Explore the Agenda
6:30 am Coffee & Networking
7:30 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Driving Value from AI
7:40 am AI Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All: How to Select the Right Tools Based on Your Project Controls Maturity
- Understanding how to identify your project controls maturity level and AI readiness
- Evaluating which AI use cases match your current state (and which to avoid) to ensure your investments create clarity instead of noise
- What to look for when evaluating AI tools: How to avoid “superficial wrappers” whether you’re just starting with automation or scaling advanced predictive analytics
8:20 am Managing Change When Embedding AI into Your Workflows to Ensure Departmental Commitment to Maximizing ROI
- Building champions within your project controls function to support and control AI adoption, channeling use into the right places
- Developing effective training and communication strategies that balance AI with human expertise to maintain trust and capability
- Embedding AI within existing processes to ensure consistency across projects and deliver successful project outcomes
9:30 am Morning Refreshments & Networking
Track 1: Developing Your Project Controls Function
Building & Retaining the Next Generation Workforce
10:10 am Upskilling Foundational Skills of the Next Generation to Uphold the Integrity of Controls as a Function
- Ensuring young professionals understand the concepts of legacy processes, despite modern reliance on digital tools
- Embedding early career training and field exposure that balances technical, cost and scheduling skills with real world knowledge
- Bridging the knowledge gap between experienced professionals and the next generation through structured
10:50 am Panel Discussion: Uncovering Ways to Enhance Retention by Adapting Business Incentives
- Assessing how inflation, salary competition and job-hopping trends are impacting business growth to secure buy-in from the top
- Redefining field versus office incentives to make controls roles more attractive
- Understanding the need for modernizing systems and technology to keep work engaging and aligned with worker expectations
Track 2: Data Driven Project Controls
Delivering Clear & Reliable Data
10:10 am Presenting Information in Clear, Digestible Formats for Clients & Executives to Build Trust & Drive Faster Decisions
- Finding ways to filter dashboards to reflect the most relevant KPIs for each audience
- Structuring reporting formats that ensure technical data is translated into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders
- Leveraging real-time dashboards to flag bottlenecks early and accelerate project delivery
10:50 am Audience Discussion: Strengthening Risk & Contingency Planning to Withstand Political, Policy & Funding Volatility
- Evaluating how shifting government mandates, tariffs and policy changes are impacting project phasing
- Addressing the risks of starting projects with partial funding and how these can be accounted for
- Expanding contingency planning and risk analysis for escalating supply chain volatility, cost inflation and political uncertainty throughout the project to stay one step ahead of mitigation
12:00 pm Lunch Break
Track 1: Driving Digital Transformation
Driving Digital Transformation
1:00 pm Developing a Digital Transformation Strategy to Deliver Organizational Value, at Pace & Scale
- Evaluating your firm’s long-term strategy for digital transformation to build a step-by-step plan to keep your department at the forefront of change
- Ensuring digital transformation doesn’t take away from short term priorities and you manage the speed of transformation effectively
- Working with technology teams to adapt new organizational systems and tools to deliver maximum ROI within project controls
1:40 pm Case Study: Building In-House Tools to Maximize Your Company’s Investment into Technological Innovation
- Evaluating the benefits of investing in tailored in-house tools to minimize cost: what is the resource investment required upfront versus long term ROI?
- Working closely with software developers to bridge the gap between technology and usability on projects during piloting phases
- Ensuring new tools can adapt and scale across your team to maximize “shelf-life”, especially in the face of rapid digital transformation
Track 2: Optimizing Project Performance Through Smarter Processes
Optimizing Project Performance Through Smarter Processes
1:00 pm Panel Discussion: Evolving Earned Value Management (EVM) Into a Predictive Tool to Improve Forecasting & Drive Earlier Actions
- Reframing EVM from a backward-looking metric into a predictive tool that keeps the end in sight
- Evaluating the factors reshaping EVM best practices in the industry today to align a consistent base cost structure across construction and engineering
- Using EVM outputs to run forecasting scenarios of future months to identify potential up-trends and get ahead of project interventions
1:40 pm Creating a Project Controls Plan Despite Limited Design Information to Deliver Client Satisfaction on Fast-Track Projects
- Establishing baseline cost and schedule structures early to be able to easily populate later down the line
- Discussing how to effectively determine risk and constraints when technology and design inputs are evolving so quickly: what additional information is most beneficial from the owner?
- Revising development of a robust controls plan to balance incomplete information with strong direction for the team as the project progresses
2:20 pm Afternoon Refreshments & Networking
Shaping the Future of Project Controls
2:50 pm Panel Discussion: Discussing the Reality of Remote Work in Project Controls to Balance Work/Life Flexibility with Onsite Requirements
- Discussing whether project controls teams can remain effective while working remotely
- Evaluating tools and technologies that enable visibility without constant site presence
- Clarifying expectations for accountability and communication in hybrid models