Maximising Project Success
with Early Equipment Management (EEM)

Early Equipment Management (EEM) was developed from the practical experience of leading organisations who sought to avoid the pain of projects that failed to deliver forecast gains. They found that the causes of failed projects were mainly due to people, collaboration and learning weaknesses rather than technical issues.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, Early Equipment Management (EEM) offers a structured, collaborative approach that enables organisations to deliver new equipment, products, and systems better, faster, and cheaper—ultimately improving capital efficiency and operational performance.

Find out how our training, facilitation and coaching support can help you organisation to deliver those gains as part of your current or future project programme.

The EEM Approach

EEM guides project teams through a phased methodology to eliminate risks, enhance project value, and drive operational excellence. For simpler projects, EEM is structured into three phases:

• Phase 1: Design – Establishing project scope, identifying key stakeholders, and closing knowledge gaps to develop superior specifications.

• Phase 2: Define – Collaborating with vendors to refine designs, enhance project value, and optimise project plans.

• Phase 3: Refine – Ensuring a seamless transition to operation with a clear roadmap for sustained performance improvement.

For more complex projects, each phase is broken down into two milestones, creating six structured decision points for rigorous assessment.

Phase 1: Design

• Concept Stage:

  • Assess existing knowledge and identify gaps.

  • Define workstreams to align with business objectives.

• High-Level Design:

  • Understand current operational realities.

  • Establish proof-of-concept and commissioning criteria.

  • Finalise specifications and life-cycle cost drivers.

  • Define project organisation, stage-gate milestones, and funding approvals.

Phase 2: Define

• Detailed Design:

  • Evaluate vendor solutions.

  • Select and onboard vendors and key contract personnel.

  • Develop comprehensive project plans.

• Manufacture:

  • Conduct early-stage inspections to resolve issues proactively.

  • Ensure factory readiness through detailed planning.

  • Optimise transition management, logistics, and competency development.

Phase 3: Refine

• Installation and Commissioning

  • Deploy new assets efficiently.

  • Maximise project-added value through operational enhancements.

• Stabilisation:

  • Validate process performance and establish operational benchmarks.

  • Mobilise an optimisation roadmap to deliver the full asset potential.

Business Impact

Organisations implementing EEM have realised significant financial and operational benefits:

• Up to 30% capital cost through enhanced project added value.

• Up to 50% lower operational life cycle costs, enhancing long-term profitability.

• In at least one case this resulted in 100% ROI within the first year for some businesses—far surpassing conventional 15% forecast returns.

• Enhanced internal capabilities, leading to faster, lower-effort project execution in subsequent initiatives.

Implementing EEM

Adults learn best through practical projects so projects are a good way to develop capabilities. That involves a mix of support sessions which embed Early Equipment Management as an organisational capability rather than a one-time initiative. We help organisations to achieve that through:

1. Awareness Training: Foundational knowledge on best practices and project execution methodologies.

2. Project-Specific Coaching: Hands-on guidance to optimise outcomes for critical project phases.

3. EEM Specialist Development: In-house expertise-building to ensure long-term sustainability.

Conclusion

The structured phases and milestone-based approach of Early Equipment management provide greater control, accountability, and performance optimisation. For project sponsors and managers, EEM provides a vehicle to eliminate project risks, accelerate deployment timelines, and improve cost efficiency.

Find out how our training, facilitation and coaching support can help you organisation to deliver those gains as part of your current or future project programme.