The client, a well-established engineering company, was simultaneously managing plant maintenance activities, infrastructure refurbishment projects, and construction works supporting its core business. Over the years, the increasing number and complexity of projects had highlighted the need to rethink both the maintenance model and the overall project management approach.

Maintenance activities were often handled reactively, making it difficult to define priorities, schedule interventions, and allocate resources effectively. At the same time, the Engineering Department was required to manage a growing number of contracts and projects without standardized processes for planning, monitoring, and controlling activities.

Information was scattered across different systems and functions, responsibilities were not always clearly defined, and coordination between maintenance, engineering, procurement, and external contractors risked generating inefficiencies and delays.

It became clear that the company needed more than new operational tools. It required an integrated management model capable of connecting maintenance, contract management, and project control within a single strategic framework. An important cultural transformation was also necessary.

We conducted a comprehensive assessment of maintenance and project management processes, analyzing operational workflows, contractual documentation, intervention planning methods, and project control mechanisms from both a technical and economic perspective.

The assessment highlighted several key findings:

• Predictive and reactive maintenance practices were not integrated into a structured and consistent framework.
• Prioritization and intervention planning criteria varied significantly across different plants and facilities.
• Maintenance contracts and plant refurbishment projects were managed using different approaches that were not always standardized.
• Project progress, cost control, and operational performance monitoring could be significantly improved through shared tools and processes.

Addressing individual issues would not have been enough. What was needed was the development of a coherent and sustainable management system.

We therefore focused our efforts on three main areas.

Redefining the Maintenance Model

We supported the client in reviewing and redesigning its predictive and reactive maintenance strategies by establishing shared criteria for intervention planning, priority classification, and asset performance monitoring.

The objective was to move from a predominantly emergency-based approach to a preventive maintenance model, increasing asset reliability and reducing the impact of failures on operational continuity.

Supporting the Engineering Function

We worked alongside the Engineering Department to define and structure contracts related to maintenance activities, plant refurbishment projects, and construction works.

Standardized models and criteria were introduced for contractor management, contract performance monitoring, and the control of key project milestones.

Project Management and Control

We implemented tools and methodologies to plan, monitor, and control the entire project lifecycle.

For each project, roles, responsibilities, control points, and performance indicators were clearly defined, providing greater visibility over schedules, costs, risks, and expected outcomes.

Our support went beyond process design. We worked side by side with company teams to apply the new operating model in practice and ensure its successful adoption.

The Results: From Intervention to Structured Management

Over the following months, the new approach began to deliver tangible results.

Maintenance activities became more planned, predictable, and controllable, with a greater ability to anticipate issues and schedule interventions proactively. This led to a significant reduction in maintenance costs. The Engineering Department gained more effective tools for managing contracts and suppliers, while projects benefited from improved transparency in planning and progress monitoring.

Most importantly, the company developed a more integrated way of working, in which maintenance, engineering, and project management functions began to share objectives, information, and responsibilities.

Because every sustainable transformation is built on the balance between processes, competencies, and collaboration. And because real change is not about introducing new tools, but about creating an operating model that enables people to work better together, every day.