Beyond the CapEx

BtC12: “We’ll Fix It in Detail Engineering” | With Rob Clark

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez sits down with Rob Clark, a veteran project leader with 40+ years of experience delivering multi-billion-dollar capital projects across refining, petrochemicals, power, and emerging technologies. They break down what actually drives project success in real-world industrial environments—and why so many capital projects fail despite strong technical execution. This conversation dives deep into FEL/FEED, project leadership, risk management, stakeholder alignment, and EPC execution, with practical insights drawn from decades of global project experience. Rob shares why communication—not technical complexity—is often the biggest failure point, especially in global teams and low-cost engineering environments. He also explains how misalignment between business, procurement, and project teams creates hidden risks that surface later as cost overruns and schedule delays. Cristian and Rob explore: * What a high-quality FEL/FEED package really looks like (and why overengineering is a problem) * The dangerous habit of saying “we’ll fix it in detailed engineering” * How to use tools like PDRI to assess true project readiness * Why risk registers alone don’t manage risk—and what actually does * The impact of misaligned KPIs and incentives across teams * Owner vs contractor dynamics and where projects typically break down * Global execution challenges, including cultural differences and engineering coordination * The realities of emerging technologies where design continues evolving during execution This is a dense, high-value episode packed with real examples, hard-earned lessons, and practical frameworks for anyone involved in industrial projects. 👉 If you work in high stakes complex projects, FEL/FEED, EPC, engineering, manufacturing, project management or operations, this episode will help you identify early warning signs, improve alignment, and make better decisions before cost and schedule are at risk. This is one worth listening to all the way through. Guest: Rob Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-clark-pe/ Email: clarkrobertw98@gmail.com ⏱️ Chapters 00:46 – Introduction and Rob Clark’s global project experience 02:38 – Why communication is the #1 recurring lesson in projects 07:58 – Global execution challenges and concurrent FEED strategies 11:07 – What “good” FEL/FEED actually looks like in practice 12:51 – When projects think they’re ready (but aren’t) 15:24 – Go slow to go fast: stage gates and readiness 18:06 – Business vs project misalignment and incentive conflicts 22:52 – Owner vs contractor dynamics and alignment gaps 27:42 – Risk management vs risk documentation 31:41 – Procurement risks and managing the uncontrollable 35:30 – Global project realities and cultural differences 37:38 – Emerging technologies and evolving design challenges 42:10 – Leadership under pressure in megaprojects 43:52 – What makes an effective project leader 45:41 – Wrap-up and key takeaways 📩 Contact Questions or topics you’d like us to cover? Email podcast@bpmpsolutions.com 🌐 www.beyondthecapex.com [http://www.beyondthecapex.com] 🌐 www.bpmpsolutions.com [http://www.bpmpsolutions.com]

BtC11: Beautifully Built, Completely Wrong - With Bryan Guess

In Episode 11 of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez are joined by Bryan Guess, Founder of Bartizan, to explore why so many projects fail even when the technical work is done right. Bryan shares a real-world story from commercial construction: a six-figure roof replacement executed flawlessly… only for the building to be sold and demolished months later. The takeaway applies across industries, including industrial capital projects, manufacturing, construction, and complex operational initiatives, most failures aren’t technical. They’re business and people problems wearing technical disguises. The conversation dives into front-end planning (FEL),stakeholder alignment, PMO governance, and the hidden risks of tribal knowledge and organizational silos. Cristian, Luis, and Bryan discuss why organizations repeatedly skip the “vitamins” that prevent rework and firefighting, and instead rely on reactive fixes after damage is already done. This episode also explores how trust is built, why detractors can become your strongest allies, and why small projects can be just as complex, if not more, than large capital investments when alignment and governance are missing. If you work in project management, capital projects, FEL/FEED, engineering, operations, manufacturing, or PMOs, this episode will help you spot early warning signs and ensure projects are aligned with real business objectives before time and money are lost. Guest: Bryan Guess, Founder of Bartizan Website: www.bartizan.group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-guess/ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Projects, politics, and why alignment isn’t a vote 01:02 – Introducing Bryan Guess and cross-industry failure patterns 03:44 – The $100k roof: perfect execution, wrong business objective 07:20 – PMOs, governance, and tribal knowledge 13:42 – Why process improvement fails after the crisis 20:44 – Turning detractors into champions 32:10 – Why small projects can be harder than big ones 37:31 – Wrap-up and how to connect with Bryan 📩 Contact Questions or topics you’d like us to cover? Email podcast@bpmpsolutions.com 🌐 www.beyondthecapex.com [http://www.beyondthecapex.com/] 🌐www.bpmpsolutions.com [http://www.bpmpsolutions.com/] If this episode resonated, please follow, rate, and reviewthe show.

