Join Sonja Anderson, Principal Solution Consultant at Planisware, along with a guest speaker from TPG, as they discuss the role of change management in utilising a PPM tool effectively.

A prosperous Middle Eastern country is building a plan to improve their public buildings and transport infrastructure, with a target to have this complete before the middle of the 21st Century. Locana was engaged by a leading consultancy to provide the technical infrastructure to plan delivery. Oracle Primavera Cloud was selected as the most appropriate solution, due to the comprehensive portfolio scenario planning facility along with the direct integration with Primavera P6EPPM, which had already been implemented to manage project delivery. Locana delivered the solution with a combination of in-country and remote resources, covering a detailed proof of concept and implementation. This presentation covers the journey from original inception to transition into production, and the lessons learned and resolved in the process.

This presentation offers a comprehensive overview of common program faults identified across various projects. It underscores the critical importance of early detection and resolution of these issues to maximise project success. By highlighting frequent pitfalls and providing strategies for addressing them, the presentation aims to equip project managers and stakeholders with the knowledge needed to enhance project outcomes and ensure efficient execution.

Learn from Arcadis and TRC on how Deltek Cobra underpins cost and performance requirements of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) programme for Network Rail. TRU is a multi-billion pound, transformative, long-term railway infrastructure programme that will improve connectivity in the North of the U.K.

The digital transformation of the construction industry offers significant opportunities for companies but also presents considerable challenges. The software landscape is fragmented, and choosing the right tools from the plethora of providers can be a daunting task. In his presentation, "Building the Future: Unifying Construction with the Thinkproject Platform," Richard Moyle presents a coherent solution. He provides insights into how an innovative platform, by integrating a broad portfolio of mature solutions, can offer a variety of functions, integrations, and synergies. This approach promotes collaboration across company boundaries and allows users to select the tools they need while benefiting from platform synergies.

The presentation will focus on how the new hospital project implemented Omega 365 in order to obtain a fully digitalised project. In addition to the traditional project controls disciplin such as cost, schedule and risk, the Omega 365 software includes document management, Building Information Model (BIM), quality management, interface management and various workflows.

If one considers the innovation adoption curve (Roger Bell Curve), the successful implementation of new technology heavily rests on The Early (34% of) and late (34% of) Majorities The former leading to a more visionary mix of pragmatists, and the latter being more skeptical than those wishing to 'change the future'. With the current Al focus in technology industries worldwide, it is important to practically understand in simple terms 'what does Al do for my project/s'. In this presentation we will seek to highlight the process of adopting Al in our organization, following an approach largely resembling SDLC methodology where we explore an Initiation phase, Analysis and Feasibility phase, Design and Development phase (With our Software Partners Nodes and Links), and the final Implementation and operationalization within our existing business and to our clients. This will give a practical insight into tangible Project controls change with Al.

The new Bodø Airport in Norway represents a monumental seven-year, 7,2BNOK initiative managed by the state-owned aviation agency, Avinor, with the assistance of Norwegian consultancy Baseline. This project, resulting in an airport designed to serve 2.3 million passengers annually, involves the extensive movement of 3.5 million square meters of bedrock and earth, equivalent to approximately 1,400 Olympic swimming pools, and requires meticulous coordination across numerous subcontractors and stakeholders. Given the scale and complexity, the project utilises a modern, modular, cloud-based software solution to ensure real-time visibility and maintain a single version of the truth across all project levels. Key Learnings: • Importance of Real-Time Visibility: The project underscores the critical need for real-time visibility into project costs and progress. This is essential for managing complex, multi-year projects effectively, particularly when coordinating between 500 to 700 subcontractors. Real-time data helps in making timely adjustments and avoiding costly surprises. • Advantages of a Shared-Risk Commercial Model: The shared-risk commercial model used in the Bodø Airport projec

Achieving effective control during the design and engineering stage of major projects is challenging due to intangible decisions, iterative processes, unclear requirements, and diverse disciplines. Our experiences with large rail and highway projects, valued over £1.3Bn and delivered under NEC contracts by Joint Ventures or Alliances, reveal that contractual arrangements significantly impact the control of this stage. Whether design fees are fully reimbursable or fixed, incentives to control the design process are often lacking, leading to overruns and overspends. This presentation will share lessons from these projects and outline essential rules for setting up and maintaining control during the design stage, including effective requirements capture, input planning, design activity planning, review and approval forecasting, resource planning, progress reporting, and risk management. Despite their apparent simplicity, these rules are often overlooked, with major projects frequently proceeding without them.

