Join NATS and TPG to explore how one of the UK’s most safety-critical organisations transformed project delivery and portfolio governance at scale. Under pressure to improve visibility, compliance, and investment decision-making, NATS replaced fragmented systems with an integrated solution built on Microsoft Project Online, Power Platform, and TPG’s ProjectPowerPack and PSLink®. This session shares how the transformation enabled greater standardisation, automated reporting, and more strategic alignment—empowering PMOs with real-time insights and repeatable processes. You’ll hear from NATS and TPG The Project Group about the journey, challenges, and outcomes—focusing on business value and supporting tools. Ideal for PMO leaders, portfolio managers, and transformation leads seeking to simplify complexity, enable better governance, and deliver measurable results across project environments.

Construction projects are complex systems where disruptions can trigger cycles of rework, productivity loss, and cascading delays. These challenges often lead to cost overruns, schedule setbacks and disputes, issues that derail even the most carefully managed projects. This presentation explores strategies for proactively identifying risks, mitigating disruptions, and enhancing project outcomes

Navigating today’s fast-moving and complex environments means organisations are constantly challenged to find, grow, and deploy the right skills at the right time. In this session, we’ll share Babcock’s journey, starting with a simple question: How well do we understand our people’s capabilities? Drawing on real experience, we’ll explore how Babcock uses Actionable Intelligence to make sense of workforce data and turn it into meaningful development opportunities. But this isn’t just about systems and metrics, it’s about people. We’ll talk openly about the human side of skills development; the barriers, the awkward conversations, and the moments of growth. If you’ve ever wondered how to make performance appraisals more useful, how to turn feedback into action, or why development conversations can feel so difficult, then this session is for you.

Business Intelligence (BI) for Cost Engineering The presentation aims to show a case study of a BI process for cost engineering. The process is divided into several steps: Standardization, Categorization, Normalization, Configuration, BI Creation, and Dashboards/Reports. Standardization means that the database should be formatted or should always have the required info (columns) in the same format. The reason is that BI should be able to read data from different projects, and this is only possible if the database has the same format. Categorization (e.g., cost and schedule) aims to reflect your process (e.g. Project Control for a period). It means that the database could be composed of different sources, such as schedule (e.g., P6) and costs (e.g., SAP). Normalization aims to clean, convert, remove outliers, etc. Partial of this step could be done in BI or out of the tool. Configuration is the first step in the BI tool. In this case, it is Power BI because the case study is based on my experience, but it could be a different BI tool (e.g., Tableau). Configuration means preparing and transforming the database, such as removing columns or rows, creating new columns, deleting empty rows, etc. BI creation is the phase of creating the dashboard, and it is crucial to know the process and data that you are using. You should know what and how you show the data. This will allow you to decide what types of charts to use and what levels of information the drill-down should occur at. The outputs are the dashboards and reports. The Dashboards can be published and shared with your organization. There are several benefits to recommending Bis, such as time optimization, allowing the user to have a dynamic view to navigate through the data and get their conclusions, and questions. Finally, some applications and challenges will be exemplified and discussed. LinkedIn post shows the topic that will be presented: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helber-cunha-macedo_bi-powerbi-costengineering-activity-7319292229271891968-uF6V?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAvzG4ABEfQJ90MThnTj9nMONcG7UCEGp5g

This Presentation focusses on how Projects Controls professionals meet ethics in their everyday work. Whether working on UK or global projects, I will explain how and where PC professionals can play their part in improving project health. At the beginning, we will explore perceptions of ethics: I will ask the audience questions about situations that may have caused angst to lay the groundwork in an interactive way. They can then relax and listen whilst I will trace the history of ethics to the present day, and then explore the intersection between contract, law and ethics. We will then explore typical projects that Proj Con professionals work on. I will use Case Studies from my 25 years’ qualified practice to illustrate 21C dilemmas and challenges which are often experienced by Project Controls professionals, show how you solve these real-time real-life problems, and give you tips and tricks to take away so that you can play your part with confidence and competence. I will draw on established international research to explore and demonstrate the practicalities for those in project controls roles and responsibilities of adopting an ‘everyday ethics’ mindset: in doing business; acquiring and using key skills; being collaborative; and recognising an organisation’s ethical compass. I will then look-ahead to the ‘new workplace’: the emerging use of AI, its interface with ethics, and the areas where project controls professionals, and the wider industry as a whole, can have positive influence and meaningful impact. Finally, I will collate the evidence for how diversity makes a workplace more ethical, healthy and happy, and ultimately successful! I will give hope and instil renewed vigour on the approach to a new year.

