Turnaround (TAR) & Shutdown Management for Major Projects

23 – 27 November 2026 | Dubai | US$4,750

31 January – 04 February 2027 | Riyadh | US$4,750

Course Description

Major turnarounds and shutdowns are among the highest-cost, highest-risk events in a plant’s operating calendar, compressed timelines, large contractor mobilizations, and a steep cost of every day of delay make disciplined project management essential rather than optional. This course gives turnaround leaders and project teams a practical, end-to-end framework for planning, executing, and closing out a turnaround, with particular focus on the scheduling and resourcing decisions that determine whether a shutdown finishes on time and on budget.

The course draws on realistic project scenarios to walk participants through the full turnaround lifecycle, from scope-freeze discipline through contractor mobilization to post-turnaround performance review.

This course will feature:

  • A full walkthrough of the turnaround lifecycle, from initiation to closeout
  • Practical scheduling exercises using critical path techniques for shutdown windows
  • Case studies on contractor mobilization and resourcing under compressed timelines
  • Risk and contingency planning frameworks for managing scope growth mid-turnaround
  • A structured approach to cost and schedule control during execution

What are the Goals?

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

  • Plan a turnaround from scope-freeze through execution and closeout
  • Identify and mitigate common causes of turnaround schedule and cost overrun
  • Apply critical path scheduling techniques to compressed shutdown windows
  • Apply cost and schedule risk controls throughout execution
  • Apply cost and schedule risk controls throughout execution
  • Conduct a structured turnaround closeout and lessons-learned review

How will this course be presented?

This course is highly interactive and focused on real-world application, including:

The course combines instructor-led sessions on turnaround planning principles with case-study analysis of real project scenarios, giving participants a grounded view of how turnarounds succeed or fail in practice. Interactive scheduling and mobilization workshops let participants build and stress-test a simplified turnaround plan of their own, while structured discussions throughout the week create space for participants to share experiences from turnarounds they’ve been part of, surfacing lessons that go beyond what any single case study can cover.

Who is this training course for?

This course is designed for the people who plan, lead, and deliver major plant turnarounds and shutdowns.

  • Turnaround and Shutdown Managers
  • Project Engineers
  • Maintenance Planners
  • EPC Project Directors
  • Plant and Operations Managers responsible for planned outages
  • Contract and Procurement personnel involved in turnaround mobilization

Duration: 5 Days

Real Feedback From Our Clients

Marshal training trainers are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They led us through the course objectives and made sure we had a full understanding. They always keep the course interesting the entire way through and are always a joy to learn from. Thank you also, Karen, for assisting and arranging all our training requirements.

- Shekinah Pama

We have been using the MFSTC services for the last few years and believe they are one of the best supplier in the market. They have a professional team that provides you effective solution for your business needs in a prompt manner.

Their trainers are well qualified and carry out engaging and practical based trainings which is required to meet the industry standards.

We highly recommend recommending other customers to use their services.

- Hammad Amin

We’ve been working with Marshal Training since 2018 and have always been impressed by their professionalism and training quality. Their programs—like Confined Space, First Aid, Fire Fighting, and H2S—have greatly improved safety and compliance across our teams. The trainers are knowledgeable and communicate effectively with our diverse workforce. A special thanks to Ms. Karen Angeles for her continued support, responsiveness, and smooth coordination. We truly value this partnership.

- Renny Thomas

I recently completed the online scaffolding training with Marshal, and I was thoroughly impressed. The course was clear, professional, and straight to the point, covering all the essential topics without any unnecessary fluff. Marshal’s team demonstrated a high level of expertise and professionalism throughout. I would definitely recommend this training to anyone looking to strengthen their
knowledge and skills in scaffolding safety and best practices.

- Christo Du Toit

Check Out More of Our Courses

Course Content

Day 1: Turnaround Planning Fundamentals
  • The turnaround lifecycle: initiation, planning, execution, closeout
  • Defining and freezing turnaround scope
  • Roles and organizational structure for a turnaround team
  • Estimating turnaround duration and cost baselines
  • Case study: comparing planning approaches across turnarounds of different scale
  • Workshop: drafting a scope-freeze checklist
  • Principles of critical path scheduling for shutdown windows
  • Sequencing work packages to minimize total downtime
  • Identifying and managing schedule float
  • Coordinating parallel work streams safely
  • Hands-on exercise: building a simplified turnaround schedule
  • Discussion: common scheduling pitfalls and how to avoid them
  • Contractor selection and mobilization planning
  • Workforce and equipment resourcing for compressed timelines
  • Managing multiple contractors working a shared site
  • Materials and logistics planning for turnaround execution
  • Case study: mobilization failures and their downstream schedule impact
  • Workshop: building a mobilization plan for a sample turnaround
  • Identifying and mitigating turnaround-specific safety risks
  • Contingency planning for scope growth and unplanned findings
  • Real-time cost tracking and variance management
  • Managing change requests without losing schedule control
  • Group exercise: responding to a simulated scope-growth scenario
  • Discussion: balancing safety, cost, and schedule pressure
  • Structuring an effective turnaround closeout process
  • Capturing and documenting lessons learned
  • Measuring turnaround performance against baseline KPIs
  • Feeding closeout findings into the next turnaround cycle
  • Action-planning workshop: participants draft a closeout framework for their next turnaround

Interested in Joining? Register Now!​

Have questions or need expert guidance? Reach out to us! Fill out the form below, and our team will get back to you promptly.