IPA Launching Three New Studies to Address Key Mining, Minerals, and Metals Industry Concerns

The Mining, Minerals, and Metals (MMM) Project Management (PM) Forum held in Perth, Australia, in November 2024 marked a revival of the IPA-led community of practice, which originated in 2003. It was a direct response to IPA’s mining and metals clients who were looking for opportunities to collaborate more frequently with both IPA and peer owner organizations to address the challenges that the MMM industry is facing today.

A day of focused discussions brought together 35 senior project stakeholders from 10 client companies. Led by executive leadership from IPA, BHP, Imvelo, and Kalgoorlie Nickel, the sessions covered key industry challenges, the dynamics of developing projects in a joint venture (JV) arrangement, project governance, and embracing new technologies to drive growth and efficiency and streamline operations.

As a result of the discussions, forum attendees agreed on the need for comparative industry data and metrics on several key factors affecting the MMM capital project space, including:

• Environmental permitting
• Operational readiness
• Gender diversification in project organizations

IPA is now preparing to launch focused research studies to address each of these topics and provide the insights our forum delegates are seeking. Continue reading below for high-level summaries of each study’s proposed objectives as shaped by ongoing discussions with PM Forum delegates.

Environmental Permitting

The increasing complexity and duration of environmental permitting processes is creating significant project delays and uncertainties for MMM projects. The study aims to answer critical questions that mining executives and project leaders are grappling with: How long are permitting schedules really taking across different jurisdictions? What are the true costs and schedule effects of permitting delays? Most importantly, what specific strategies can companies implement to improve their permitting success rates?

As we continue to frame up this study with participants, we expect to focus on the following insights, among others:

• Benchmarking data on permitting durations across different regions and project types
• Analysis of success/failure rates for projects with different permitting approaches
• Identification of Best Practices that reduce appeals and delays
• Exclusive access to permitting trend data that can inform strategic planning and project scheduling

This time-sensitive study offers participating companies a unique opportunity to gain a competitive advantage in an increasingly challenging permitting environment while helping shape future industry Best Practices.

Operational Readiness

In today’s complex mining environment, achieving rapid and consistent operational performance is crucial for project success. The Operational Readiness study addresses a critical industry need: understanding the true costs, timelines, and Best Practices for ensuring new mining operations achieve peak performance quickly and safely.

This multi-client study will leverage IPA’s extensive project database, along with new participant data, to deliver unprecedented insights into operational readiness benchmarks across the MMM sector. For the first time, mining companies will have access to validated industry data on operational readiness costs, timelines, and success factors, enabling them to make confident decisions about operational readiness investments and implementation strategies.

Gender Diversification in Project Organizations

This multi-client study addresses one of the mining industry’s most pressing organizational challenges: understanding and improving gender diversity across capital project organizations. This study follows a preliminary study done in 2024 and will dig deeper into this topic. It is intended help companies achieve their diversity goals and strengthen their project delivery capabilities by delivering critical intelligence that mining executives and HR leaders need: What are the current benchmarks for female representation across different project roles? Where are the gaps in leadership positions? What organizational structures and practices lead to better gender diversity outcomes? Most importantly, what specific strategies can companies implement to attract, retain, and promote female talent in project organizations?

What’s Next for the MMM PM Forum

The MMM PM Forum meets periodically to enable owner organizations to share issues affecting their delivery of capital projects in an informal setting and to allow networking across peers. The next MMM PM Forum is planned for later in Q2 2025 with a focus on sustaining capital portfolios (influenced by client feedback). IPA will share more details on this event soon.

For More Information

If you would like to express interest in participating in the MMM PM Forum or any of the three multi‑company studies described above, please complete the form below.