The Project Chatter Podcast

This episode is proudly brought to you by PlanAcademy.com, JustDo.com, and InEight.com. On this week’s show, we launch the Integrated Project Controls and Digital Insights report with Bryn Lockett and Adam Kingsbury from Logikal! Logikal has been conducting the annual Project Controls survey for many years and we are delighted to be launching the 2021 report on the Project Chatter Podcast! The survey is the largest global project controls survey that we are aware of so after you've had a listen grab yourself a copy via the link below. Bryn Lockett is the Co-founder & CEO of Logikal. Bryn drives strategic direction to the business to be able to extend the best service for LogiKal’s clients across the globe. Having accumulated over 20 years of global industry knowledge and experience within PMOs and Project Controls, Client and Contractor/Consultancy side, Bryn’s passion is continuing to look for improvements and leveraging industry experience to achieve better outcomes for clients and the industry as a whole. Adam Kingsbury is an Associate Director at LogiKal. Adam is a highly technically skilled planning and controls Consultant and the Head of LogiKal’s Technology Solutions Business Unit. He has experience in successfully implementing Capital Project Systems and Processes in various industries, including civil construction, oil & gas, and power generation, within the UK and Australia. This range of experience gives Adam a unique perspective on the processes, behaviours, and technology solutions that help to drive successful outcomes. Download the report for free by clicking on this link.  For more information visit ProjectChatterPodcast.com. 

On this week’s show, we welcomed Debbie Seunarayan to discuss the four moves in the VUCA world of projects. Debbie works with organisations and leadership teams across the world to help them navigate turbulent, volatile and sometimes chaotic environments. She has a particular interest in using creativity, scenario planning, wicked thinking and positive deviance to accelerate an organisation’s journey from strategy to reality, and to enhance its collective strategic thinking capability.  Debbie is the host of the What If Tribe and Shapeshifter Tribe podcasts so be sure to give them a listen. The main topics we discussed on the podcast were as follows: VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.  It dates back to the 1980s and was coined by the US Army War College to describe the state of the world at the end of the Cold War · VUCA is used to describe difficult and chaotic working environments. The main problem is that VUCA is talked about but not acted upon. The last 18 months is a good example of businesses having to work in an uncertain context. The more uncertainty there is can lead people to over managing situations that may not be controllable. Sometimes accepting uncertainty is the best option. The world is changing! Projects will be different in the next 3-5 years – this should be accepted as fact. Four Moves businesses can make in the VUCA world: o Strategy – using scenario planning and what-if scenarios. Create a range of possible paths or a supple strategy! o Culture – Create a compelling culture. Successful organisations have a culture that transcends all the sub-cultures o Innovation – Typically find a “wicked problem”. Find a far-ranging problem and use what-if planning to reach a “cause” that can drive the culture o Magical movement – Purpose based, cause-driven. Changing strategy during the project execution phase is costly.  It is worth stopping to properly assess what is going on around the project in order to review the strategy. As a leader, if the results from feedback loops tell you something different to what is expected then it is time to stop and review. Businesses need to be as inclusive as possible when working in an uncertain environment in order to engender staff to think like leaders. Rather than creating a solution, aim to fall in love with the problem. This can make shifts in the problem rather than solutions being outdated within weeks. Projects can tend to make problems transactional when the real issue stems from poor culture. People with ADHD can often be the best shapeshifters in an organisation! The best businesses have an identity and constantly seek to improve. Trust employees to be autonomous and manage risks. Aim to bring in cross-sector experts when working through problems to achieve a true diversity of thought. If there is a movement that goes in its own direction, it can be successful, however, it is likely to fail if the strategic and cultural implications are not considered. Businesses need to help people see the risks of going in the wrong strategic direction or not taking advantage of the latest market disrupters e.g. Blockbusters and Netflix Here are links to some of the topics that were discussed: Shapeshifter is available on Amazon SHAPESHIFTER: How to master the art of working with the future: Amazon. Proudly Sponsored by:  PlanAcademy.com JustDo.com InEight.com

