Start-up is not the end of the project
A new installation delivered without operational readiness starts with a handicap: nobody knows exactly what it contains, how to maintain it, or where the parts are. An asset's first years determine its reliability for decades — and they are decided before the first start-up.
What maintenance must receive
- The equipment list with serial numbers, manufacturers and references — the foundation of the maintenance management system.
- Documentation: manuals, as-built drawings, electrical and piping schematics.
- Initial maintenance plans: tasks, frequencies and procedures, built from manufacturer recommendations and experience.
- Critical spare parts in stock, identified before start-up — not after the first failure.
- Training of technicians and operators, with evidence of competency.
- Responsibilities: who owns each asset, who approves modifications, who answers at night.
The project → operations handover checklist
Handover should be a formal decision, not an email. Operations and maintenance sign acceptance of each system only when the items above are delivered. Anything missing goes on a deficiency list with an owner and a date — visible to management, not buried in a binder.
The classic mistake: saving on readiness
At the end of a project, the budget is exhausted and operational readiness is the first line cut. It is an illusory saving: missing data is paid for in hours of searching for years, and unordered parts are paid for in extended downtime. Budgeting operational readiness in the initial project budget costs a fraction of what it avoids.
You don't hand an installation to operations — you transfer it to them, with everything needed to keep it reliable.