Project Controls covers numerous areas of project delivery. Typically, career development within any of the roles that project controls covers is focused on the technical skills and working knowledge. These elements are without a doubt important parts of career development. However, technical skills are not the only skills that need to be developed, there are many "human" skills that need to be developed in parallel to not only make individuals better at their role, but to improve individual and team performance and build a healthy team culture. Project Management, as we know, focuses on the management of both processes and people. Technical skills (also known as hard skills) tend to focus on process; "human" skills (also known as soft skills) focuses on the people side of things. During this session we will explore some of the key skills required such as communication, listening, emotional intelligence amongst others. The purpose is to make those working in project controls to be more aware of how they think, act and behave to further their career and add value to their projects or teams.

This presentation discusses the importance of Enterprise Project Performance (EPP) in maximizing profit margins and ROI. The presenter, Jean-Luc Ozoux, will emphasize the need for consistent project success delivery and the obstacles of disjointed project systems, lack of visibility, inaccurate forecasting, and inability to quickly course-correct. The EPP approach involves optimizing decision-making, portfolio planning and control, resource planning and management, and data automation. By implementing EPP, organizations can combat the negative effects of disjointed systems and achieve more profitable projects.

Implementing integrated project controls effectively is paramount for making informed decisions at project, programme, and portfolio levels. This approach supports strategic business choices by ensuring consistent communication through vertical and horizontal integration, creating a golden thread that runs through the entire organization. This cohesive strategy ensures that all stakeholders are aligned, facilitating seamless information flow and decision-making processes. Attracting the right talent into project controls is crucial for business success. By identifying individuals with the skills and mindset needed for effective project control, companies can enhance their operational efficiency and project outcomes. These professionals not only contribute during their tenure in project controls but also possess the potential to evolve into business leaders. Their deep understanding of project dynamics and strategic alignment positions them to drive future growth and innovation within the organization, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

Learn about a fresh and Innovative approach and structure we are bringing to Forensic Delay Analysis, within the Project control industry. The collaborative way of working with the client to bespoke / best fit a tailor-made solution to the dynamic and changing environment of delays in delivery. Providing clarity and influence positive change in the perceptions and implementation of resources and work scope in this specialism service offering. To increase understanding and awareness of a multiskilled, and strategic structure, incorporating succession planning and enable development to meet the increasing Project Control Industry and Business needs for this service offering.

Digital twin technology has been known as a concept for quite some time and their new applications of the technology are developed amongst numerous industries, including the construction industry. The models generated can support various aspects of any given construction project, including civil engineering works. However, the amount of research into digital twin technology within the context of civil engineering is considerably new, and perhaps requires critical unfolding to understand the potential of the role of such technology within civil engineering in construction projects. Data was attained via qualitative methods using the literature review and primary data. The literature showed that the majority of the current literature almost solely focuses on the digital twin applications within engineering works (focusing on the structural aspect of a project) without detailing ways of obtaining the necessary data to apply to the model. The primary data revealed that digital twins automate the data collection, however, the need for data distribution to the correct stakeholders was highlighted. This paper proposes a framework that details the process of incorporating digital twins in civil engineering works by first focusing on the appropriate data collection and stakeholder distribution before moving on to data collection, validation and analysis. Once the first two steps are carried out, more informed decision-making and optimisation can take place.

