Hear extended interviews from the AACE conference floor with 13 project controls professionals from Hess Corporation, Pattern Energy, and more, and software companies including Safran, Smart PM Technologies, and TurboChart.
Direct insights from the interviews:
The future of capital projects varies by perspective. Answers ranged from "AI enabled management" (Frank Pangalon) to "integration" (Franco Yasuyama, Pattern Energy) to "dim" (Ian Nicholson, Emerald Associates).
California High Speed Rail divides opinion. Some say yes, it'll get built. Others doubt it. David Hewlett notes it's only being built between Fresno and San Jose now, not the original San Diego to Sacramento vision.
Excel dominates daily work. Nearly everyone named it as their most-used software, alongside Primavera P6 for scheduling and various collaboration tools like Teams.
Actual advice from professionals:
Each guest shared one piece of advice for new project managers. The responses focused on mentorship, communication, field experience, and staying curious about new technologies while mastering fundamentals.
Claudette Smith: "Find a mentor" ✓
Frank Pangalon: "Don't let your young age or your lack of experience stop you from feeling empowered to make right recommendations" ✓
David Emanuel: "learn to tell a story from the numbers from the data" ✓
Santosh Bhat: "always be curious. Ask questions" ✓
Rohit Sinha: "think about how you're going to bring all the data together" ✓
Franco Yasuyama: "get in the field" ✓
Albert Dokainish conducted these interviews after presenting at the Safran Summit that followed the conference.
Presented by Dokainish & Company www.dokainish.com
The Risky Planner podcast delivers expert insights on project controls, capital project management, and strategic planning for today's complex business environment. Subscribe for regular episodes featuring industry leaders and practical advice.