In this episode, Dale and Val speak to Kristina Henkai about "How to sustainably implement 4D planning". 4D planning has been around for some time yet it has had a slow uptake. Kristina demystifies and explains how 4D planning is a logical choice for many project professionals. Sit back and take in Kristina's insight as she shares her experiences in this episode.  Kristina's Bio  Kristina has a decade of experience managing project data and teams on complex and large-scale ($500 million+) projects. Kristina, who supported 4D planning and digital practices at Bechtel, led the effort to develop a company-wide implementation guide that will be utilized on future projects as the standard for 4D planning and implementation. Kristina continues to cultivate her passion to transform the construction industry through knowledge sharing and sustainable implementations. She takes a people-focused approach to help make digital construction and 4D easily consumable for all.  Proudly sponsored by: JustDo.com PlanAcademy.com InEight.com 

In this episode, Dale and Val take a trip in time and discuss the most impactful and their best bits from season 3 of the Project Chatter Podcast. They talk about the topics, guests and some new exciting features, additions and guests coming in Season 4!  This is also a chance for the lads to say thank you to the podcasts previous guests, specialists and passionate people.  Proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com PlanAcademy.com InEight.com 

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about training, learning and capability partnering in projects. As projects become more complex and the need for competency across. many fields increase, we need to look at learning and development differently. We are joined by capability expert Michael Chachaty to talk about the different ways in which the past, present and future of learning needs to be addressed. Not one to be missed! Michael Chachaty joined blueVisions in 2001 some 19 years ago and has since managed major projects and grew and lead the Institute of Management to achieve the success that it has reached today. As a Director of the Institute of Management, Michael oversees all areas of its business from winning long term, major training contracts with large Government departments to ensuring quality delivery is provided by each of the team members. Michael has 19 years of experience providing project management capability and training services. This includes project management maturity assessments, capability building initiatives, process development and delivery of large scale technical and business projects for both Government and private sector clients, as well as Rail, Infrastructure, Construction and Telecommunication. Michael is an experienced facilitator, assisting clients in developing best practice methodologies, processes and systems tailored to meet strategic and organisational needs at a portfolio, program and project level. Project Chatter podcast is proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com       InEight.com      PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ 

In this episode Dale and Val lift the wrapper on Responsible Project Management, and how we can help support responsible and environmentally aware and conscientious project managers.  So what is Responsible Project Management? Their aim is to transform beliefs about project management.   Achieving project success is increasingly challenging and ensuring a project is successful requires attention to the project context as well as the parameters of cost, time and quality.  New understandings and new competencies are needed for project professionals to navigate the complexities of the social, environmental and economic context of a project.  Our purpose is to contribute ideas, events and resources to support the development of the profession of Project Management. Dr Karen Thompson is a Senior Academic at Bournemouth University Business School in the UK.  She is an innovative, award-winning educator who researches at the intersection of Project Management and Sustainable Business. Before joining academia, she worked in the field of information systems and technology in financial services, local government, and the voluntary sector. As an academic, Karen is co-founder of the Responsible Project Management movement that brings together researchers, educators, and project management practitioners from a range of industries. Her current research interests include the development of competencies for sustainable development, how projects are managed in refugee camps, and educational use of Lego® Serious Play®, Ketso Connect® and virtual reality. She is a Fellow of the Association for Project Management, Member of the Project Management Institute (UK), Associate Editor for Project Management Research and Practice, Fellow of Advance HE and Project Management Expert for the Centre for Project Management at the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Dr Nigel L. Williams, PMP is the Reader in Project Management and Research Lead in the Organizations and Systems Management Subject Group at the University of Portsmouth. Born in Trinidad and Tobago but now resident in the UK, Nigel worked in industry before starting his PhD in 2006 at the University of Cambridge. He has since worked in UK Higher Education. He is also the co-founder of Responsible Project Management (www.responsiblepm.com) and is co-editor of the forthcoming Handbook on Responsible Project Management. Nigel is an editorial board member of the journal "Project Management Research and Practice" and a member of the Education working group for Project Data Analytics. Dave is the UK Head of Programme & Project Management at Gleeds, a leading global property and construction consultancy. He is a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), a Fellow of the Association for Project Management (FAPM) and an ex Chartered Engineer (MCIBSE). Before joining Gleeds, he was with WYG for 20 years and is experienced in a range of building and infrastructure sectors. He is the APM Wessex Branch Committee Vice-Chair and a keen supporter of the wider APM Education Group. He is also a volunteer for the youth section of his local rugby club. Proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com      InEight.com      PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols  #projectmanagement #responsibleprojectmanagement #futuremanagement

