Pilot to Commercial: Risk Management

For a coal-gasification-to-chemicals pilot plant designed by a research institution, DSIB principals were involved in developing a technical risk management method built around the design lifecycle. Grounded in the PMI risk management philosophy, the method first characterizes the project and its design processes. It then maps risk categories, management techniques, timing and level of detail to each gate from FEL-1 through detailed design.

The strategy is holistic, covering technology readiness, inherent safety, constructability and process safety alongside wider project technical risks. Applied to the pilot, it produced phase-specific risk assessments and a consolidated risk register. The register is intended to guide planning of future methanol technology projects, commercialization decisions and similar pilot developments.