S7E16126 May 2023

S7E161:Planning in the Age of AI: Evolving Skills and Competencies for Project Professionals with Michael Lepage & Chirag Shah

📅 Planning & Scheduling 🤖 AI & Technology 💬 Communication

S7E161

S7E161:Planning in the Age of AI: Evolving Skills and Competencies for Project Professionals with Michael Lepage & Chirag Shah

0:000:00

100%

Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to another exciting episode! In this edition, Dale engages in a captivating conversation with Michael Lepage & Chirag Shah, discussing the fascinating realm of planning, both in its current state and its future trajectory. While Val sadly couldn't be present, the discussion with Michael provides a wealth of insights on the disruptive nature of technology in the industry and the essential competencies required to thrive in this space. The conversation is further enriched by Chirag Shah, although some technical difficulties impacted the clarity of his microphone. Nevertheless, valuable snippets of Chirag's thoughts on recruitment, necessary skills for the present and future, and more can still be gleaned. As always, Michael shares his unique perspective on the current state of planning, particularly from his perspectives from North America to the UK. The profound impact of technology, particularly AI, on the planning profession is thoroughly explored. The privilege of meeting Michael face-to-face in person is gratefully acknowledged, and the absence of Val, as usual, is lamented. In conclusion, listeners are encouraged to stay tuned for more engaging episodes, showing their support by continuing to listen, like, and share the podcast with others. Keep the momentum going and let's pay it forward! Don't miss out on this enlightening episode filled with valuable insights into the world of planning and the transformative power of technology! Proudly brought to you by InEight www.InEight.com For more information visit www.ProjectChatterPodcast.com. #ProjectControls #ProjectPlanning

Guest

Chirag Shah

Project Services Team Leader at TRS

Chirag is a passionate Project Controls Recruitment Expert. His mission is to deliver clients the best quality Project Controls and PMO professionals, who are trusted to bring projects in on time and within budget. Chirag does this by digging that little bit deeper, to understand the client's story and what they are trying to achieve. More than 17 year's recruitment experience, having built an extensive network and is a trusted advisor. Over 750 contractor & permanent placements and experienced almost every recruiting scenario possible. Most recently, Chirag has been moving the project community forward through LinkedIn and by bringing people together through networking events. He is the London Ambassador for the Project Connect Group and is promoting other leading industry events such as Project Controls Expo and Project Controls Summit. He is experienced in providing entire Project Control's teams on multi-billion-pound projects for Rail and Infrastructure, Oil and Gas, Mining, Defence and Renewables. Recent major project experience includes: HS2, Crossrail, TFL, Heathrow, TCO, Hinkley and Seagreen Wind Farm. Outside of work, Chirag is a dedicated father to an 8-year-old and 1 year old. The pandemic helped Chirag focus on changing from a fixed to a growth mindset or so he likes to think. Avid gym goer who loves a nice drink in particular a whiskey.

Connect

Share This Episode

Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn

Related Episodes

S8E178: The Subtle Art of Planning with Micah Piippo

Summary: In this episode, the boys talk to Micah Piippo about the world of planning and scheduling, the importance and respect of planning, the need for more planners and schedulers, and the benefits and opportunities in planning and scheduling. They also talk about the skills required for planners and schedulers, the role of planners in the C-Suite, and the impact of planning on project success. The conversation covers the importance of proper planning and design, building teams and culture in planning, and the training and development options for planners and schedulers. They also discuss the challenges and benefits of switching sectors as a scheduler and the future of scheduling and AI. The conversation explores the current role of a planner and how it will change in the future. It emphasizes the importance of spending less time in planning and scheduling software and more time on value-added activities such as analysis and communication. The discussion highlights the potential for increased collaboration and human interaction in the future, facilitated by visual-based progressing and automated workflows. The conversation also touches on the need for a medium that everyone can understand to improve communication and understanding among project stakeholders. The future of project planning and scheduling is seen as a combination of technology and human expertise, with the potential for improved training programs and more efficient processes.Takeaways Planning and scheduling are crucial functions in project management and deserve more recognition and respect. There is a need for more planners and schedulers in the job market, and it is a profession that offers good career prospects and higher salaries. Planners and schedulers should have a balance of technical skills, soft skills, and a genuine interest in the job. Proper planning and scheduling can significantly impact project success, and organizations should prioritize these functions. Planners and schedulers should be involved in the early stages of a project to ensure better outcomes. Switching sectors as a scheduler can be challenging but offers opportunities for growth and higher salaries. Continuous learning and development are essential for planners and schedulers to stay updated with industry trends and advancements. The future of scheduling may involve the integration of AI and advanced analytics to improve efficiency and accuracy. Planners should focus on value-added activities such as analysis and communication, rather than spending excessive time in planning and scheduling software. The future of project planning and scheduling may involve increased collaboration and human interaction, facilitated by visual-based progressing and automated workflows. A medium that everyone can understand, such as visual-based progress tracking, can improve communication and understanding among project stakeholders. Technology has the potential to improve training programs and provide planners with more accurate and detailed data for analysis. Proudly sponsored by Deltek

