Take Two with Amanda Buchanan, Associate Director, Advisory
25th November 2024
Amanda is an experienced Project Manager with a demonstrated history of commercial management, procurement, and project controls in major infrastructure projects within the transport and utilities sector. With a BSc in Psychology she knows how important managing relationships is in delivering a project effectively.
Dive into Amanda’s story and discover what fuels her passion – in just two minutes.
The ‘Take Two’ video series provides insight into our Asia Pacific team and what makes them tick in just two minutes.
Stephen Rae and Chris Clark boost HKA’s expert services capabilities in Asia Pacific
8th November 2024
HKA extends its footprint in Asia Pacific with leading experts Stephen Rae and Chris Clark joining as Partners in the Construction Claims and Expert Services practice. Based in Australia, these strategic hires will strengthen HKA’s presence in the region and enhance the firm’s construction consulting services.
About Stephen Rae
Stephen Rae, a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 40 years of experience in the construction and engineering industries, will take on the role of Construction Claims and Expert Services lead at HKA.
Throughout his career, Stephen has specialised in cost management, change valuation, and forensic quantum and delay analysis services. He provides valuable support to owners, contractors, and legal advisors across a wide range of projects, including commercial developments, hospitals, roads, railways, airports, tunnels, oil and gas projects, and more. Stephen’s expertise has been recognised in the Lexology Insights (Who’s Who Legal) Guide as a leading expert in the field of Construction Quantum and Delay.
About Chris Clark
Chris Clark is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 30 years of experience in construction contracting and consulting. Chris has gained experience with major contractors on large engineering and infrastructure projects including energy, airport, road and rail.
As a consultant, Chris has provided expert witness and advisory services on a wide range of complex construction and engineering projects including public buildings, high-rise/mixed-use developments, energy (thermal and renewables), transport infrastructure (road, rail, and airport), mining infrastructure, process plant, utilities, and oil and gas. Chris’ field of expertise is in project planning and the analysis of delay and dealing with issues of prolongation costs, disruption, EOT entitlement, and concurrent delay. Chris’ expertise has also been recognised by Lexology Insights (Who’s Who Legal) as a leading expert in the field of construction delay.
Addressing growing regional demand
“HKA is expanding the Construction Expert team to address growing demand across the region. Stephen and Chris are highly regarded professionals and bring a wealth of industry knowledge and experience, enabling them to provide expert support and advice to clients across Asia Pacific. Their appointments reinforce our commitment to growing our construction consulting services in the region and providing our clients with the highest level of expertise and support. I am confident that they will benefit our clients and support our continued growth in the region.”
Benjamin Highfield, APAC Regional CEO
HKA’s continued investment in its construction consulting services and strategic growth in Asia Pacific is a testament to the firm’s dedication to providing quality services and solutions to clients in the construction industry. With the addition of Stephen Rae and Chris Clark to the team, HKA is well-positioned to continue its success and further strengthen its presence in the market.
Stephen and Chris will be surrounded by an esteemed team of experts and claims professionals across Asia Pacific. This includes Baoqiang Zheng, Partner and Head of Operations in China; An Ho Koh, Partner and Head of Operations in Korea; and Geoff Bell, Partner and Delay expert.
“I am thrilled to join HKA and lead the Construction Claims and Expert Services practice in Asia Pacific. The firm’s reputation for excellence in providing construction consulting services is well known, and I am excited to contribute to the continued success and growth of the team.”
Stephen Rae, Partner, CCE Lead, APAC
“I am looking forward to being part of the HKA team and bringing my expertise in construction delay and dispute resolution to clients in the Asia Pacific region. HKA’s commitment to providing strategic solutions and high-quality services aligns perfectly with my values, and I look forward to contributing to the firm’s strong reputation in the industry.”
Chris Clark, Partner, APAC
With Stephen Rae and Chris Clark on board, HKA is poised to further enhance its position as a leading provider of construction consulting services in the Asia Pacific region. The firm’s ongoing investment in talent and expertise demonstrates its commitment to delivering superior solutions to construction industry clients.
Reporting and record-keeping play crucial roles in project management and are also of critical importance to managing and avoiding disputes on any construction project.
Over 20 years of experience dealing with disputes has reinforced the lesson that best practices in reporting and recording progress and events at every stage of a project are essential if such conflicts are to be resolved effectively or avoided in the first place.
Different companies will have different internal processes and procedures for reporting and record-keeping, but some aspects are common to any well-run organisation or project.
