2022 PM forum: Changing the face of project leadership

In complex projects, the volume of data continues to grow exponentially, but most organisations are not keeping pace. Deep inside this data, there is treasure to be found, and most organisations don’t know that it’s there, much less how to access it or leverage it. Project-intensive organisations continue to struggle with this for three main reasons:

Projects are Unique: With every new project, a new team comes together to solve a new challenge. Even if the scope is the same, there is something different this time – different participants, team members, stakeholders, locations, etc. Across these various participants (Owner, EPC Contractors, Suppliers, Partners, etc.) there are a variety of systems and spreadsheets requiring an enormous amount of effort to maintain. Information is slow to travel, reports aren’t accurate, and decisions are being made too late to affect the project. And when it all becomes too complex, teams will often revert to bespoke spreadsheets, without understanding the value being lost in doing so.

Projects are Temporary: The project team works hard through planning and execution phases, discovering what works and what doesn’t. Learning countless new lessons about cost / schedule performance, supplier capabilities, engineering designs, product quality, construction productivity, and other best practices. But when the project ends, where does this knowledge go? The team often takes it with them to their next project, which is good for them and their career development, but unbelievably wasteful for your organization to re-learn what it already knows.

Projects are Human: People are the root cause of all project success… (and failure). How can we leverage the logical (human ingenuity, skills, knowledge, experience), and the emotional (fear, ambition, pride, optimism, pessimism, etc.) to build sustainable knowledge and new predictive indicators? This presentation will explore the potential (and the pitfalls) of emerging technologies in capital projects and portfolios.

Ray is a senior business and project advisor, specialising in the structuring, governance and control of capital investments, and he is a global thought leader in the application of technology in project and portfolio management disciplines - leading innovation in predictive solutions for capital-intensive industries.

The future of artificial intelligence has arrived. There is a genuine shift from AI as “cherry-on-top” curiosity to a “key ingredient” at leading organizations. 53% percent of respondents to a recent Deloitte Insights report have spent >$20million during the past year on AI tech and talent. How can AI help not hinder? What does this mean for you, the customer, and the experience of both?

Dr Charlotte Marra is a Partner in Deloitte's Consulting practice, specialising in transforming businesses into the cognitive era with the use of digital capabilities, underpinned by Cloud. Charlotte is a published thought leader in the use of AI, Data and Innovation to accelerate companies’ visions and a key adviser on the use of Cloud to achieve sustainability goals.

She has held executive roles at Google, IBM and major banks thus brings exceptional knowledge across a large breadth and depth of business areas. Project roles include Head of Enterprise PMO, Global Project Coach & Portfolio Adviser for a $1bn book of business. Her PhD is in fibre optics and lasers.

Ross will present on the influence of technological change on the project management pipeline facing law enforcement. The speed of change in the areas of AI and ML is creating previously unforeseen challenges and hurdles, to acquire ‘best in class ‘ products for law enforcement in Australia, and Victoria Police is not immune from that. The emergence of AI and ML in area of law enforcement changes the manner in which law enforcement is implemented. Working within the parameters of the Human Rights Charter, regulatory guidelines and legislation, Ross will explore the challenges, their impact, and how law enforcement must respond to these challenges. Ross will draw on his experiences as a senior law enforcement officer in Victoria and provide comparisons to overseas agencies.

Ross joined Victoria Police in 1985. An accomplished police officer, his professional experience encompasses the leadership and management of teams across investigative, general policing, specialist operations and business environments.

He holds a Masters Degree in Criminology along with professional qualifications in project, business, training and strategic management streams. He has a deep commitment to learning and innovation and has facilitated education programs for various tertiary institutions in recent years.

In 2015 he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner and in 2016 became the inaugural head of Victoria Police Counter Terrorism Command. As a former Command Capability Advisor to the ANZCTC, Ross has a deep understanding of Counter Terrorism including the spectrum of police and agency responses required to address the complex challenges within that environment.

In June 2016 Ross was honoured to receive the Australian Police Medal (APM) as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours, the citation praising his “strong and deep commitment to people and leadership development”.

In 2017, Ross was elected to the Leadership in Counter Terrorism (LinCT) Alumni Association Executive and currently holds the role of President. In 2019 Ross joined the International Association of Chiefs of Police and was subsequently nominated as a member of their Committee on Terrorism.

Ross was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Public Safety and Security in July 2020, and has portfolio responsibility for Counter Terrorism Command, Crime Command and Transit & Public Safety Command.

Jacyl will focus on the human, and people transformation opportunities that will come (are here) from the digital age and in particular Ai. Jacyl will explore the need to be mindful of the potential unintended impacts of AI, if left unchecked, and the organisational culture and people who make up high performing innovative teams.

With 20+ years experience across industry, government and higher education, Jacyl is Global Director of GHD Digital’s innovation practice. Prior roles include a higher education strategic adviser, corporate lawyer and Supreme Court Judges’ Associate. Co-founder of several start-ups, Jacyl holds a BA, LLB, LLM and a Masters (Enterprise).She is recipient of numerous scholarships and awards in 2019 including Universitas 21 Scholarship (2016) to study innovation precincts and Microsoft Executive of the Year (2019) in the Women in Digital Awards. Jacyl is an accomplished MC, speaker and facilitator and is passionate about making complexity accessible through creative storytelling.

