Analysis of the performance of TAM in oil and gas industry: Factors and solutions for improvement

Abstract

Although it is well recognized that turnaround maintenance (TAM) projects are key determinant of the performance of oil and gas (O&G) companies, little is known about the factors that determine their performance and what solutions can be proposed to improve their reliability and efficiency. This paper aims at filling this gap. For this purpose, a focus group analysis was conducted to identify the factors affecting the performance of TAM projects and propose alternatives for improvement. Next, a questionnaire was administered with managers and practitioners of O&G TAM in Qatar to collect the required data set for the analysis. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach, our empirical findings reveal that the top five factors affecting TAM's performance in the O&G sector are labor skills, lack of supervision, communication skills, safety-related issues and on-site labor transportation. The study found that improving estimates of activities' durations and resources is the best solution to improve the performance of TAM in O&G companies. 2020 The Author(s)