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about what it takes to effectively implement and a project management system, and more so how organisations need to adapt, adopt and grow with their chosen tool suite. Additionally, with so many tools out there, how to know when and what to implement. James Crowell shares his views all the way from Bangkok, Thailand.  James is an Industry Consultant for Hexagon, based in Bangkok. In this role, James supports companies in their evaluation of EcoSys, Hexagon’s enterprise project performance software. He has a proven track record of working with leading project delivery companies to eliminate disparate spreadsheets and point solutions in favour of an enterprise project performance system that provides a consistent platform to standardize processes and boost project outcomes. James has international experience implementing the project management systems and holds a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, a master’s degree in Business, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). JustDo.com     InEight.com     PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols #projectplanning #projectriskmanagement #projectledaership

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about adaptive projects management and how skills and demands are changing, as well as how we should perceive the needs. We talk to Gary Wong and Hendrik Lourens about their vast knowledge in this area and how adaptive project management can truly improve project performance.  A bit about our guests; Gary Wong has over 45 years of experience starting with his career in an electrical utility where he worked in engineering, line operations, business consulting and training roles. PM responsibilities included managing electric utility construction and maintenance projects and running a PMO for Business Process re-engineering initiatives. He later joined Ernst & Young Consulting (now Capgemini Consulting) as a Senior Manager in Strategy & Transformation. Gary has operated his own independent consulting practice over the past 15 years focusing on complexity thinking and safety. He is a training associate with Cognitive-Edge Inc. and co-authors and delivers complexity courses and workshops. Gary has an engineering degree from UBC and an MBA from SFU. He also has held roles as a certified FranklinCovey 7 Habits facilitator and an Edward de Bono Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking instructor. Hendrik Lourens is the owner of Stratflow, a company that provides solutions to project focussed companies that are looking to mitigate risk and to deliver immediate and significant results. He helps his clients to achieve breakthrough performance by clarifying the inherent simplicity in complicated and pressured environments and focussing their effort on the few critical leverage points that affect their system. Hendrik is a physicist by training with advanced qualifications in Polymer Science, accreditation in Theory of Constraints (Critical Chain Project Management, Finance, Operations and Supply chain, Thinking Processes) as well as an MBA. Hendrik has worked at the Director level in manufacturing businesses and for a number of Tier 1 companies.  He has worked with companies such as Aurizon, Qantas, John Holland, CPB, Downer, BHP & Anglo American and published widely on productivity, digitisation and social licence. This podcast is brought to you by:      JustDo.com    InEight.com     PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols #projectplanning #projectriskmanagement #projectledaership

In this episode Dale and Val talk about cost overruns and risk. Estimating projects can be challenging, but the maturity of contingency, risk and estimate management is considered decades ahead in other sectors, so why not infrastructure? We talk to risk and estimating expert John Hollmann on his views about what makes Infrastructure projects more challenging, as well as the opportunity of technology to help alleviate cost challenges on infrastructure projects.  A little about John: He helps owner companies improve their cost engineering competencies and capabilities. This includes projects involving engineering and construction in most sectors (e.g., process, power, mining, infrastructure, transportation, etc.). John is passionate about the field of Cost Engineering and has been a leader in developing technical standards. John has been on the Boards of AACE and ICEC, as well as lead author and editor of AACE's "Total Cost Management Framework" text, authored "Project Risk Quantification" text, authored many AACE Recommended Practices plus many papers and led the development of AACE's Decision and Risk Management Professional (DRMP) certification. Most recently, working with Koff & Guerrero Consultants, launched the ValidRisk cloud-based risk quantification software.  You can check out more by visiting www.validest.com and validrisk.com    This podcast is brought to you by:     JustDo.com   InEight.com    PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols #projectplanning #projectriskmanagement #projectledaership

In this episode Dale and Val talk about the software PERTmaster, its origins, features and its progression with Andrew Wicklund. Andrew shares his personal account of his journey with PERTmaster, including challenges he was facing with health issues, challenges a lot of people on projects face, due to the stresses and pressures of our line of work.  Andrew Wicklund is the owner of PRC Software with offices in the USA, India, and Canada. Andrew has a Masters of Science in Technical Project Management from the University of Houston, Texas, USA. He created the PRC Cloud for project and risk management. Andrew spent most of his career consulting, conducting risk workshops, project controls, and training for Fortune 500 clients in construction, oil & gas, aerospace, defense, IT, pharmaceutical , etc. He is active with charities for the homeless population in the USA, building infrastructure in West Africa, and Children's Bone Cancer research. This podcast is brought to you by:   JustDo.com  InEight.com   PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ InEight.com - Construction Software