Prospective Time Impact Analysis (TIA) is a crucial tool in construction project delay management, enabling stakeholders to assess the potential impact of delay events before they occur. Despite its proactive nature, implementing TIA presents several challenges, including limited data availability, subjectivity in forecasted progress, and stakeholder resistance. The Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) International’s Recommended Practices, particularly RP 29R-03, provide essential guidance for improving the accuracy and credibility of prospective TIAs. Enhancements such as using contemporaneous updates, clear documentation of assumptions, logical network revisions, and consistent baseline schedules are emphasized. The proposed presentation will explore these key challenges and outlines enhancement strategies to ensure TIAs are methodologically sound, transparent, and defensible. By aligning TIA practices with AACE guidelines, project teams can improve delay analysis reliability, reduce disputes, and foster better decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.

Join us for an insightful session where we explore how AtkinsRéalis is reshaping the future of project controls — not just through technology, but by putting people at the heart of the transformation. We will dive into how we are addressing the industry-wide skills shortage by broadening our talent horizons, moving beyond traditional recruitment channels, and embracing inclusive hiring practices. You’ll hear how digital innovation is helping us deliver smarter, faster, and more resilient outcomes — and how a diverse, empowered workforce is key to making it happen. Whether you're a leader, practitioner, or someone passionate about building high-performing teams, this session will offer real-world insights and practical takeaways to help you drive change in your own organisation.

This presentation explores how integrating Visual Planning techniques with Earned Value Management (EVM) creates a powerful framework for construction project control. While Visual Planning enhances collaboration through accessible representation of project information, and EVM provides quantitative performance metrics, their combination addresses persistent industry challenges including schedule delays and cost overruns. We'll examine how this integrated approach—Visual Earned Value Management (VEVM)—transforms project delivery through enhanced accessibility of performance data, improved contextual understanding, faster issue identification, and more effective stakeholder communication. Case studies demonstrate significant improvements in schedule adherence, reduced cost overruns, and higher stakeholder satisfaction. Attendees will learn practical implementation strategies for this integrated methodology that balances analytical rigor with visual communication to drive superior construction project outcomes.

In today's rapidly evolving world, data has become a crucial asset for organisations across industries. However, managing vast amounts of data and turning it into actionable insights remains a significant challenge for projects and their project control teams. This is particularly true in the context of large infrastructure project organisations, where data can be scattered across various sources and systems. This presentation shares our journey from traditional reporting methods to implementing a data-first strategy that transformed the way we manage and analyse project data in Network Rail's Wales & Western Region. Our organisation manages over 2,700 miles of railway in Wales, Thames Valley, West of England, and the South-West Peninsula, with a £2.5 billion infrastructure renewal and enhancement program over a 5-year period. As part of the Advanced Analytics team, we led on modernising the reporting & analytics approach, developing systems, dashboards, and visualisations to enable project teams to access their project data centrally, review trends, and gain valuable insights into performance. In this presentation, we will share real-world case studies addressing specific problem statements and reveal how simple but effective technological solutions have transformed our organisation, including: 1. **Periodic Business Review Pack** A set of consistent self-service reports for the region, saving over 12,000 annual hours through streamlined access to project data. These reports eliminate the need for manual Excel generation and provide a standardised approach to performance reporting across projects and regions. 2. **Commentary Collector App** Communication and sharing of progress updates between teams was often cumbersome due to manual liaison and version control issues. We addressed this by implementing an commentary collection method, which eliminated these issues and saved over 4,800 hours annually. 3. **Change Control Database** Managing change papers manually was a time-consuming process for our project teams. We addressed this challenge by creating a consolidated database for all change papers, which significantly reduced manual effort and saved over 9,700 hours annually. This centralised solution improved the tracking and management of change requests across projects and ensures greater transparency and efficiency. 4. **Phase Readiness App** Ensuring that projects are ready for the next phase is crucial in maintaining project momentum. This app enables teams to review project readiness efficiently and effectively, allowing them to address potential issues proactively and save time. 5. **Data Mesh** To support this transformation, we adopted a back-end data mesh approach. This approach ensures that data is consistent and accessible across the organisation while allowing for flexibility and scalability. By democratising data access and enabling self-service analytics, teams can now focus on addressing project issues rather than dealing with errors or inconsistencies. Join us as we discuss these case studies in detail, sharing practical knowledge that can be directly applied to your own projects. Through this educational experience, you'll gain valuable insights into the benefits of a data-first strategy and leave with actionable takeaways that you can implement in your organisation.