Cost overrun is a reality for the majority of projects. Cost overruns don’t just happen; they’re the silent project killers lurking in underestimated details and unanticipated complexities. Due to the complexity of market conditions, pressures, and the necessity to improve performance, the cost estimation art should be explored and enhanced. However, why are there so many cost overruns? Can we develop more reliable cost estimates? How can we improve cost accuracy? The presentation aims to challenge your approach to cost estimation and project budgeting. It will unlock the secrets to creating reliable cost estimates and provide insights into the top 10 root causes of project cost overruns. Each factor is explained through examples and mitigation actions are shown, promoting a robust way to improve your process. It also shows how configurators can be the key to optimizing your time and resources and streamlining your processes like never before. The power of Power BI dashboards is explored to enhance cost estimation review and validation processes. Finally, the probabilistic approach is detailed to cost contingency, equipping you with the tools to make informed decisions amidst uncertainties.

Our analysis, conducted with 3,000 colleagues deployed on PMO roles in numerous large-scale operations worldwide, indicates that project controllers dedicate at least 50% of their time to data handling. That’s half of project controls time spent on low value-adding activities such as data gathering, verification, comparison, treatment, and formatting, while this time could have been dedicated to analysis, forecast, risk mitigation, and the human interactions that are so important to keep all project stakeholders aligned. Hundreds of hours of project controllers’ time are consumed by a pervasive issue in large organisations that we have dubbed ‘the data monster’. The data monster is an aggregation of issues with data governance, siloed or outdated systems, duplicated efforts, data quality, disorganized project structures, workarounds in Excel and PowerPoint, and even real-world data never captured and structured. Unfortunately, responsibility for this very multifaceted challenge is diffused across large organisations, which makes it difficult to address. Yet the stakes are high: time to market, efficiency, competitiveness, are all project-management powered. In fact, the PMI assessed back in 2020 that 12% of the operating budget was lost to inadequate data governance. We are entering a new era where the benefits of AI for project controls could be immense. However, AI is unlikely to compensate for the data monster in the short or medium term. AI requires accessible, structured, and trusted historical and current data in sufficient quantities to fully leverage its generative or predictive capabilities. This session aims to recognize the challenges and opportunities summarised above and explore innovative strategies to overcome these obstacles. We will be focus on the building blocks of the next generation of augmented project controllers, leveraging smart PM workflows, integrated data systems, bridges between the physical and digital realms, and predictive analytics.

Once in a lifetime, we experience a generational shift that suddenly opens the window for immense career success. Those who capitalise on this shift can find it life-changing (like Netflix), while those who don't can face destruction (like Blockbuster). We will outline the formula for success (success = ambition x discipline x opportunity) and guide attendees through the journey to career achievement by adopting AI. Project controls have long been overdue for a generational shift, and it has finally arrived. Generative AI is transforming how we work with project data. Never before have risk managers had access to datasets of thousands of projects, enabling them to better predict risks. Never before have project managers been able to access schedule data using everyday language and a chatbot. Never before have schedulers been able to use machine learning to generate more accurate forecasts with a simple click. We are transitioning from the Pre-AI to the Post-AI era in project controls. Transitions are often messy and chaotic, but some emerge stronger, while others falter. Transition periods are ideal for learning and experimentation. That time is now. To achieve success, we need all elements of the formula. The opportunity is the generational shift that has landed in the laps of the project control workforce: AI. If you're ready to embrace success, join this talk to learn how Generative AI is transforming the project workforce. Be at the forefront of change, like Netflix.

