The Importance of Project Management in the System Integration, Verification and Validation Process

Abstract

AbstractSuppliers to the oil and gas industry are experiencing an increased pressure from customers to deliver products at a lower cost and shorter schedule. One of the most costly single activity in packaging a Complex System is the process of system integration testing, verification and validation (test phase). In the researched Company this process has also proven to be a bottleneck. Symptoms are accumulated units ready for test, projects that are not put through, and delayed completion of projects.This paper analyzes the testing process. The initial objective was to identify what impacts the testing schedule. We analyzed the testing process using root cause analysis methods. Our research identified that several issues occurred, both prior to and in the test phase. However, only a few of the issues have a significant impact on the test schedule. This project shows how crucial project management is for complex systems. It also gives an insight to how the company can successfully manage the system integration, verification and validation phase.