Success in drilling can often be traced to adequate planning, including risk identification and response strategies. The traditional framework for planning drilling projects is hierarchical and consists of a small project team. The high complexity of drilling projects, combined with time restraints, often results in a failure to identify risks, provide contingency plans, and effectively monitor project execution. One solution is to create an integrated cross-functional team specifically for planning and iterative project review. The team is composed of representatives of the operator’s drilling, resource, and production groups, representatives of the companies providing major services, consultants, and personnel from the lead regulatory agency. In a cross-functional team, the members have input into the initial drilling plan, and then participate in a drill-on-paper exercise in which a detailed drilling procedure, including risk identification and contingency planning, is developed. The team then establishes iterative review sessions at key milestones of the project, promoting rapid self-correction, accurate lessons learned, and projectspecific heuristics.