For more than five years, we have embedded machine learning expertise into key projects for resources, transportation, and buildings clients. The technology is proven, and the skills are available. So why is widespread, industry transformation so difficult?

Engineering and construction are notoriously challenging to change. But change is needed more now than ever, with productivity gains slight over the past decades, and more work available than the industry can currently deliver. With persistence and ongoing investment, machine learning can claw back time for over-worked engineers. In doing so, it will open opportunities to greatly enhance the places and assets we design and operate.

Nick leads Aurecon’s Digital Capability, spanning seven areas of specialist expertise. Building on a career as an architect and academic, he brings expertise in transdisciplinary, data-driven design techniques to clients across markets. He has a track-record of innovation, both in design and in linking digital technologies with impacts in the construction sector. Alongside his practice role, Nick maintains close links to academia as an advisor and reviewer to international conferences and journals.

Projects are subject to many interrelated pressures and changing circumstances and emergent factors which affect the performance outcomes for projects and the businesses that deliver them.

The data universally shows, and all leaders know, that current methods of management struggle to deal with the ever-changing forces which drive outcomes. Pressures such as increasing complexity, stakeholder management, competitive forces and external scrutiny are ever more challenging for project leaders.

David is an innovative business leader with over 25 years of track record as a project and programme leader in project development and delivery across a wide range of industries including rail infrastructure, rollingstock, roads, process engineering, manufacturing, health, major retail, commercial high rise, residential, ICT projects, change projects and many others. He has experience in almost every type of project delivery methodology, from Project Alliance to PPP.

He is the founder of Octant AI, an artificial intelligence technology which emerged from an international collaboration at University of Oxford. Octant AI is one of a handful of innovators worldwide which seek to make stepped improvement to project outturn performance across multiple financial, time and other performance metrics. David is a strong advocate of data driven project management and sees it as the path to both better project performance and improved productivity of project management professionals.

He holds an Engineering degree (UQ), a Master of Science from the University of Oxford, and is a Certified Practicing Portfolio Executive (AIPM). He is a keen surfer, blues musician, and amateur student of philosophy.

Julian will talk about why many, if not most, data science projects don’t deliver business value and how data and machine learning can improve the odds. The findings from the use of analytics may be at times, interesting and even entertaining, but to deliver value it must affect change in the business and that takes a disciplined and analytical approach. Julian will discuss how the sometimes “black art” of analytics can be turned into a repeatable learning project process.

Julian Hebden is an independent consultant specialising in all aspects of Data Management. He was formerly the inaugural Chief Data Officer for the Victorian Government.

As Victoria’s Chief Data Officer, Julian was responsible for leading the transformation of the way government uses data to inform policy making and service design on issues of whole-of-government significance.

Prior to working for the Victorian Government Julian was Telstra’s first Head of Big Data and Director of the Business Intelligence Centre of Excellence. He also spent many years working across Europe as T-Mobile’s VP or Commercial Intelligence.

Julian is passionate about bringing quality disciplines to business, leveraging the power of machine learning and AI to augment or replace humans, and deliver improved services.

Julian is a graduate of Queen Mary University of London and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Technology is moving faster than ever before. Connie will talk about how to set up a digital business design in your organisation and how to ignite a digital mindset, where to start and driving value from your current products and services.

Connie has worked globally in the Information Technology industry for 25+ years across Consulting, Managed Services, M&A, Project and Portfolio Management.

She is a highly motivated strategic thinker, passionate about digital efficiency and embracing diversity and inclusion. She has extensive experience in managing large scale complex programs of work in digital transformation and driving innovation for stakeholders in C-suite roles across a plethora of industries in Government, Banking, Retail, FMCG, Manufacturing, Insurance, Utilities, Explosives, Agriculture, Fertiliser and Mining Industries.

Connie enjoys maintaining relevance in the industry as an active professional and is a Registered Project Manager (RegPM), Certified Practicing Portfolio Director (CPPD) and Fellow with the Australian Institute of Project Management as well as being a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Currently a Director on the Board of the Australian Institute of Project Management and Chief Digital Officer at Incitec Pivot Limited where Connie is delivering a digital transformation and current company separation activities.

Terence will explore the impact that AI will have on project leaders and project leadership. How will we need to adapt and what will we need to embrace to enable project success.

Terence is GHDs Service Line Leader for Project Management across APAC. He is one of a limited number of Chartered Project Professionals in Australia, is a Certified Practicing Project Director, has a Masters in Project Management and has been a certified practitioner in Prince2; Managing Successful Programs and P3O.

Terence has extensive experience leading teams to implement best practice project and program management for large complex projects and programs including leading roles on Victoria’s biggest infrastructure programs.

In addition to leading programs and projects to deliver ongoing success, Terence is the chair of AIPMs Professional Advancement Committee and plays a leading role in the development of project and program management capability across the GHDs Global Enterprise.

Terence considers himself an integrator and there is no bigger integration challenge in our industry at the moment than the challenge brought by the Digital Age, and so he is all in on helping our profession to extract the benefits from Digital Technologies to drive Project Delivery Excellence.