PREPROJECT-PLANNING PROCESS FOR CAPITAL FACILITIES

Preproject planning is defined as the process of developing sufficient strategic information for owners to address risk and decide whether t o commit resources to maximize the change for a successful capital fac ility project. Preproject planning-also known as feasibility analysis, conceptual planning, and front-end planning-is at the interface betwe en business and engineering. It is an owner's responsibility that it b e performed adequately; however, many preproject-planning functions ar e performed by engineering consultants. Members of the engineering pro fession must be aware of its implications and requirements. This artic le presents results from an on-going investigation of preproject plann ing. The concept and definition of preproject planning are discussed. A validated process map describing the major subprocesses of preprojec t planning is presented and a brief narrative describing each is given . Key preproject-planning principles discovered during the course of t he research project are outlined and conclusions concerning the prepro ject planning process are presented.