Communication channels
First, the project team needs to establish clear communication channels. This includes a clear internal reporting structure within the project team itself as well as the external reporting structure with subcontractors and suppliers, the employer, and other stakeholders. At each level of these reporting structures, the key contact person and contact point must be explicitly defined to streamline communication.
Quality of reporting
While progress reporting is a requirement under almost all construction contracts, I urge a project team to focus on the quality of that reporting. This should involve specifying the proper format and content of various progress reports, as well as the procedures and criteria for updating progress data. This is necessary to ensure accurate information, with all reasonable details captured in these reports.
Taking monthly progress reports as an example – an updated programme is usually included as part of this monthly routine. The value of this progress information and its forecast for completion is dependent on the quality of the initial baseline programme, the accuracy of the progress data recorded, and the way the programme is updated. Quite often, to avoid showing delays, the durations and logic links to some critical activities are modified or compressed. As a result, such updates will not reflect the true state of progress.
Good recording keeping
Most will have heard the phrase “no records, no claim”. While this may not always be true, this mantra does bear repeating as it highlights the importance of good record-keeping.
There are variations between forms of contract in the records and processes they require. Therefore, it is extremely important that, from the outset, the project team understands the various types of records that need to be kept so as to provide the basis for applications for payment, progress measurement, valuations of variations, and preparation of claims.
Typical examples of records include daily logged site records, material delivery sheets, labour and plant returns, photographs, and videos, as well as requests for information, confirmations of instruction, transmittals, subcontract instructions, notifications of delay, notifications of claim, and contra charge notices.
All progress reports, correspondence, and minutes of meetings also form an essential part of a project’s records. Records of meetings merit a special mention. It is always good practice to prepare comprehensive minutes of meetings and get them signed by all parties. All too often, it happens, especially in a dispute, that the parties have conflicting views on what was said or agreed upon in relevant meetings.
Avoiding and managing disputes
As the value of reporting and record-keeping is obvious when it comes to disputes, it is worth bearing in mind the contribution that good practice also makes to dispute avoidance. Good communication channels and reporting structure, supported by good record-keeping, will enable the parties to understand the issues that can lead to conflict earlier and inform discussions about potential solutions. These will be based on a more objective and realistic view of the dispute’s cause, so it is more likely they will be able to avoid it escalating further.
It is a statutory requirement to keep records, though different countries and laws may have different requirements. In any case, good progress reporting and record-keeping will provide a party with sound contemporaneous information to substantiate its case. As the “no record, no claims” mantra reminds us, when a dispute arises, claims often fail due to a lack of substantiation.
Dealing with setbacks
A typical scenario is that a project starts to delay or faces other setbacks. What strategies can companies follow to best manage their position in this situation?
First, at the outset of any project, the project team should establish and maintain a risk register and then update it regularly through the programme. After identifying the potential risks in the different areas and disciplines of the project, the register should also specify the risk owner and corresponding measures to deal with such risks so that the contractor is prepared for each eventuality.
When a project runs into delay and faces being set back, the project organisations, both the employer and the contractor should diagnose the most likely causes and confirm that the previously identified mitigation measures are appropriate. In most construction contracts, the contractor has the obligation to mitigate the delay, no matter who caused it in the first place.
Where the contractor has caused the problem, the contractor not only has to find ways to mitigate the delays but also implement any measures that require additional resources and bear the financial implications.
Where the employer or a third party causes the delay, the contractor must not only meet its obligation to mitigate but also ensure it has a clear understanding of the remedies available under the contract – such as an extension of time, compensation of additional costs or cost plus profit. Knowing the relevant contractual remedies and procedures, the contractor can follow a clear road map to reserve and claim its rights. This will involve submitting notice as per the notice provisions and providing particulars with supporting evidence.
Having a clear road map/diagram to illustrate the various steps and timeframes when dealing with variations and claims is always good practice.
Effective project administration
All the best practices outlined above require effective project administration and the collaboration of functional departments. For instance, a design change required by the employer or a prolonged design review and approval process will likely delay the completion of the design, thus impacting procurement activities or construction on site.
In this scenario, the design/engineering team will first need to flag this, and a notice of delay would most likely be prepared jointly by the engineering and contract team. The engineering team will need to keep good records of all such design changes, revisions, reviews, and comments. This information will help the project planning team review and assess the potential time impact and, in turn, the cost control/finance team evaluate the cost implications.