No matter the industry, companies and projects must operate in a vastly evolving and innovative digitally enhanced and data driven world, striving to deliver the best possible efficiencies and outcomes.  From this new world comes expectation from clients, from expectation comes investment requirements and from investment comes the need for companies to generate better margins.  It can be a vicious closed loop for some up-and-coming companies who don’t have the capital to invest in digital innovation however, innovation does not just mean digitisation.  We do not need copious amount of capital investment to push forward with innovation, such as new concepts, tighter governance and better use of data.  Attend this knowledge sharing session and listen to a diverse panel discuss the following 4 key topics under the innovation umbrella and how they interact with project controls, followed by an interactive Q&A session.  The panel look forward to meeting you and listening to your ideas for innovation. Digital Innovation Optimising Data, Governance & Efficiencies New concepts on best practise Future of Project Controls

The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) Programme is a multi-billion-pound railway enhancement scheme aimed at improving journey times and increasing network capacity between Manchester and York. Combining four main delivery organisations or alliances and 70+ key stakeholders and third parties, the detailed schedules, upwards of 400k activities, must be summarised into Level 2 schedules to provide insight to its complexity. The TRU Enterprise team is tasked with ensuring that once integrated, these schedules provide key programme deliverables e.g. new train services and stations. The Enterprise team face a number of significant challenges that are common themes across major programmes: • How do we communicate these complex schedules to all involved parties? Detailed schedule data, available only in P6, is not easily accessible or understandable to everyone, and the lack of explanatory narrative hampers understanding and acceptance. • How do we assure construction sequencing and methodology for suitability, along with assuring status and forecasting of significant activity volume and multiple critical paths? Delays in provision of BIM datasets directly impacts schedule development and performance measurement. • How do we visualise the impact of project deliverables to the operating environment? This communication gap needs to be addressed to facilitate better understanding and collaboration among stakeholders. What does utopia look like? Without relying on completion of detailed BIM models, we need a platform that enables communication and understanding of complex major programmes with multiple suppliers by integrating various schedule data sources together to provide visualisation of construction sequencing. We need an easy to access, interactive solution to convey schedule information effectively; helping stakeholders grasp the storyline of how various disciplines and suppliers work together to achieve the programme's strategic objectives and key outputs, enabling: • Stakeholder consents engagement • Progressive assurance of delivery, including construction risk identification and mitigation scenario assessment • Access to critical path review and de-risking for major programmes. What do we propose? A cloud-based platform that fills the communication gap by optimising 4D planning concepts without the need for detailed/ federated 3D engineering models. Our solution will offer a visual representation of the project timeline linked to the schedule data, providing a clear and interactive view of construction and handover activities based on periodically updated schedule data. How? - Visualisation: Users can view interactive diagrams linked to the schedule showing the planned progression of delivery towards key project milestones. - Narrative: The schedule data will be enhanced with detailed activity and relationship narrative providing the explanations “why” often missing from schedules that help develop the deeper understanding and transparency of schedules and critical paths. - Communication and Conflict Resolution: The visual and narrative integration will enhance understanding, facilitate communication among stakeholders, and allow early detection of potential scheduling conflicts. Summary Our proposed approach, based on decades of construction know-how, will bring project controls and schedule data to life by bridging the gap between complex schedule data and stakeholder understanding. It will significantly improve collaboration, enabling the major programmes community to visualise programme performance.

BS202001 Specification standard for Project Controls enables the entire supply chain to mobilise and assure its projects at operational and strategic levels. There are no professional body or governmental constraints. Genuine levelling up created for practitioners by practitioners. The specification extends the boundaries of project programme and portfolio so that benefits can be actually realised and monitored into future use. There is also provision for environmental factors. BS202001 stets the standard for a step-change in how we control assess and benefit from our work on a national and international scale.

Dr. Campbell's research draws on a 3million word corpus of 100 employer skills surveys published by the UK Government and CBI between 1999 to 2023 to reveal a set of five industry-relevant and persistently-called-for transferable skills. Using focus group research with employers and educators, and thematic analysis, her presentation reveals these five skills as an interconnected map of performance expectations linked to each skill. With implications for policymakers, educators and employers, Dr Campbell will discuss how this detailed mapping addresses the lack of a common skills language and pioneers a process to develop a unified skills lexicon between employers and educators. Dr Campbell's presentation will shed light on the complex relationship between higher education and employment expectations, and explains how the persistent gap between academic outcomes and industry demand for transferable skills can be resolved.