Development of the KNPC R&D/T Roadmap
The Roadmap development process followed a structured 9-step approach, modified from KPC guidelines to optimize for KNPC's organizational structure. The AI Agent layer replaces manual data collection and workshop-based challenge identification — saving time while improving accuracy.
Stakeholder Engagement
Nominate focal points from all departments
Focal points were nominated from 9 stakeholder departments: Corporate Planning, MOG, Technical Services, Quality Assurance, HSE, Maintenance, Operations, LMD, and KAFCO. Each focal point acted as a champion within their division to source pertinent challenges.
Top Management Interviews
Strategic insights from DCEOs and Managers
Engagement with Top Management was facilitated to seek their insights into the overall R&T strategy. Interviews were conducted with DCEOs and Managers, with pre-read documents shared ahead of meetings and a post-interview survey conducted to statistically analyze views.
Literature Surveys
Global refining R&T trends analysis
R&T conducted independent literature surveys on focus areas by other refining companies to determine if these R&D areas were worth pursuing by KNPC. KPC R&T facilitated two workshops on the latest trends in the refining industry.
Brainstorming Workshops
254 challenges identified across all groups
Several workshops were conducted with nominated groups resulting in the identification of 254 challenges. Focal points from each Department/Division were engaged individually to identify challenges specific to their division needs.
Validation Workshops
Challenges validated for KNPC relevance
Validation workshops were conducted with the stakeholder Departments to ensure the challenges are relevant to the KNPC business portfolio and also considers the remit of the R&T Department within KNPC.
Challenge Screening
Reduced from 254 to 128 validated projects
A total of 128 projects were incorporated in the R&D/T Roadmap after screening. Additionally, 13 projects approved during the 2018 Roadmap Streamlining activity were also included in this version.
Project Prioritization
Business Impact × Doability matrix
Each project was prioritized based on Business Impact (HSE Improvement + Financial Performance + Strategic Alignment) and Doability (Technology Readiness Level + Timing + Study Cost + Barriers to Implementation).
Project Charters
Developed for each of 128 projects
Project charters were developed for each identified project, incorporating: business challenge, project description, objectives, prioritization matrix, and expected execution timeline based on project phasing.
5-Year Phasing
FY 2022/23 – FY 2026/27 execution plan
Projects were phased over the five-year period based on project prioritization. The project charters establish the phased approach of study execution to enable appropriate allocation of resources.