Abstract
Many experienced project managers have realized that projects do not fail at the end, nor in the middle, but that poor performance was evident right from the start. It is further recognized by many experienced mining project managers that time lost at the start of a new underground mining project, whether it be a shaft or decline, is time lost. Jim Redpath, the founder of the Redpath, aptly stated in a letter in 1995 to a subsequent CEO of Redpath that: “There is only one month that counts on a shaft sinking job - that is the first month! Get that scheduled performance in that month and the job is made.”. As a global, Tier 1 contractor, we have many success stories, yet still engage many additional resources on certain projects to speed up performance to meet planned targets. Redpath acknowledge this through Lessons Learned sessions and embarked on building a “Start Well On Time” (SWOT) process, including guideline checklists, to allow project managers to guide the successful and on time startup of their projects. Understanding the key phases of SWOT, as well as how to use guideline checklists, will allow each project manager to start when ready. Advantages and challenges of implementing this process will also be discussed.