BtC10: The Biggest Risks are Taken Before Anyone Thinks Capital is at Risk

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis challenge one of the most common blind spots in capital projects and CapEx decision-making: the belief that capital risk starts in execution. It doesn’t. The most consequential risks are embedded early, during front-end loading (FEL), project shaping, and business case development — when spending is low, scrutiny is minimal, and leadership attention is often elsewhere. By the time a project reaches approval, most of the enterprise value, capital exposure, and optionality are already locked in. This conversation reframes capital risk away from dashboards, controls, and execution metrics, and toward decision quality, project governance, and leadership involvement at the front end. The hosts explore why project predictability continues to elude the industry, how “small” early decisions create irreversible commitments, and why execution teams don’t create problems, they inherit them. This episode is essential listening for CEOs, CFOs, board members, project sponsors, investors, and leaders responsible for capital allocation, industrial projects, megaprojects, and protecting enterprise value through major capital investments. Key takeaway: Execution doesn’t destroy value. It delivers exactly what was shaped upstream. ⏱️ Chapters 01:30 – Why early decisions have the greatest influence 03:45 – Predictability problems: are we focusing too late?06:20 – FEL spending vs. asymmetrical risk 09:30 – Commitment risk vs. execution risk 13:00 – The “brick wall” analogy for poor front-end discipline 18:00 – Optionality and silent decisions 22:30 – Governance without bureaucracy 26:00 – Why execution only delivers what was shaped early 29:50 – Final takeaway for CEOs, CFOs, and boards 📩 ContactQuestions or topics you’d like us to cover? Email podcast@bpmpsolutions.com 🌐 www.beyondthecapex.com [http://www.beyondthecapex.com] 🌐 www.bpmpsolutions.com [http://www.bpmpsolutions.com] If this episode resonated, please follow, rate, and review the show.

BtC09: The Charter: The One Map Everyone Needs but No One Reads

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez examine why the project charter is one of the most underutilized — yet critical — tools in capital project delivery. Many projects begin with broad agreement but vague definitions of success. This conversation explains how unclear objectives, weak decision boundaries, and implicit assumptions create misalignment that surfaces later as rework, conflict, and lost value. Cristian and Luis reframe the charter as a decision framework, not a formality, one that aligns stakeholders, clarifies intent,and anchors governance throughout the project lifecycle. This episode is essential listening for sponsors, project directors, and leaders responsible for aligning organizations before execution begins. Key takeaway If success isn’t explicit, execution will optimize the wrong outcome. ⏱️ Chapters 01:20 – Why charters are often ignored 04:40 – Alignment versus agreement 08:50 – Defining success before execution 13:30 – Decision boundaries and authority 18:10 – Governance anchored in intent 22:50 – Using the charter throughout execution 27:30 – Final perspective on alignment   📩 Contact Questions or topics you’d like us to cover? Email podcast@bpmpsolutions.com 🌐 ⁠www.beyondthecapex.com⁠ [http://www.beyondthecapex.com] 🌐⁠www.bpmpsolutions.com⁠ [http://www.bpmpsolutions.com] If this episode resonated, please follow, rate, and reviewthe show.

BtC08: The PMO - The One Thing Owners Don’t Realize They Need

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez reframe the role of the Project Management Office (PMO) from a perceived administrative burden to an owner’s value-protection system. Projects are complex, capital-intensive, and exposed to decision risk long before execution begins. Relying solely on individual capability, even strong capability, is not a strategy. This conversation explains how a PMO establishes consistency in decision-making, governance, and accountability across capital portfolios. Cristian and Luis clarify what a PMO is — and what it is not— and explain why organizations without these disciplines struggle to achieve predictable outcomes despite experienced teams. This episode is essential listening for executives, sponsors, and organizations scaling capital investment. Key takeaway Good people need systems that protect their decisions. ⏱️ Chapters 01:10 – Why “good people” isn’t enough 04:20 – PMO myths and misconceptions 08:30 – Governance as value protection 13:10 – PMO versus bureaucracy 17:50 – Portfolio-level discipline 22:20 – Owner accountability 26:40 – PMO as an operating system 30:00 – Final perspective on predictability 📩 Contact Questions or topics you’d like us to cover? Email podcast@bpmpsolutions.com 🌐 ⁠www.beyondthecapex.com⁠ [http://www.beyondthecapex.com] 🌐⁠www.bpmpsolutions.com⁠ [http://www.bpmpsolutions.com] If this episode resonated, please follow, rate, and reviewthe show.