Daniel Giuliani, PMP

Why do Project Owners Settle for Mediocrity? Early in my career, I worked on a series of turnarounds in oil refineries. This experience culminated with an FCC shutdown at a refinery in Minnesota. Our team prepared for months for the complex scope which included removing the head of the reactor and replacing all eight cyclones and other internals. The project owner was delighted when we completed on schedule in twelve days. But, the learning for me really started when I moved to my next project, a tank farm expansion at a refinery in Illinois. While we were there, this refinery was completing an FCC shutdown very similar to the one in Minnesota. The surprise for me was not that this project was planned for 25 days, not twelve. Nor was I shocked that the actual project completed in something like 45 days. The real revelation came when I spoke with operators and managers at the plant. They not only accepted the long (and very costly) project schedule, but anticipated that it would take much longer than originally planned. They scoffed at my stories of another possiblity, and declared such results "impossible." The Illinois and Minnesota refineries seemed to be living in completely different realities. So why does one owner accept the status quo while another strives for something better? I'm convinced it's not about work practices, geography, or other project-specific challenges. Instead, the difference is in the owner's perception of what's possible. Inventing new possibilities and forming teams around a vision is the role of leadership, not by mandating results, but by building trust. Deep trust among a team leads to more direct conversations, frank assessments, and openness to new perspectives. If I suggest that a project schedule could be cut in half, or that safety incidents could be completely eliminated, your response is directly influenced by the strength of the trust we have in each other. In fact, my willingness to even make such a suggestion relies on the same trust. The eagerness of a team to strive for greatness is the direct result of their trust in each other. At Midion (formerly LeanProject), we have a proven system for building trust and opening teams to new possibilities, whether that's in the middle of a failing project, or as they plan for what's next. Our approach is simple, yet more powerful than any schedule, contract or spreadsheet. We achieve "impossible" results on almost every project we serve. I'm count myslef lucky everyday that I get to do this work! What's possible on your next project? Jason Klous Phil Zittel Amy Klous, MBA, PCC Colleen Kranz💡Heidi Lemke

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A federally owned nuclear agency eliminated 80% of labor required to generate daily work order reports from 100,000 activities tracked in the Primavera scheduling software. These reports are now distributed seamlessly to field workers via the intranet, significantly reducing the need for office workers to start their day at 4 AM and eliminating the costs associated with expensive printing hardware. Here is how they did it: https://lnkd.in/e2msiNHR #nuclear #OperationsExcellence #Efficiency #DigitalTransformation #ProcessAutomation

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As a veteran, I often wonder what companies truly mean when they say they’re "Veteran-friendly." It’s a nice thing to say, but what are they trying to communicate? Of course, no company can openly be anti-veteran. That’s a given. But when a business advertises its support for veterans, does it mean something or is it mere marketing? Too often, it feels like the latter. Being truly Veteran-friendly goes beyond hiring and supporting veteran causes. It means recognizing unique challenges we face when transitioning from military life. For many of us, the jobs we had in the service don’t translate neatly into civilian careers. Many veterans feel limited to 1 or 2 options. We might have years of experience, but if that experience doesn’t align with a civilian job, we’re often starting from scratch. Even when our military skills do transfer, we don’t always want to stay in the same line of work, as was in my case. So, what does it look like when a company really supports veterans? It should mean offering us training, mentorship, and a path to grow in a new field—especially when it’s a role we may not have had direct experience with. It’s about understanding that veterans bring a lot to the table, even if our military titles and functions don’t match up with the one you're looking to fill. This isn’t just an issue for newly transitioning service members. Veterans who have been in the civilian workforce for years still face unique hurdles. Many are stuck in mid-level roles because we don’t have the traditional qualifications or degrees that civilian industries prioritize. Even though we’ve led teams and solved problems under immense pressure in the military, those experiences don’t always translate into career advancement in the civilian world. Companies that are genuinely veteran-friendly see the value in the skills we developed during our service—skills like leadership, adaptability, and resilience. These aren’t things you learn in a classroom, but they’re vital in any industry. For veterans, the real support comes when companies recognize those abilities and invest in our long-term growth, creating opportunities for us to move into leadership positions based on our experience, not just our certifications, or are willing to give or send us to the training to obtain them. So how can companies prove they’re more than just "Veteran-friendly" in name? First, hire veterans because of what we bring to the table, not just because it’s a good look or comes with tax benefits. Second, commit to our development by providing training and mentorship in new roles, even if our military background doesn’t directly align. Finally, offer real paths for career advancement that recognize the leadership skills and experience we’ve gained in service. We’re not asking for special treatment, only for a chance to prove what we’re capable of. Make sure that being Veteran-friendly isn’t just a slogan—it’s a genuine commitment to supporting veterans in meaningful, lasting ways.

