Structured Inspection Planning for Turnarounds Reduces Delays and Costly Surprises
According to Inspectioneering Journal’s January/February 2026 issue, Phillips 66 Senior Refining Inspector Jeffrey DeMet lays out the case for structured inspection planning as the foundation of any successful turnaround (TA), arguing that the familiar “Open, Clean, and Inspect” approach is no longer sufficient for complex facilities.
Why Inspection Planning Matters Now
DeMet’s article centers on the inspection test plan (ITP), a centralized document that defines inspection scope, methods, acceptance criteria, and hold points for a given turnaround. The argument is straightforward: without a well-structured ITP in place before work begins, communication breaks down between inspection teams, engineering, operations, and contractors, and critical details about how, when, and to what extent components should be inspected get lost.
The piece emphasizes a risk-based planning matrix to prioritize inspection activities, with the goal of surfacing unplanned discoveries earlier in the process, before they cause schedule delays or force last-minute decisions in the middle of a live turnaround. Proactive planning, DeMet argues, keeps findings within the discovery window, where operators still have time to act without blowing the schedule.
What It Means for Subcontractors
Inspection and maintenance subcontractors working turnarounds in refining, petrochemical, or midstream facilities should pay attention to this shift toward formalized ITP requirements.
- Get familiar with ITP documents before mobilization. Owners increasingly expect contractors to work directly from ITPs. Showing up without reviewing scope, hold points, and acceptance criteria is a fast path to delays and friction with the inspection lead.
- Risk-based inspection (RBI) drivers are shaping scope. If your crew is only executing work orders without understanding the RBI logic behind them, you’re more likely to miss the intent of the inspection, or flag the wrong findings.
- Hold points are not optional. A structured ITP includes mandatory hold points where work stops pending inspection sign-off. Subcontractors who push past these without authorization create compliance and liability exposure for themselves and the owner.
- Early coordination pays off. DeMet’s framework calls for alignment between contractors, engineering, and operations well before execution. Subcontractors who engage in pre-turnaround planning meetings rather than showing up at mobilization are better positioned to flag resource gaps and avoid surprises.
