Stronger, more resilient operations every day

The situation 
A Canadian midstream operator experienced a significant operational technology (OT) network outage that resulted in a multi-day operational shutdown of their pipeline system. The incident raised concerns about the resilience of its software-defined wide area network (SD‑WAN) architecture and pipeline infrastructure technology environment. Leadership sought to better understand potential gaps across reliability, security, and compliance, as well as identify potential remaining single points of failure to reduce the risk and impact of future disruption events.  
 
The solve 
Deloitte supported the client through a structured OT network gap assessment to identify the root causes of the outage, working closely with their network architects and technical subject matter experts. A standardized, risk-based methodology was applied to identify and evaluate residual single points of failure based on impact, likelihood and potential cost. This included developing actionable mitigation strategies and associated cost estimates for each identified risk, enabling leadership to prioritize investments that enhance network resilience, reduce operational fragility, and support continuity of their control center operations without significant interruptions. 
 
The impact 
The client’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and network operations teams gained greater visibility into highest probability residual risk for network failure across their OT environment, enabling more informed, criticality‑based investment decisions. The findings were delivered through a quantified risk model to help leadership prioritize actions to strengthen network redundancy.  
 
Lessons learned 
Device redundancy does not equate to network redundancy. Even with significant investment in physical device‑level redundancy safeguards to mitigate equipment failures, an OT network without true redundancy can remain a single point of failure and expose operations to widespread disruption. 

The situation
A Canadian energy organization was experiencing growing execution risk across its capital projects portfolio as teams relied on fragmented, highly manual systems spanning Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, and Turnover.   

These challenges surfaced in day-to-day project execution and at handover. 3rd party systems and in-house developed tools were used to perform the same functions, such as inspection form tools, resulting in inconsistent processes across projects. Information was often entered two or three times across the project lifecycle, creating redundant, error-prone data and increasing rework. Visibility into project performance was also limited with metrics and dashboards dependent on manual consolidation from multiple systems. 

Inefficient document and asset turnover increased downstream operational risk, with ~80% of asset data misaligned at handover. Inconsistent asset data and the absence of standardized asset classes made it difficult to transition projects into operations with confidence. 

The solve
Deloitte was engaged to support the client’s optimization of Engineering, Construction and Commissioning initiative by helping design and implement a single, integrated project delivery ecosystem.  

The approach focused on enterprise‑wide process standardization, anchored by a unified project management information system serving as a single system of record. The solution replaced multiple disconnected tools with standardized workflows for request for information, inspections, document management, asset data, and project performance reporting.   

An asset‑centric design was introduced, including the development of a standardized asset class library and asset registry, allowing asset data to be reliably verified by the appropriate personnel from engineering through commissioning and turnover. Automation and system integration reduced manual effort through built‑in workflows, validated data fields, mobile forms, application programming interface-based reporting, and automated document and transmittal management. Together, these capabilities established a more consistent and scalable foundation for delivering capital projects. 

The impact
The initiative resulted in a 20% reduction in the application footprint, lowering system complexity, reducing support costs, and easing user friction across the project environment. Data quality was materially improved by eliminating redundant data handling, enabling progressive data verification, and standardizing asset data management.   

The client experienced faster and more reliable turnover, enabled by automated documents, assets, and record packaging aligned with operational requirements. Project teams also gained improved visibility and decision‑making, supported by real‑time dashboards, standardized metrics, and a single source of truth across projects and portfolios. 

Collaboration with contractors and vendors was also enhanced through direct submission and review of deliverables within the system prior to payment release. The client anticipates approximately $20M+ in annual cost savings and cost avoidance, driven by more efficient engineering, construction, commissioning, and turnover workflows.

The situation
A Canadian energy organization faced recurring challenges in delivering major maintenance and turnaround events with predictable outcomes. Internal audits and assessments from the most recent turnaround event highlighted inconsistent standards, undocumented processes, and limited integration across the turnaround lifecycle, creating execution risk for future events. Early performance indicators suggested a high likelihood of cost and schedule overruns, raising concerns about operational reliability and stakeholder confidence. The organization recognized the need to strengthen its turnaround readiness for the next event, while establishing a more disciplined, enterprise level foundation for sustained turnaround performance.

The solve
To address execution risk and improve future readiness, Deloitte was engaged to support turnaround execution readiness and prepare the client for the next major event. A key differentiator was the execution of a specially designed ‘lessons learned’ program embedded within the large-scale turnaround event, systematically capturing several hundred insights and mitigations across planning, execution, and governance. These findings were analyzed and prioritized to identify root causes and high impact improvement opportunities, directly informing the design of standardized processes, governance structures, and role definitions across the turnaround lifecycle. 

Leveraging these insights alongside proven industry practices, we collaborated with the client to develop key performance indicators for turnaround performance, with automated tracking and reporting established and transitioned to the client directly. In parallel, its turnaround readiness was strengthened onsite through the development of formal job profiles, organizational requirements, and a capability development plan—laying the foundational elements for a more consistent, enterprise level turnaround operating model

The impact
The client established a consistent foundation for planning and executing future turnaround events with greater discipline, transparency, and confidence. Governance structures, role definitions, and standardized processes for scope, materials, and quality management were documented, communicated, and embedded into day-to-day operations. Together, these foundational elements supported the client’s establishment of a turnaround centre of excellence, designed to scale across other downstream assets. As a result, the client is better positioned to approach upcoming turnaround events with greater readiness and predictability.