UPW Project Scope Optimization

How can I approach UPW system design in an optimized way? Have you been asked to improve your existing UPW system or specify a totally new UPW system, and wonder where to start? There are many conflicting priorities and where to start can be daunting. Consider the following system design priorities and there may be more for your given situation:

• Capacity
• Reliability
• Performance
• Environmental impact
• Operating expenses
• Space constraint
• Budget
• Schedule
• Scope

In the end, most decisions get made based on schedule or budget constraints, but this can be minimized. Budget and schedules can be managed to still arrive at an optimal solution. How?


How can budgets and schedules be managed to develop optimal solutions? Proactive, Systematic ApproachThe most effective way to approach multivariable complex problems is to break them down into smaller pieces. You’ll likely recognize that these steps closely follow the well-established Lean 6 Sigma approach.
1. Understand your current requirements and boundary conditions.

• Water quality specification
• System demand
• Environmental permit limits
• Infrastructure constraints
• Timelines
• Expense (capital/operating, cash flow)

2. Prioritize the system requirements using weighted rankings to ensure correct decision making.

• Water quality specification
• System demand
• Environmental permit limits
• Infrastructure constraints
• Timelines
• Expense (capital/operating, cash flow)

3. Inject the right expertise to develop solutions based on established priorities and boundaries. 4. Develop pros/cons/risks for each solution and associated risk mitigation plans.

• Risk management using Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, or similar approach is most productive.

5. Identify the “best” solution and execute.

Outcome You might be thinking this approach compromises a project’s schedule or budget but just the opposite has been found. As the graphic below suggests, the most flexibility with the least impact can be found at the beginning of the project’s lifecycle. Where changes in decisions have the least impact on the overall project and allow for the most project team creativity and expertise to be injected. Once detailed design and construction begins changes have more and more impact to cost and schedule.


It has been seen that this approach reduces the risk of change orders, increases the certainty in the solution quality, and provides the flexibility to immediately understand the impact if priorities or boundary conditions change within a project. The extra effort at the beginning will conclude with an optimized project, scope as the pie charts depict. You’ll see this in that the study, positioning and programming phase scope as increased as a percentage of the overall project however the overall scope of the project decreased.


If you are looking for additional information about UPW Project Scope Optimization, please contact FTD Solutions.

Josh is the Projects Portfolio Manager and Director of Innovation at FTD. He has over 12 years experience in project and engineering management in both the nuclear power and semiconductor industries.