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Ideas Grounded in Operating Experience

OpStrategix contributes to industry thinking at the intersection of strategy, projects, operations, technology and infrastructure. A recurring theme runs throughout our work: successful outcomes depend on managing the interfaces between technical systems, organisations, commercial objectives and uncertainty.

Featured Insight

From Hazard Management to Implementation Assurance

Lessons from Deploying Novel Drilling Technology in a Major Hazard Coal Mining Environment

Introducing novel technology into a mature operating environment creates a different category of risk. Traditional hazard-management processes remain fundamental, but they do not necessarily address all uncertainty associated with implementation.

The Implementation Assurance framework was developed to address precisely this gap — combining rigorous front-end engineering with structured scenario planning, operational readiness reviews, and progressive learning through pilot execution and scale-up decisions.

The Implementation Assurance Framework

01

Front-End Engineering

Rigorous technical definition before commitment

02

Scenario Planning & DWOP

Drill the Well on Paper — rehearsing execution

03

Operational Readiness Reviews

BBRA and WRAC processes applied systematically

04

Pilot Execution & Learning Reviews

Structured learning before scale-up decisions

Publication Grid

Selected Works

A curated collection of research, analysis and applied thinking published across leading industry journals and conferences.

Journal of Petroleum Technology

How Ready Is Your Project for Delivering Production?

This work examined why large upstream projects can struggle to achieve their intended production following startup. It identified two disciplines that materially improve outcomes: value assurance and operational readiness.

The work highlighted the need to integrate technical systems, organisational capability, infrastructure, vendors, commissioning and operations throughout project development. A key conclusion remains central to the OpStrategix approach: the more complex the project, the greater the level of integration required.


Industry Research

Transitioning from Project to Operations in CSG to LNG

Queensland's LNG development represented one of Australia's largest transitions from project execution into operations. This work explored practical lessons drawn from one of the most complex industrial programs undertaken in Australia.

  • Start with the end in mind
  • Define the minimum value chain
  • Plan interim operating states
  • Develop organisational capability early
  • Treat project and operations as a continuum
  • Learn progressively during execution
APGA

Delivering Safe and Reliable Outcomes Through Integrated Operations

Work developed with APA examined the transition from multiple state-based control functions into a national Integrated Operations Centre. The IOC represented a fundamental transformation in how a major gas pipeline network was managed, monitored and optimised across Australia.

The work demonstrated that integrated operations are not simply a technology initiative. They represent an operating-model transformation enabled by technology.

The IOC Combined

Operational Control

Gas Scheduling

Engineering

Commercial Support

Market Surveillance

Emergency Response

The APPEA Journal · 2020

The Case for Shared Infrastructure to Unlock Onshore Resources

This work examined the barriers facing smaller resource developers operating in mature Australian basins. It explored the structural, commercial and regulatory constraints that prevent otherwise viable resources from reaching production.

A central proposition was that one-to-many infrastructure and commercial structures can unlock otherwise uneconomic resources.

Barriers Examined

Infrastructure Access

Market Concentration

Capital Constraints

Regulatory Barriers

Supplier Constraints

Third-Party Access

APGA

Gas Storage — An Opportunity to Optimise Revenues for Pipeline Operators

This work examined physical and commercial forms of gas storage and their role in enabling pipeline operators to capture value from market volatility and supply variability. The analysis covered linepack, commercial instruments, LNG storage, underground storage and regulatory supply mechanisms.

Storage Forms Examined

Linepack

Physical storage within the pipeline itself

Commercial Instruments

Contractual and financial flexibility mechanisms

LNG & Underground Storage

Physical storage assets for peak and seasonal demand

Regulatory Supply Mechanisms

Frameworks enabling market-responsive operations

Discuss an Idea or Challenge

OpStrategix works at the intersection of strategy, projects, operations, technology and infrastructure. If you are navigating a complex transition, evaluating a major investment, or seeking to improve operational outcomes, we welcome the conversation.

Successful outcomes depend on managing the interfaces between technical systems, organisations, commercial objectives and uncertainty.