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Quest Training

Refinery Turnaround Management: Shutdown Planning & Execution Training Course

Guides teams through planning and executing refinery shutdowns and turnarounds safely, efficiently and within budget, covering major maintenance work.

DOW · Downstream Operations, Refining, Petrochemicals & Industrial OperationsAll Levels#2658ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Oil & GasCategories:Downstream Operations, Refining, Petrochemicals & Industrial Operations

Course Overview

The Refinery Turnaround Management: Shutdown Planning & Execution Training Course provides a comprehensive understanding of the principles, methodologies, and best practices required to plan, manage, and execute refinery shutdowns, turnarounds, and major maintenance activities safely, efficiently, and within approved budgets. It addresses the technical, operational, commercial, and organizational challenges associated with taking refinery units offline, completing critical maintenance and inspection work, and restoring operations within the planned timeframe. Effective turnaround management is essential to maintaining asset integrity, improving equipment reliability, ensuring regulatory compliance, and minimizing production losses. This course examines the complete turnaround lifecycle, from initial scope development and strategic planning to detailed scheduling, resource mobilization, shutdown execution, startup, and post-turnaround performance evaluation. It emphasizes the importance of aligning maintenance requirements with operational priorities and long-term asset management objectives. Participants explore practical approaches to defining turnaround scope, identifying critical equipment, assessing maintenance requirements, managing work packages, estimating costs, and developing integrated schedules. The programme also covers contractor management, materials procurement, workforce planning, risk assessment, permit-to-work systems, process safety, quality assurance, and coordination between operations, maintenance, engineering, inspection, procurement, and HSE teams. Particular attention is given to schedule control, critical path management, progress measurement, productivity improvement, and decision-making under time pressure. Participants examine how inadequate preparation, scope changes, material shortages, contractor underperformance, and ineffective communication can lead to delays, cost overruns, and operational risks. Practical case studies and scenario-based exercises demonstrate methods for anticipating these challenges and implementing effective corrective actions. The course concludes with integrated turnaround planning and execution exercises, enabling participants to connect strategic objectives with field-level activities, performance indicators, and continuous improvement practices. The programme is designed for refinery professionals seeking to strengthen turnaround governance, improve execution discipline, reduce unplanned downtime, and achieve safer, more predictable, and more cost-effective maintenance outcomes.

Learning Objectives

  • Develop a structured understanding of the refinery turnaround lifecycle, governance framework, and management responsibilities.
  • Establish clear turnaround objectives, scope boundaries, deliverables, and performance targets aligned with refinery priorities.
  • Apply systematic methods to identify, screen, prioritize, and approve turnaround work scopes.
  • Prepare integrated turnaround plans covering engineering, maintenance, inspection, operations, procurement, and HSE requirements.
  • Develop realistic schedules using work breakdown structures, activity sequencing, resource loading, and critical path analysis.
  • Improve cost estimation, budgeting, contingency planning, and financial control throughout the turnaround lifecycle.
  • Coordinate contractor selection, workforce mobilization, materials readiness, equipment availability, and site logistics.
  • Apply risk assessment, process safety principles, permit-to-work requirements, and isolation procedures during shutdown and maintenance activities.
  • Monitor execution progress, productivity, schedule performance, cost variances, and emerging operational constraints.
  • Implement effective change management and corrective action processes to control scope growth and prevent avoidable delays.
  • Strengthen startup readiness, equipment handover, operational acceptance, and post-maintenance verification.
  • Establish post-turnaround reviews, lessons learned, and performance improvement initiatives to enhance future turnaround effectiveness.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for professionals responsible for planning, coordinating, managing, supervising, or supporting refinery shutdowns, turnarounds, and major maintenance programmes, including: Refinery managers, operations managers, and plant managers responsible for operational continuity and asset performance. Turnaround managers, shutdown managers, turnaround coordinators, and maintenance planning professionals. Maintenance managers, engineers, supervisors, and planners involved in mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and rotating equipment maintenance. Process engineers, production planners, and operations supervisors responsible for shutdown preparation, unit readiness, and production recovery. Inspection, integrity, and reliability engineers involved in statutory inspections, equipment condition assessments, and maintenance prioritization. Project managers, project engineers, and planning and scheduling specialists supporting major refinery maintenance programmes. HSE managers, process safety engineers, and safety supervisors responsible for risk management and safe work execution. Procurement, contracts, materials management, and supply chain professionals supporting turnaround resource readiness. Contractor managers, construction supervisors, and service providers engaged in refinery shutdown activities. Asset management, technical services, quality assurance, and continuous improvement professionals seeking to improve turnaround performance.