Baoqiang Zheng (Bao) is a professional consultant with over 20 years of experience in construction dispute avoidance and dispute management. He has been involved in claims for major infrastructure schemes around the world and has acted as a delay expert.
Baoqiang specialises in project planning and forensic delay analysis. He has been directly involved in a variety of major international projects across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East; regarding the preparation and defence of claims, disputes and arbitrations on behalf of contractors, subcontractors, clients and legal counsels.
Technological advancements, economic reform, political and regulatory impacts and workforce dynamics have significantly contributed to changes in the Australian Public Sector. This has resulted in a keen focus on innovation that strives to challenge traditional approaches and mindsets, allowing public sector organisations to adapt to current and future landscapes.
This article suggests several ways to unlock this potential.
Encourage a Culture of Innovation
Creating an environment that encourages innovation is essential. Leaders should actively promote a culture where employees feel empowered to suggest and implement new ideas. Establishing innovation labs or dedicated teams can provide a space for experimentation and the development of novel solutions to address existing challenges.
Innovation also goes hand in hand with Optimisation. Embracing a methodology such as ‘Kaizen’, which focuses on the mindset of continuous improvement on a day-to-day basis rather than drastic changes, will allow an organisation to break larger goals into smaller, achievable ones.
Critical Success Factor: Active listening, time, feedback and inclusion.
Proactive Approach to Policies and Procedures
Whilst it is imperative to follow the organisation’s policies and procedures to ensure probity and governance, there are some agile approaches such as pre-approvals (overall process, delegation and contract value envelope), pre-qualified panels/contractors, increased local delegation, early market sounding and select tendering (where applicable) that will allow the organisation to reduce the focus on being ‘bad busy’ (i.e. increased administration, duplicating deliverables, roles and tasks) but rather foster ‘good busy’ (i.e. streamline approvals, approved program, early key stakeholder consultation and market engagement and governance)
Critical Success Factor: Comprehensive understanding of the policies and procedures, deliverables required and influencing key stakeholders.
Templates
A common pitfall in many organisations is requiring a disproportionate number of templates to be utilised and produced prior to commencing a project, let alone completing it. Ensuring that projects can be started simply, only utilising templates in critical phases, will allow for the timely delivery of projects. Specifically, templates should be easy to read and complete and perhaps can even be combined (where applicable).
Critical Success Factor: Focus on the outcome, simplification and ease of use.
Embrace Technology
Integrating cutting-edge technologies can significantly streamline government processes. Automating routine tasks, implementing data analytics, and adopting cloud computing can enhance operational efficiency and reduce the administrative burden on employees. This allows staff to focus on more complex and value-added tasks.
Critical Success Factor: Systems thinking, consultation, collaboration and implementation.
Emphasise Data-Driven Decision-Making
Utilising data to inform decision-making processes is critical to improving efficiency. Implementing robust data collection and analysis systems enables organisations to make informed decisions based on evidence rather than intuition. This ensures resources are allocated more effectively and policies are grounded in real-world insights.
Critical Success Factor: Focus on an evidence-based approach.
Enhance Interdepartmental Collaboration
Silos within government organisations often hinder communication and collaboration. Breaking down these barriers is essential for efficiency. Implementing collaborative platforms, regular interdepartmental meetings, and shared project spaces can facilitate better communication and cooperation among different branches or agencies.
Critical Success Factor: Forums to collaborate, active listening, feedback and inclusion.
Prioritise Training and Skill Development
Investing in employees’ continuous training and skill development is crucial. Providing access to relevant courses and workshops ensures that staff remains up to date with best practices. This not only enhances individual capabilities but also contributes to the organisation’s overall efficiency. A common example is 70% on the job training, 20% knowledge sharing, 10% targeted training.
Critical Success Factor: Providing time in the working day to allow individuals and teams to learn and develop.
Implement Agile Project Management Techniques
Adopting agile project management methodologies can significantly improve execution speed and flexibility on government projects. Breaking down large projects into smaller, manageable tasks allows quicker adjustments to changing requirements and a more responsive approach to needs.
Critical Success Factor: Keep tasks simple and be open-minded regarding approaches.
Outcomes-Based Focus
The traditional approach prescribes tasks or activities to achieve outcomes and tasks. Organisations should shift away from this approach to focus on the overall outcome that the business unit, project, or program should achieve and ensure the correct mix of resourcing, resources and support to empower the achievement of the outcome(s) and foster innovation.
Critical Success Factor: Lead from the front and return to the ‘why’ we are doing things.