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“𝘍𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 [𝘢𝘯𝘥] 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.” – FERC Commissioner David Rosner Earlier today, Enchanted Rock submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in response to the November 1 technical conference on the co-location of large loads at generating facilities. We advocated for the establishment of a new asset class: “Load Co-Located with Dispatchable Generation” (LCDG), and this recommendation, among others, aims to provide large loads, such as #datacenters, with greater flexibility and optionality in their grid interconnections. By studying and treating co-located load and dispatchable generation as an integrated system, the LCDG asset class would enable grid operators to manage demand effectively, dispatch power, or export excess power as needed. Enchanted Rock’s comments highlight the potential of this framework to accelerate interconnection timelines while enhancing grid reliability and resilience, providing a flexible solution that aligns with the evolving needs of high-demand users. 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰: Actual metered load for all of PJM (blue), metered load plus hypothetical 50 GW of data centers (orange), all 50 GW of data centers utilize onsite generation during the highest load hours of the year (green). You can find the full comments here https://lnkd.in/gmCVpMDm #energy #FederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission #FERC #infrastructure #speedtopower #reliability

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This book follows up “Extreme Ownership”. Two of the best books I have read on how to be a better leader. I recommend anyone who has a goal to move into leadership to read both: “Extreme Ownership” and “The Dichotomy of Leadership”. Even if you have been in leadership, I believe these books can truly help anyone become better.

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Measurement leaders, this is important! Make sure you know who from your organization (especially if it's you) has ownership for representing your company's interests through participating in this comment period. If the industry does not take the time to participate through comments (especially operator/producer/asset owners) we cannot be surprised and frustrated with the outcome. Discuss the clarifications internally and with your peers/colleagues in the industry and work together to provide aligning feedback for the BLM to review and consider. Consensus is a great driving force to impacting change.

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BOEING: IN THE (MISLEADING) EYE OF THE BEHOLDER We continue our series of posts to do with culture lessons that process safety professionals can learn from the problems at the Boeing Company and the 2022 FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) report. The post ― Process Safety Culture: Lessons from Boeing ― In the Eye of the Beholder ― notes that perception of risk is partly a function of recent events. There is no doubt that Boeing is in the limelight, but some of that attention is misleading. Consider a recent Daily Mail headline that ran, 'THREE Boeing crashes in two days: Terrified passengers scramble to escape burning jet in Senegal and tyre explodes on 737 landing in Turkey - 24 hours after nose gear failure caused 767 to slam into runway. ' Somewhat buried in the fine print of the article is the following statement, 'There is no suggestion Boeing are to blame for the crashes.' I wonder how many people read that disclaimer sentence. Further thoughts on this contentious topic are provided at Process Safety Culture: Lessons from Boeing ― In the Eye of the Beholder at https://lnkd.in/e7um6QwD

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Covering the past two weeks in one! In the continued bearish market, oil is down below $70 despite reduced inventories. A new 2.5 bcf/d gas pipeline is up and running, adding gas egress from the #Permian. This is good news for Permian operators who have often seen negative pricing over the past year, but you can expect downward pressure on overall natural gas prices as more Permian gas comes to market. Up north, Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) acquires Chevron's #Alberta assets in a deal that caught may by surprise. The discount on #WCS has stayed fairly steady at around $12/bbl. In tech news ExxonMobil acquired over 271,000 acres offshore #Texas for #CO2 capture, Brookfield Renewable is looking for $1BN in green power deals following its earlier $10B fund for energy transition (we at Convrg Innovations strongly prefer the term “evolution” as we don't believe #OilandGas is going to disappear). Finally both Amazon and Google have made investments in #SMR's, reinforcing a move in the tech majors to supporting Nuclear for the increasing power demands of #AI. #cleantech #methane #energy

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PROCESS SAFETY MANAGEMENT: SETTING THE SAFE LIMITS In this post at https://lnkd.in/erFp4B-x we continue our discussion to do with safe limits in a process safety management program. We discuss means for determining safe limits. We also consider the inherent Catch-22 of Process Hazards Analysis logic on the lines of, · Could high temperature cause an accident? · What is high temperature? · It is the temperature that could cause an accident.