Learning Outcomes

  • Explain the main phases, governance requirements, and decision points of a refinery turnaround.
  • Define turnaround objectives, responsibilities, scope boundaries, and performance expectations.
  • Evaluate maintenance and inspection work requests using risk, asset criticality, regulatory obligations, and operational priorities.
  • Develop a coordinated turnaround scope and translate approved work into executable work packages.
  • Prepare integrated schedules that reflect task dependencies, resource availability, access requirements, and critical path activities.
  • Evaluate turnaround budgets, cost estimates, resource requirements, and contingency provisions.
  • Assess contractor readiness, workforce competency, materials availability, and site logistics before shutdown execution.
  • Identify turnaround hazards and apply appropriate process safety, isolation, permit-to-work, and risk control measures.
  • Interpret progress reports, productivity indicators, schedule variances, and cost performance data to support timely decisions.
  • Manage scope changes, technical issues, resource conflicts, and schedule disruptions through structured control processes.
  • Assess mechanical completion, equipment handover, pre-startup checks, and operational readiness before unit startup.
  • Prepare post-turnaround reviews and improvement plans based on performance results, lessons learned, and reliability objectives.

Course Outline

Day 1

Turnaround Strategy, Governance & Scope Development

  • Fundamentals of refinery shutdowns, turnarounds, and major maintenance programmes.
  • The turnaround lifecycle: strategy, preparation, planning, execution, startup, and closeout.
  • Defining turnaround objectives, business drivers, operational constraints, and success criteria.
  • Turnaround governance, organizational structure, decision rights, and accountability.
  • Roles and responsibilities of operations, maintenance, engineering, inspection, procurement, and HSE teams.
  • Identifying maintenance, inspection, modification, and compliance-related work requirements.
  • Work request screening, equipment criticality assessment, and risk-based prioritization.
  • Scope challenge sessions, scope freeze, and control of late work additions.
  • Developing the turnaround work breakdown structure and defining measurable deliverables.
  • Practical exercise: Reviewing and prioritizing a proposed refinery turnaround scope.
Day 2

Detailed Planning, Scheduling & Resource Readiness

  • Converting approved scope into detailed work packages, job plans, and execution instructions.
  • Reviewing job requirements, technical specifications, drawings, procedures, and work permits.
  • Estimating task durations, labor hours, equipment needs, and specialist resource requirements.
  • Developing integrated turnaround schedules and establishing logical activity relationships.
  • Critical path method, schedule logic, milestones, float management, and constraint identification.
  • Resource loading, workforce leveling, shift arrangements, and productivity assumptions.
  • Contractor strategy, tendering considerations, scope interfaces, and mobilization planning.
  • Materials management, long-lead items, spare parts, tools, lifting equipment, and consumables readiness.
  • Site logistics, access planning, scaffolding, temporary facilities, and work-front preparation.
  • Practical exercise: Building a turnaround schedule and identifying critical readiness gaps.
Day 3

Shutdown Execution, Safety & Field Coordination

  • Shutdown preparation, operational handover, unit isolation, and equipment decontamination.
  • Energy isolation, lockout/tagout, gas testing, confined space entry, and permit-to-work coordination.
  • Process safety management and control of simultaneous operations.
  • Field execution of maintenance, inspection, repair, replacement, and modification activities.
  • Daily coordination meetings, work-front management, and communication between disciplines.
  • Managing contractor performance, workforce productivity, and compliance with site requirements.
  • Quality control, inspection hold points, testing requirements, and technical documentation.
  • Handling unexpected equipment conditions, emergent work, technical deviations, and scope changes.
  • Field progress measurement, constraint removal, escalation procedures, and recovery planning.
  • Practical exercise: Managing a simulated execution delay involving safety, materials, and schedule constraints.
Day 4

Schedule Control, Cost Management & Performance Improvement

  • Establishing turnaround control rooms, reporting structures, and decision-making protocols.
  • Tracking planned versus actual progress, earned work, productivity, and schedule milestones.
  • Critical path monitoring, near-critical activities, schedule forecasting, and delay analysis.
  • Cost control, commitments, actual expenditure, forecast-at-completion, and variance analysis.
  • Evaluating the impact of additional work, resource shortages, equipment failures, and contractor delays.
  • Applying change control, technical review, approval workflows, and documentation requirements.
  • Risk registers, contingency planning, escalation triggers, and management intervention.
  • Turnaround key performance indicators: schedule adherence, cost performance, safety, quality, and rework.
  • Developing recovery strategies through resequencing, resource adjustments, and improved coordination.
  • Practical exercise: Reviewing a turnaround dashboard and preparing a corrective action plan.
Day 5

Startup Readiness, Turnaround Closeout & Final Workshop

  • Mechanical completion verification, punch-list management, and system handover.
  • Equipment testing, inspection acceptance, reinstatement, and completion of maintenance documentation.
  • Pre-startup safety reviews, operating procedure verification, and readiness assessments.
  • Coordination between maintenance, inspection, engineering, and operations during startup preparation.
  • Managing startup risks, outstanding defects, equipment reliability concerns, and operational restrictions.
  • Turnaround closeout, contract completion, final cost reconciliation, and document handover.
  • Post-turnaround performance reviews and analysis of schedule, cost, safety, quality, and production impacts.
  • Capturing lessons learned, root causes of delays, recurring work issues, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Developing turnaround performance benchmarks, improvement actions, and recommendations for future cycles.
  • Final workshop: Developing an integrated refinery turnaround plan covering scope prioritization, work packages, scheduling, resources, risk controls, execution monitoring, startup readiness, and post-turnaround evaluation.

Upcoming Dates

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Madrid · 4 – 8 Oct 2027 · Classroom

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