation, storage and gas processing infrastructure.

• Refinery and petrochemical project teams responsible for facility expansion, modernization and process upgrades.

• Commissioning, completions and start-up managers responsible for handover and operational readiness.

• Asset integrity, maintenance and operations personnel contributing to project requirements and lifecycle performance.

• Internal auditors, assurance specialists and governance professionals reviewing capital project controls.

• Digital project delivery and data analytics professionals supporting integrated reporting and predictive controls.

• EPC and EPCM contractor personnel responsible for project planning, execution coordination and performance reporting.

Course Objectives

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of oil and gas capital project lifecycles, investment drivers and the planning and controls requirements of upstream, midstream and downstream developments.

• Establish integrated project planning frameworks that align scope, engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, resources and operational readiness with approved business objectives.

• Develop robust work breakdown structures, cost breakdown structures, responsibility matrices and planning deliverables that establish clear accountability across project organizations.

• Apply front-end planning, project definition, estimate maturity assessments and stage-gate reviews to improve investment decisions and execution readiness before major commitments.

• Build logically integrated schedules using critical path analysis, resource considerations, realistic productivity assumptions and appropriate treatment of technical and commercial dependencies.

• Strengthen cost estimation, budgeting, commitment tracking, contingency management and estimate-at-completion forecasting to improve financial transparency and capital expenditure control.

• Apply earned value management, physical progress measurement, performance indicators and trend analysis to identify deviations and initiate timely corrective action.

• Integrate quantitative risk analysis, schedule uncertainty assessment, sensitivity analysis and mitigation planning into project baselines and management decisions.

• Improve procurement and contractor controls by monitoring long-lead equipment, supplier documentation, fabrication progress, logistics, contract obligations and delivery performance.

• Implement disciplined change management, variation assessment, claims analysis and baseline protection to prevent unauthorized scope growth and unmanaged cost or schedule exposure.

• Use digital project controls platforms, predictive analytics and responsibly governed AI tools to improve reporting efficiency, forecasting reliability and management visibility.

• Strengthen project governance, audit readiness, safety and environmental compliance, commissioning preparedness and lessons-learned practices to support sustainable capital project performance.

Comprehensive Course Outline

Module 1: Oil and Gas Capital Project Lifecycle and Delivery Environment

• Characteristics of upstream, midstream and downstream capital investments and their distinct execution requirements.

• Project lifecycle phases from opportunity identification and feasibility through engineering, construction and handover.

• Investment objectives, value drivers, delivery success criteria and alignment with corporate business strategy.

• Major project interfaces, execution constraints, regulatory obligations and sources of cost and schedule uncertainty.

Module 2: Project Governance, Front-End Planning and Stage-Gate Controls

• Capital project governance structures, delegated authorities, decision rights and accountability arrangements.

• Front-end loading, project definition maturity and readiness assessments before funding authorization.

• Stage-gate reviews, independent assurance, business case validation and investment approval requirements.

• Planning assumptions, execution strategy selection, project risk appetite and documentation of key decisions.

Module 3: Scope Definition, Work Breakdown and Responsibility Management

• Scope statements, design bases, technical requirements and measurable project acceptance criteria.

• Work breakdown structures, cost breakdown structures and integration of scope with schedules and budgets.

• Responsibility assignment matrices, control account ownership and coordination across multidisciplinary teams.

• Scope interfaces, exclusions, assumptions, configuration control and prevention of unauthorized scope growth.

Module 4: Cost Estimation, Budget Development and Capital Authorization

• Oil and gas capital cost estimating methodologies, estimate classes and estimate basis documentation.

• Direct and indirect costs, engineering allowances, construction productivity, escalation and currency exposure.

• Contingency analysis, management reserves, estimate uncertainty and risk-based budget development.

• Approved budgets, funding profiles, cost authorization limits and reconciliation of estimates with project scope.

Module 5: Integrated Project Scheduling and Critical Path Management

• Development of integrated schedules covering engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and commissioning.

• Schedule logic, activity relationships, calendars, milestones, constraints and critical path validation.

• Resource loading, productivity assumptions, subcontractor schedules and coordination of work fronts.

• Schedule risk analysis, critical path sensitivity, recovery planning and evaluation of acceleration options.

Module 6: Engineering Planning and Design Deliverable Controls

• Engineering execution plans, discipline schedules, deliverable registers and design completion milestones.