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#safetyfirst for your safety - think logically

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How much can I push the limits of my facility? Is it OK as long as is below the design limits? Think again, this is the integrity “pay now, or pay later” dilemma. Reach out to our experts if you want to learn more about IOWs

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The old saying by Thomas Jefferson goes, "Knowledge is power." But really, most engineers, managers, and executives are simply trying to figure out how to get more work done with fewer and less experienced individuals while finishing projects quicker and cheaper to increase profits. The expert panel will share their knowledge and discuss how to navigate the talent crisis during tomorrow's webinar, happening June 26th, at 10 a.m. CST. It's not too late to sign up for this free knowledge-sharing event: https://hubs.ly/Q02BLCpX0 #hiring #qualified #competent #development #training #mentorship #recruitment #retention #knowledge #skills #quality #knowledgetransfer #efficiency #professionaldevelopment #continuingeducation #essentialskills #success #profit #quality #schedule #budget #innovation #timeforchange #practical #pipeline #management #engineer #csuite #executive #earlycareer #professional

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I attended an event today and one of the topics shared was that our state is short over 50,000 skilled trade, blue collar workers. 50,000 Fifty thousand. The number boggles the mind the more you think about it. And whats more, this number does not even include my profession (inspection) which is also facing its own challenges. This company is filing bankruptcy. I’m sure many issues led to this, but one of the public reasons given was because they had trouble staffing the jobs. There are multiple reasons why this happened, no doubt, but one is that there aren’t enough people to fill the jobs out there. Simple. Lastly, something else we learned that is related to this. There are projects in this state equal to $148 billion $148,000,000,000 To be completed from 2020-2026 How does that sound? Send your kids to trade schools, and apprenticeship programs not college. There has never been a better time to start. https://lnkd.in/ejCC3ukw

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Power Players: Riley Permian Natgas, Conduit Electrifying Permian Riley Permian and Conduit Power are working together to use natural gas to power the Permian Basin and ERCOT. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gAFi6sG8

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Why preventative maintenance matters for your electrical systems: When it comes to keeping your electrical systems running smoothly, waiting for something to break down is the worst strategy you can follow. Here’s how we approach it: Instead of reacting to problems after they happen, we take steps to catch issues early, before they turn into costly repairs or cause unexpected downtime. I’ve met many who think regular maintenance is just another expense, but the truth is, it’s an investment that saves you money in the long run. Imagine your business coming to a halt because of a power outage or equipment failure - those disruptions can hit your bottom line hard. What happens without it? We’ve seen what happens when companies skip out on maintenance. Our client faced a huge setback when a critical piece of equipment failed. They ended up with costly repairs and days of lost productivity, which could have been avoided with regular check-ups. What do you get with us? Preventative maintenance extends the life of your electrical systems and keeps everything running efficiently. Plus, the peace of mind knowing that your systems are being looked after.

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Conoco Selling Permian Assets for $1 Billion+ According to Reuters yesterday, Conoco is exploring the sale of over $1 Billion of Permian assets. It was reported that RBC is leading the sale process for Conoco and has invited bids recently from potential buyers. Reuters reported that these Conoco Permian assets span about 55,000 net acres in the Delaware portion of the Permian Basin and will produce about 17,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by the end of 2024. Don’t forget to refer me to your companies Hiring Managers and Executives for any hiring needs they can use recruiting assistance with. We can help identify candidates in Engineering, Accounting/Finance, Land, Geoscience, EHS, Field roles and all other positions. Oliva Consulting Group is the leading US Oil & Gas E&P focused recruiting firm with a database of 40,000+ candidates. Over the past 10 years we’ve placed professionals at over 70 Oil & Gas companies.   Follow me by clicking the "FOLLOW" button on my LinkedIn Profile to keep updated on any new Oil & Gas job openings.   Michael Oliva Oliva Consulting Group LLC

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