JOHAN BREYTENBACH Hatch Goba’s project life-cycle process offers dedicated support from inception to completion
Consulting engineering and project implementation firm Hatch Goba reports that its commitment to taking responsibility for the duration of its clients’ projects’ life cycle ensures the greatest possible success.
The methodology behind Hatch Goba’s project management delivery style is the Project LifeCycle Process (PLP), which it uses on large- and small-scale projects, offering dedicated support from inception to completion.
Hatch Goba project manager Johan Breytenbach says the main benefit of the PLP is its consistent project delivery approach, with each project managed according to this process. “This results in a constant focus on client value, quality of work, sustainability, solutions and workplace safety by ensuring that engineering, procurement, safety and industrial relations are developed from the first day,” he notes.
The Hatch Goba PLP method- ology is based on a phased approach to project delivery called front-end loading (FEL), which accounts for better opportunities in the initial phases of a project, resulting in the most successful outcome of the project.
With this approach, each successfully completed phase becomes the building block for the next phase. Breytenbach states that all projects start with a business plan, before under- going four phases, the first of which is FEL 1, the conceptual phase.
“We assist the client in identifying various concepts that could feasibly meet the project imperative. These may then be taken forward to the next phase for further development and elimination,” says Breytenbach.
The next phase, FEL 2, is the prefeasibility phase during which the identified concepts are further developed into a finally selected and preferred option that the client takes forward into execution. “These initial phases are vital to ensuring that no possible solution is overlooked and that only the concept that best satisfies the project objectives is implemented,” he adds.
This is followed by the feasibility phase, where basic engineering begins and the project is fully defined in all its detail. “In the FEL 3 phase, the project execution plan – which specifies all construction management details – is developed, cost estimates are refined and the execution schedules are developed,” says Breytenbach.
The final phase of the process, FEL 4, is the execution phase where the project is physically implemented according to the engineering details and project execution plan developed in FEL 3. This final phase takes the project all the way from detailed engineering and contract procurement to the final construction of facilities, commissioning, handover and operational support.
Breytenbach indicates that through each of the project’s phases, the transition is defined and monitored by Hatch Goba. “To ensure that the highest standards of quality are maintained on a consistent basis throughout the project, we undergo stringent gate reviews between each phase to comprehensively review the processes and work carried out in the previous phase. This ensures that all the objectives have been fully met and the correct outcomes have been achieved,” he says.
Operational Support
Breytenbach believes Hatch Goba’s operational support is an important feature that is unique to the company. “We do not simply construct a facility for the client to take over. We assist the client with operational readiness and are closely involved with the first stages of operating the facility once it is built,” he says.
Thereafter, Hatch Goba provides operational support throughout the lifetime of the project.
“We follow four main principles, the first of which is safety and employee wellbeing – the cornerstone of everything that we do. Quality-of-work and sustainability are also fundamental principles that lead to new innovations, which ensures that Hatch Goba is always able to meet and exceed its clients’ expectations.”
He believes that Hatch Goba has the right processes in place and experience required to successfully deliver future projects. “Hatch Goba boasts more than 50 years of industry experience, with global expertise in the engineering, procurement and construction management field and a proven track record on numerous projects across many sectors,” he concludes.