A presentation on the strategy developed to improve how HS2 Ltd receive, align and systemise data from the supply chain to establish a integrated data intelligence capability. Through a cross functional approach with Commercial, Finance, Design, and Engineering functions, we will present how our analytical capability has been used to establish an intelligence hub of data analysis, assurance, and control that has transformed how HS2 can identify and assess variances, benchmark data across a multitude of facets, and undertake predictive analysis of outturn costs. Our three stage approach, which has been undertaken over the last 12 months, has realised the benefits of structured data that expands beyond the standard project controls requirements, to truly capture real time analysis that supports interventions and best for programme decision making, which provide true value for money assurance. The presentation will focus on the difficulties encountered by the project in the interrogation of performance across the project controls disciplines and assurance of cost, and the journey taken to obtain and align the extensive array of data that has been produced over the last 5 years since Notice to Proceed (NTP) that has enabled the project controls teams to take a huge leap forwards in their analysis and assurance capability. In addition, we will discuss how project level data has been used to generate programme level analysis that supports a broader approach to assurance, including determination of appropriate and reasonable expenditure through the delivery phase of our contracts.

Mega projects - whether in infrastructure, energy, technology, or urban development - represent vast financial commitments and complex stakeholder landscapes. This panel will explore how robust governance frameworks can be applied to ensure transparency, accountability, and strategic alignment throughout the project life cycle. Panelists will share insights on navigating regulatory, financial, and operational challenges while protecting investments and delivering value.

The evolution of infrastructure from traditional road and rail to climate-resilient and low-carbon assets requires corresponding advancements in early-stage cost forecasting methods. The HM Treasury Green Book 2022 business case preparation process requires organisations to strike a perfect balance between speed, accuracy, and governance standards. The preconstruction phase continues to utilise Analogous Estimation as its primary method for predicting future project costs by comparing past projects. The technique remains effective in current complex conditions. Why This Matters The initial cost estimates in government and publicly funded schemes determine political commitments, public trust, and long-term value for money. But too often, cost forecasts are: 1) The cost forecasts rely on outdated benchmarks which have not been adjusted. 2) Lacking transparency on source data, 3)Unsuitable for non-standard, innovative projects. The research initiative aims to evaluate the application of analogous estimating methods for Standard and Non-Standard civil works through the Green Book framework. The Challenges We’re Addressing #Data Quality: What counts as a valid benchmark? What checks should be in place? #Normalisation: How should we adjust data across base dates, locations, and currencies? #ScopeMatching: How do we treat complexity, regulation, and delivery model differences? #Assurance: How do we present analogous estimates confidently under Five Case scrutiny? #ProfessionalJudgement: Where’s the line between informed adjustment and optimistic guesswork?

I love presenting to other project professionals and would love the opportunity to do so at PC Expo. My dissertation topic for my MSc Strategic Management of Projects was based on my hypothesis that lessons learned, while ubiquitous, is never very effective in megaprojects and that people rarely act differently based on the learnings of others from previous projects. I have been asked back to UCL to present my findings to other masters candidates as it engages classrooms and drives conversation. I present on research I conducted on the variable definition of megaprojects, before discussing the concept of knowledge management and its nuances (including effective knowledge transfer through storytelling). Then, my research turns to the availability of knowledge and the varied availability of lessons, before exploring the mind of senior leaders and their likelihood (or not) of actually wanting to seek advice in the first place. I finish with a thought on heuristics and the value of instinct which poses a counter argument to Lessons Learned. Next the discussion turns to my findings gathered from interviews with senior leaders in megaprojects in the UK Finally I explore recommendations and thoughts on how to change for the better.