• Management of engineering hours, design productivity, technical queries and interdisciplinary dependencies.

• Design maturity reviews, model coordination, technical changes and engineering schedule performance.

• Interface management among process, piping, mechanical, civil, structural, electrical and instrumentation disciplines.

Module 7: Procurement, Supply Chain and Long-Lead Equipment Controls

• Procurement planning, package strategies, tender milestones and alignment with the integrated project schedule.

• Long-lead equipment identification, vendor selection, purchase order tracking and supplier expediting.

• Fabrication progress measurement, inspection milestones, vendor documentation and logistics readiness.

• Supply chain disruption analysis, material availability, customs dependencies and mitigation of delivery delays.

Module 8: Construction Planning, Work Packaging and Productivity Control

• Construction execution planning, work breakdown into packages and readiness-based workface management.

• Site mobilization, construction sequencing, workforce planning, equipment utilization and productivity measurement.

• Modularization, prefabrication, offshore installation and coordination of complex construction interfaces.

• Field progress verification, constraint removal, productivity trends and practical schedule recovery measures.

Module 9: Project Controls Systems and Integrated Baseline Management

• Design of project controls frameworks linking scope, schedule, cost, risk, change and performance information.

• Establishment, approval, documentation and maintenance of integrated cost and schedule baselines.

• Control account structures, coding standards, reporting calendars and integration of contractor control systems.

• Baseline change authorization, configuration records, reconciliation procedures and audit-ready documentation.

Module 10: Earned Value Management and Progress Measurement

• Earned value management principles, planned value, earned value and actual cost interpretation.

• Schedule and cost performance indices, variance analysis and evaluation of performance trends.

• Rules of credit, physical progress measurement, milestone weighting and validation of reported accomplishments.

• Forecasting at completion, estimate-to-complete analysis and identification of unreliable performance assumptions.

Module 11: Cost Control, Forecasting and Financial Performance

• Actual expenditure, commitments, accruals, cash-flow forecasts and reconciliation of project financial information.

• Cost variance investigation, cost-to-complete reviews and identification of emerging budget pressures.

• Contingency drawdown governance, reserve utilization, inflation exposure and foreign exchange sensitivity.

• Management reporting on capital expenditure, funding requirements, financial exposure and corrective action effectiveness.

Module 12: Risk Management and Quantitative Project Analysis

• Project risk identification, risk registers, ownership allocation and development of actionable mitigation plans.

• Quantitative cost and schedule risk analysis using probability distributions and scenario-based assessment.

• Monte Carlo simulation concepts, confidence levels, contingency adequacy and schedule completion probabilities.

• Emerging risk monitoring, sensitivity analysis, escalation thresholds and integration of risk into executive forecasts.

Module 13: Change Control, Contracts, Claims and Commercial Controls

• Formal change management workflows, technical change evaluation and assessment of scope and baseline impacts.

• Contract administration, variation pricing, payment certification and monitoring of contractor obligations.

• Delay analysis, extension-of-time assessments, claims substantiation and dispute avoidance practices.

• Commercial forecasting, change registers, entitlement records and preservation of contractual audit trails.

Module 14: Project Reporting, Governance Assurance and Performance Improvement

• Key performance indicators, executive dashboards, progress narratives and exception-based management reporting.

• Variance analysis, trend registers, early-warning indicators and evidence-based corrective action tracking.

• Independent project reviews, controls maturity assessments, compliance testing and audit readiness.

• Decision logs, accountability reviews, lessons learned and continuous improvement of project controls processes.

Module 15: Digital Project Controls, Predictive Analytics and Responsible AI

• Integrated project controls platforms, common data environments and consistent project information management.

• Automated reporting, digital engineering integration and data-driven progress verification across contractors.

• Predictive analytics and AI-assisted cost forecasting, schedule risk identification and scenario evaluation.

• Cybersecurity, data quality, model validation, access governance and human oversight of AI-generated recommendations.

Module 16: Commissioning Readiness, Sustainability and Project Closeout

• Commissioning schedules, system completion tracking, turnover packages and operational readiness milestones.

• Integration of construction completion, pre-commissioning, start-up and performance testing into project forecasts.

• Environmental performance monitoring, emissions considerations, energy efficiency and climate-related project risks.

• Final cost reconciliation, contract closeout, asset information handover and post-project benefits realization.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808

Training Venue 

The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.

Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808

Terms of Payment:

Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.