Listen Now

S7E15817 Apr 2023

S7E158: Planning Projects: Past, Present & Future with Micah Piippo

In this week’s pod, we were joined by Micah Piippo to discuss Planning Projects: Past, Present & Future. Micah has spent the last 14 years in Project Controls. While he's performed a wide variety of roles, his passion and main focus is Planning and Scheduling. During his career he's tore down nuclear facilities, built large ferries, built data centers all over the world and more recently is helping Intel deliver state of the art fab capabilities. In December 2022, Micah started writing his Zero Float newsletter. In the newsletter Micah explores his favorite topics that he doesn't see getting enough attention. The main topics we discussed on the podcast were as follows: Whilst there are certifications available for schedulers. There is no degree programme that would allow students to learn the fundamentals of construction management, people management, how to use data and learning the project ecosystem. Most planners simply fall into the role The consequence of the lack of certification is a lack of respect for the skills that a good planner can bring to the organization by utilizing their experience A top level planner should have a breadth of experience as well as strong communication skills when dealing upwards and sideways within an organization Technology can help planners and project managers by having finite and usable as-built data Automated capture has helped companies to better define progress and productivity on projects. This was previously a highly subjective area There is a danger that Machine Learning / AI does not capture some of the politics around project schedules. This may affect the quality of data in future There is no mandate for government funded projects to share data despite being funded by taxpayers. This hampers the level of data available to be harnessed by machine learning technology Here are links to some of the topics we discussed: Problems with Construction Project Scheduling - https://www.plannersplace.com/blog/problems-with-construction-projects-scheduling Why Construction Scheduling is Stuck in the 1980s - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-construction-scheduling-stuck-1980s-micah-piippo/ Plan Rich – How to become a Senior Scheduler - https://planrich.beehiiv.com/p/beginner-winner Join us next time when we’re joined by Parveen Sharma to discuss BIM and Virtual Design - disrupting the Design and Construction industry. For more information, blogs or to support our charities visit www.projectchatterpodcast.com If you'd like to sponsor the podcast get in touch via our website. You can also leave us a voice message via our anchor page and let us know if there's something or someone specific that you would like on the podcast. Proudly sponsored by: InEight - https://ineight.com/ Stay safe, be disruptive and have fun doing it! #ProjectManagement #PMO #ProjectControls #Leadership #AI Planners' Place Problems with Construction Projects Scheduling Ever wondered why it seems that not much has changed in construction projects scheduling in the last two to three decades? According to Micah Piippo, the poor state of construction projects schedules can be attributed to the six problems he sees with scheduling. linkedin.com Why Construction Scheduling is Stuck in the 1980s TL;DR – The construction industry should be embracing the power of technology to help schedulers build accurate and sophisticated project schedules. Unfortunately, the lack of innovation and motivation has left the construction field decades behind other industries. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-construction-scheduling-stuck-1980s-micah-piippo/ Plan Rich Beginner to Winner Learn, grow, and get rich with a career in Construction Scheduling. (70 kB) https://planrich.beehiiv.com/p/beginner-winner InEight InEight Construction Project Management Software InEight is the leader in construction project management software. Our project management solutions give you the data you need to make better decisions. (422 kB)

Listen Now

S3E689 May 2021

S3E68: Emphasising Fusion Skills on Projects with Anne Bamford & Steve Wake

In this episode, Dale and Val take Fusion to the next level with Anne Bamford and Steve Wake. A follow-on from episode 66, Val and Dale lift the hood and really understand how fusion skills, training, and inclusion could change the very success of projects. Professor Anne Bamford OBE is Strategic Director of the Education and Skills for the City of London. Anne has been recognized internationally for her research in creativity, lifelong learning, and technology. She instigated the term, ‘fusion skills’ to describe the competencies needed for flourishing now and into the future. Through her research, she has pursued issues of innovation, social impact and equality, and diversity. A world scholar for UNESCOs, Anne has conducted major national impact and evaluation studies for the governments of Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Iceland, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Norway. Amongst her numerous articles and book chapters, Anne is the author of the “Wow Factor: Global research compendium on the impact of the arts in education” which has been published in five languages and distributed in more than 40 countries. Steve Wake is at the forefront of the development of national and international standards in Project Controls and Management. A genuine thought-leader. A super-connector. A maven. He is a member of the Management Standards committee of the BSi. Currently progressing Project Controls and Benefits Management. He is an internationally acknowledged expert on Earned Value Project Management.. Most recently on the newly published ISO standards for EVM and WBS, and currently he is working on an ISO EVM Implementation Guide. Steve works with government, national and international bodies and academia as a subject matter expert as well as on matters of governance. Steve was one of the authors of Agile Portfolios with ABC. With his Guild of Educators hat on he is working with OECD and the City of London to introduce Fusion Skills internationally to children aged 7-70+ He is also currently working on a Think-Thank for Major Sporting Events. In the afternoons he is championing Circular Economies and Sustainability to combat Climate Change. He has worked in the automotive, print aerospace, defence, insurance, and I.T. industries as a project manager and consultant. He led the Association for Project Management to their award of Royal Charter. He is the Chief examiner for EVM and Planning with APMG. He curates and chairs his own highly-regarded EVA conferences - now in its 25th year and also curates the PMI’s major Synergy event now in its 10th year. He is a visiting lecturer at Warwick WMG, Cranfield, and UCL as well as the Moscow School of Economics. He has an MA in Manpower specialising in the sociology and psychology of organisations and is a member of the London Mozart Players Development Group. His long passion for all kinds of music is almost matched by his continued appreciation of silence. Links: About Fusion Skills Fusion Assets Learn about Fusion Findings and Creative Outputs from Fusion Cities 2 virtual meeting Fusion Cities of the Future Fusion Event REGISTER HERE 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/

Listen Now

Enjoyed this episode?

Subscribe to never miss a conversation with project experts

Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Apple Podcasts