Navigating the New Era of UK Water Infrastructure: Strategies for Large-Scale Projects The UK water sector has entered an unprecedented phase of capital investment, marked by projects of significant scale and complexity. This shift represents a departure from traditional, incremental upgrades to ambitious programmes of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. This presentation will explore the strategic approach to setting up a major infrastructure programme from initial concept through to the development phase. We will examine how the sector is adapting to this new paradigm, which requires different and innovative thinking, all in the context of changing regulatory frameworks, new consenting strategies and novel delivery models. Drawing inspiration from best practice industry publications, we will focus on the critical front-end setup of the Reservoirs Programme. Key topics will include: 1. Programme Architecture: Designing adaptable programs that can accommodate both certainty and change over a 10-15 year horizon. 2. Governance and Regulation: Examining emerging models for hybrid regulation and phased funding approval, considering the roles of Ofwat, DEFRA, and the Environment Agency. 3. Development Consent Order (DCO) Strategy: Integrating consent strategy into program design to mitigate risks and avoid late-stage complications. 4. Delivery Models: Exploring alliance models, integrator-led approaches, and program partnerships as alternatives to traditional procurement methods. 5. Cross-Sector Insights: Reflecting on lessons from transport, energy, and global megaprojects to avoid common pitfalls such as optimism bias and scope creep. This session aims to provide valuable insights for professionals involved in or interested in the future of UK water infrastructure, offering a balanced view of the challenges and opportunities in this evolving landscape.

Change is the only constant—and yet somehow, we still manage to be surprised by it. In this energising and unapologetically honest session, Carolyn Browning and Simon Taylor pull no punches as they explore the elephant in the project controls room: cultural dysfunction. We’ll unravel why confusion, fear, and disconnection continue to sabotage delivery, and how modern project controls can empower people, processes, and priorities to align (without needing another RACI). Expect real talk, real strategies, and a few laughs along the way as we share insights from our dual-badged APM and CaSA publication Project Controls in the 21st Century—crafted with input from over 40 experts across industry. If you want to transform your data into decisions, build cultures that thrive in complexity, and actually enjoy talking about change... this session is for you. No buzzwords. No nonsense. Just project controls done properly.

Disruption and delay are common sources of conflict in construction projects, often leading to disputes and strained relationships. This panel will explore the causes, consequences, and strategies for managing these risks, drawing on real-world experience to highlight how effective analysis and early intervention can support fair and timely resolution.

HS2—Europe’s largest infrastructure programme—is undergoing a dramatic reset. Faced with the scale, complexity, and visibility of a megaproject in transformation, HS2 is turning to AI-led assurance and forecasting to fundamentally change how risk is understood, communicated, and controlled. In this session, HS2 and nPlan reveal how artificial intelligence is powering a bold shift in how the organisation manages performance, enabling it to rebaseline with confidence, engage delivery partners in a more transparent risk dialogue, and replace traditional, reactive assurance cycles with proactive, data-driven foresight. Key takeaways include: -How HS2 is embedding AI into monthly assurance processes - The role of AI in driving more effective rebaselining and change decisions - What it takes to align Joint Ventures around a single version of the truth - Lessons in culture change, digital enablement, and control at scale This is not a tech demo—it’s a real-world transformation of project controls, where AI is no longer a side experiment, but a trusted part of how HS2 plans, assures, and delivers the programme every month.

The capital project landscape stands at a critical juncture, grappling with the urgent and growing need for digital transformation while facing a multitude of unprecedented challenges. Capital project delivery organisations are confronted with a perfect storm of pressures, including the overwhelming pace of technological advancements, an increasingly complex data management landscape, funding uncertainty, skills shortages and shrinking margins. The rapid emergence of new technologies, though promising, often outpaces the industry’s ability to adapt and integrate them effectively, leading to a widening gap between potential and implementation. Simultaneously, the unpredictable nature of government funding and escalating costs create a climate of hesitancy and budgetary volatility, hindering long-term planning and making it increasingly difficult to deliver projects on time and within budget. These converging challenges underpins the need for digital transformation, not merely as a technological upgrade, but as a fundamental shift in mindset and operational strategy. However, historically, the industry has been slow to adapt and adopt and now needs to consider new and disruptive approaches to pivot and ‘leap’ to become efficient and effective through digital. This session will equip the audience with a clear understanding of six critical ‘success factors’ as well as how to approach them to navigate these challenges and lead your organisation to future success. Based on insights from industry partners, technology providers and our experience delivering strategic capital projects, these success factors spanning across all aspects of business including strategy, operations, technology, and culture. The session will aim to: • Provide a detailed assessment of the key pressures facing the industry, including the rapid evolution of technology, data fragmentation and funding volatility. • Unpick the 6 success factors, with an understanding of their importance practical steps for implementation. o Strong Leadership: Cultivating a digital-first vision and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. o Data-Driven Decision-Making: Transitioning from siloed data to a unified data strategy that empowers informed decision-making. o Overcoming Resistance to New Technologies: Strategies for building confidence, providing tailored training, and fostering grassroots adoption of digital tools. o Strategic Technology Adoption: Aligning technology choices with business objectives, prioritising high-impact solutions, and embracing agile methodologies. o Continuous Upskilling and Capability Development: Equipping your workforce with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the digital age through proactive training and strategic talent management. o Agile Strategy Development: Moving beyond rigid long-term plans to a more responsive and adaptable "continuous strategy" model. Introduce the ‘orchestrator’ role; a new position in the digital transformation process that champions, facilitates and enables the ways of working highlighted in the six ‘success factors’, accelerating organisations on their digital transformation journey.

