ABSTRACT
It is February 2002. A project manager heading the construction of a new chemical plant detects a problem with one of the installations. He calls a meeting with his project team: the process engineer, the external engineering representative, the equipment purchasing manager, the production manager and the equipment supplier. ‘Well’, says the project leader, ‘I think we’ve covered everything that might affect the completion date. Our priority is to check the detailed design of the hydraulic circuits to try to reduce the loss of pressure on the outlet. If it’s not possible to redesign, we’ll have to resize the equipment or find alternative energy supplies.’
