Beyond the CapEx

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez sits down with Rob Clark, a veteran project leader with 40+ years of experience delivering multi-billion-dollar capital projects across refining, petrochemicals, power, and emerging technologies. They break down what actually drives project success in real-world industrial environments—and why so many capital projects fail despite strong technical execution. This conversation dives deep into FEL/FEED, project leadership, risk management, s

In Episode 11 of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez are joined by Bryan Guess, Founder of Bartizan, to explore why so many projects fail even when the technical work is done right. Bryan shares a real-world story from commercial construction: a six-figure roof replacement executed flawlessly… only for the building to be sold and demolished months later. The takeaway applies across industries, including industrial capital projects, manufacturing, construction, and complex operati

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis challenge one of the most common blind spots in capital projects and CapEx decision-making: the belief that capital risk starts in execution. It doesn’t. The most consequential risks are embedded early, during front-end loading (FEL), project shaping, and business case development — when spending is low, scrutiny is minimal, and leadership attention is often elsewhere. By the time a project reaches approval, most of the enterprise

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez examine why the project charter is one of the most underutilized — yet critical — tools in capital project delivery. Many projects begin with broad agreement but vague definitions of success. This conversation explains how unclear objectives, weak decision boundaries, and implicit assumptions create misalignment that surfaces later as rework, conflict, and lost value. Cristian and Luis reframe the charter as a decision frame

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez reframe the role of the Project Management Office (PMO) from a perceived administrative burden to an owner’s value-protection system. Projects are complex, capital-intensive, and exposed to decision risk long before execution begins. Relying solely on individual capability, even strong capability, is not a strategy. This conversation explains how a PMO establishes consistency in decision-making, governance, and accountability

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez explore how effective change control enables flexibility without sacrificing predictability. Change is inevitable in complex projects. The problem is not change itself, it is unmanaged change introduced without understanding its downstream consequences. This conversation examines how organizations confuse adaptability with permissiveness, and why disciplined change managementprotects both schedule and business intent. Cristi