The standardization of schedule activities remains a critical challenge in project controls, requiring global consensus and sustained effort from institutions to enforce uniform practices. Yet, in reality, schedules vary widely in structure, terminology, and granularity—leading to inefficiencies, misclassification, and inconsistent reporting. This case study presents NLP (BERT and RoBERTa) as the transformative solution, enabling machines to "understand" and classify schedule activities even in the absence of strict standardization. By training these models on diverse project datasets, we demonstrate how AI can rationalize unstructured or non-standard activity descriptions (e.g., "Install HVAC" vs. "Mechanical Works – HVAC Installation") and auto-map activities to WBS or building components without predefined rules. This supports solving several issues in project controls, including soft logic assessment, 4D scheduling, and reports development. While institutional efforts for standardization must continue, NLP offers a significant bridge—turning today’s messy schedules into actionable, AI-classified data. This session will showcase the methodology, challenges, and roadmap for scaling this approach across the project controls ecosystem.

"The rapid evolution of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) is reshaping how capital project organizations operate, offering both significant advantages and emerging challenges. This presentation provides a foundational understanding of generative AI, what it is, how it works, and how it fits within the broader AI ecosystem. While the potential is considerable, the risks cannot be overlooked. This presentation addresses key concerns, including algorithmic bias, hallucinations, privacy, and the current gaps in regulation. With high-stakes capital investments on the line, the need for Responsible AI has never been more urgent. Core principles such as fairness, transparency, accountability, safety, and governance will be explored, along with practical steps for embedding these values into organizational processes. Participants will also review emerging guidance from governments, industry groups, and academia, and discuss how to align AI strategies with corporate oversight, vendor engagement, and procurement frameworks. Whether you're leading digital transformation or setting policy, this session will equip you with the insight needed to harness the power of AI—responsibly and effectively—in capital project delivery. "

Many challenges in construction project management and project controls can be attributed to our inability to ingest massive documentation generated by various teams involved, and use of non-standard systems and tools. For instance, updating schedules monthly does not allow Project Managers (PMs) to manage issues and blockers actively and timely, resulting in recognition of delays after they have impacted a project. The current state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies can be used to ingest complex construction documentation to make project management simpler and connected. Large Language Models (LLM) have the capability to ingest and extract relevant information from domain-specific documents, and then respond in natural language. However, LLMs have limitations like limited memory/context, which makes their use for real-world applications challenging. There is a need for experts in the project controls industry and AI to work together so that we can target specific problems that LLMs can handle efficiently, bypassing their limitations while being practically useful for the field. We will present and describe how combining the expertise of the speakers led to the development of a solution for construction project management and constrols that can easily fit into existing workflows in the industry while improving the efficiency of project delivery and decision-making. A recent report by McKinsey Global Institute highlighted that nine out of ten infrastructure megaprojects face cost overruns in excess of 70% of the original budget. Many of these cost overruns can be attributed to delayed handling of issues and blockers, lack of advanced planning to handle risks, and lack of experts and knowledge to execute stricter contracts. We will show a demo of how AI can help automate the key problem of integrating time, cost and scope in construction project management to enable teams to understand the impact of issues and blockers timely and take necessary steps before this impact becomes a reality. The solution will ingest various sources of documentation in construction projects produced by different teams, build connections between them, process them to automate specific tasks and allow users to refer to task-specific documents when needed. The solution will highlight the possibilities and limitations of current AI technologies, including LLMs, thereby inspiring the next generation of innovators to use these technologies effectively for addressing challenges in their construction projects. Our approach to tackling this issue demonstrates how AI can improve the efficiency of construction projects. This demonstration is founded on the combined three decades of experience of the speakers in construction project management, controls, and AI-driven problem-solving for real-world challenges. Our talk will be a combination of a presentation with a demo of how AI can automate a specific problem that affects all construction projects. We will cover facts and figures that justify our approach and identify areas for improvement.