Find the right problem first.
Doing the project right matters. Doing the right project matters more.
We help owner teams in energy, mining, and infrastructure agree the real problem or opportunity behind a project, before capital is committed and while the options are still open.
Nine questions. You get a score, your two biggest risks and what to do about each.
17+ years
in oil, gas and mining projects
10+ years
at Woodside Energy in project governance and facilitation
30+ years
Austin Wilson, across oil, gas and nuclear projects
UK · Australia · USA
projects in all three, and co-authors of Where Projects Are Won or Lost
THREE WAYS TO WORK WITH US
Have us run it, learn to run it, or make it how your projects start
WHERE PROJECTS ARE WON OR LOST
Five things that go wrong before anyone breaks ground
We rush to execution
A team that is planning looks slower than a team that is building, right up until the rebuild.
Success is never defined
Ask five people what a good outcome looks like. The gap is almost always wider than anyone expected.
Solutions come too early
Once a front-runner exists, the work becomes justifying it rather than testing it.
Alignment is assumed
Nobody disagrees in the kick-off. Disagreement surfaces at the first hard trade-off, when it is expensive.
Assumptions pass as facts
The most dangerous ones are never said out loud, because nobody thinks they need saying.
All five can be fixed at the start
That is the work. See how PATH does it →
WHAT YOU WALK AWAY WITH
One page that says what the project is for
Every framing session ends in a written frame. The decision-makers can read it in five minutes and see what was decided, what was ruled out and what has to be true.
The example on the right is illustrative. Download the blank template and try it on your own project.
WHAT CLIENTS AND STUDENTS SAY
“Iwona provided a style and process that allowed all participants to be involved.”
Jarod Monaghan, Project Manager
“Instead of rushing into a decision, we discussed the big questions first, and ultimately decided not to proceed. It was the right decision.”
Opportunity Framing Practitioner, founding cohort
“The topic of the workshop required Iwona to navigate a diverse range of views and she did so with confidence and diplomacy.”
Laura Kjellgren, Corporate Affairs Manager
LATEST ARTICLES
Notes from the front end
THE BOOK
Where Projects Are Won or Lost
A practical guide to early decisions, framing and governance, with case studies from oil, gas and mining.
FREE MONTHLY WEBINAR
Are we working on the right problem? Opportunity framing for projects and change
Forty minutes, live, with examples. Everyone who registers gets the replay.