Episodes

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...

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez challenge the assumption that front-end loading (FEL) is only necessary for large capital projects. Smaller projects often operate with thinner margins, tighter schedules, and less tolerance for error yet they are frequently rushed through early planning. This conversation explains why small projects require precision, not shortcuts, and how right-sizing FEL improves predictability without unnecessary overhead. Cristian and ...

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez examine one of the most underestimated threats to capital predictability: scope creep. Rarely driven by bad intent, scope creep often enters projects quietly — through well-meaning ideas, late input, and leadershipsignals that unintentionally bypass discipline. Over time, these incremental changes erode cost certainty, delay schedules, and weaken business outcomes without a single defining moment of failure. The conversation...

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez explore how artificial intelligence can be used responsibly and effectively during front-end loading (FEL) without outsourcing judgment or accountability. As AI tools rapidly enter engineering, planning, and project management workflows, many organizations struggle to distinguish between acceleration and abdication. This conversation reframes AI as a decision-support partner, not a decision-maker, and clarifies where AI adds ...

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez unpack one of the most persistent sources of tension inindustrial capital projects: the fundamentally different ways owners and contractors perceive risk. Although both sides want projects to succeed, their businessmodels, incentives, and exposure to downside risk are not the same. These differences shape how contracts are priced, how contingencies are built, and why relationships often become adversarial, even when intention...

In this episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez explore a subtle but critical distinction in capital project leadership: the difference between communicating information and creating genuine connection. Many project teams believe that dashboards, reports, and status meetings are enough to align organizations. Yet misalignment, resistance, and disengagement persist even when information is technically correct and widely distributed. This conversation examines why communica...

In this inaugural episode of Beyond the CapEx, Cristian Gonzalez and Luis Gomez introduce the foundational discipline behind predictable industrial capital projects: front-end loading (FEL). Across the industry, a large percentage of capital projects miss their original cost, schedule, or performance objectives. Not because execution teams are ineffective, but because early decisions are made with incomplete definition, weak alignment, and limited appreciation for their long-term consequences. ...