Systems engineering approach to the major capital projects in BP

Major capital projects in the petroleum industry are very costly, complex and must be planned for their whole lifetime of, say, 20 years. Projects progress through a series of distinct phases, each of which can be a breakpoint, before handing over to an operating company. Project management is the bringing together of the skills of different disciplines into the project team, and providing control interfacing with the subsystems that may each be major construction contracts. There is a shortage of experienced senior project managers, and a systems engineering approach provides a more rapid appreciation than can be gained purely through practical participation in a variety of projects over many years.