Why are large schedule delays, which seemingly too often come as “huge surprises” when reported, becoming a feature of major and mega projects? Is the critical path method failing us? Is agile development the solution, maybe hybrid, or what about critical chain as an alternative?

The reality is that all project management methodologies are undermined if the quality and accuracy of the data flowing in and out of the project control system is poor, or not adequately analysed or understood by project controls professionals or not acted upon by project management leaders. Major projects today are certainly exposed to increasing uncertainty, an expanding range of risks and complexity factors, in some cases particularly in Defence related to partially or fully novel designs which extend across the full life cycle from concept development through to warranty. The Government and industry response has included larger project planning teams and larger, more complicated scheduling models. Why then are low probability schedule baselines and inaccurate schedule forecasts still such a common occurrence?

Everybody likes to think that they are making informed decisions based on reliable data that’s aligned to project outcomes, but how can we be sure, and are we in fact leaving too much to chance? In an era where data is abundant, relying on intuition is a luxury we can no longer afford. This presentation will discuss the potential and power of data-driven decision-making (DDDM), demonstrating how project governance and control professionals can rethink use of data to drive away from uncertainty and closer to predictability. We’ll discuss how to leverage strategic insights, identify leading indicators, and build a culture of sharing and trusting data to assist in elevating project performance, mitigate risks, and increase the fundamental value proposition of project governance and controls in the real world.

Drew will walk through methods to assist in strategically identifying, collecting, collerating, and interpreting the right data to sharpen oversight, increase predictability, proactively address deviations and embrace the data heavy environments that we are all navigating.

Maintaining the Pillars of Project Governance & Control in the Era of Business Intelligence, AI, & Real-Time Analytics

Are our established project governance frameworks built for yesterday’s challenges? As AI, real-time analytics, and BI tools become more and more intrinsic to project delivery, the concept of ‘single source of truth’ has never been more critical, or more complex. How do we trust the outputs of a ‘black box’ AI? How do we empower teams with live data without sacrificing deliberate control? How do we maintain control in an increasingly automated landscape?

Our panel of experts will ponder these questions and more as we take a closer look at the practical steps needed to evolve our governance models, embrace a digital future and strengthen the pillars of project governance.