Engage Experts
Understanding that an organisation does not have the knowledge and capability to deliver every objective/goal is a crucial decision point for achieving long-term success. There is significant value in engaging with experts (SMEs, consultants, practitioners etc.) to develop capability and be trusted partners to deliver specific projects/programs.
Critical Success Factor: Identify areas that would benefit from external support and capability.
Conclusion
Embracing efficiency and innovation in government organisations requires a multifaceted approach. The first step for any organisation interested in adopting this challenge is to have the correct mindset.
Srinath is an experienced procurement professional in HKA’s Project Advisory business in Australia. He has over 15 years of experience in the private and public sectors, including financial services, professional services, education, utilities, and construction. He has a strong focus on stakeholder management and is dedicated to delivering tailored solutions to clients.
Srinath has developed, led and implemented complex category plans, delivery models, transactions, procurement strategies, multi-stakeholder evaluations, and negotiations and executed major contracts within challenging stakeholder environments.
Jessie Schilling a finalist for the Rising Star Award at the Women in Industry Awards
5th June 2024
HKA, a leading global consultancy in project advisory services, risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness and litigation support services, is proud to announce that Jessie Schilling has been named a finalist for Rising Star of the Year in the 2024 Women in Industry Awards.
The annual awards celebrate the success of outstanding women from various sectors, including mining, transport, manufacturing, engineering, waste management, rail, construction, and infrastructure.
Jessie Schilling is a Lead Consultant in the Asia Pacific Project Advisory practice, which provides advisory and transformation services to major infrastructure clients and large asset businesses, helping them achieve their goals through strategic and operational excellence.
Jessie Schilling was nominated because of her ability to bring a unique blend of creative intelligence and infrastructure expertise to her role at HKA. She is known for her ability to connect ideas, fields, and possibilities with reality, transforming visions into sustainable practices for growth and empowerment. With a strong belief in combining vision with action, Jessie delivers outcomes with efficiency and systemic value in mind.
Jessie now joins a prestigious list of accomplished finalists, with the winner of all awards to be announced at a gala event at Doltone House Hyde Park Ballroom on June 20.
The Women in Industry Awards provide a platform to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women in traditionally male-dominated industries. They serve as a reminder of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and highlight the incredible talent and potential of women in these sectors.
For more information about the Women in Industry Awards and to see the full list of finalists, visit www.womeninindustryawards.com.au.
HKA supports Indigenous businesses through the Indigenous Supplier Development Program
19th April 2024
HKA, a leading global consultancy in project advisory services, risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness and litigation support services, has proudly become a sponsor of the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Indigenous Supplier Development Program’ (ISDP).
A partnership between the University of Sydney, NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce and the Sydney Metro PMOS Partners (HKA, Turner & Townsend, Logikal and Deloitte), this program aims to foster the growth and advancement of Indigenous businesses through education, training, and capability building. By enabling greater participation by Indigenous businesses in public sector opportunities, the ISDP will create a positive ripple effect, leading to highly capable Indigenous businesses, long-term supply chain opportunities, and sustainable community benefits.
At HKA, we believe in creating meaningful and lasting change and supporting the empowerment of Indigenous communities, which strongly aligns with our core values. By sponsoring the ISDP, we aim to contribute to building a more inclusive and equitable business landscape in Australia.
Through the program, we hope to champion diversity and innovation and empower Indigenous businesses to thrive and succeed. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, the University of Sydney and our PMOS Partners to bring about a brighter future for Indigenous entrepreneurs and their communities.
Reflecting on the event, Kourosh shared, “We were delighted to host our esteemed clients, partners, and colleagues at Bopp and Tone. The food was fantastic and the evening was filled catching up with familiar faces and making new connections. We are grateful for our clients’ continued support and look forward to what the future holds.”
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend. We hope you had a wonderful time, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
HKA, a leading global consultancy in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness and litigation support services, is delighted to welcome architectural expert Martin Leatham as a Principal in the Asia Pacific business.
With over 39 years of professional experience in the construction industry and a further five years in an expert witness and design advisory capacity, Martin has a strong background in design, design development, and project management. He has worked on a wide range of large-scale projects in Asia Pacific, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Middle East, and has experience in commercial, retail, educational, rail transit, and airport-related projects.
Martin has been appointed as an architectural expert at international arbitration hearings, and he’s given oral evidence and been cross-examined. He’s also provided concurrent evidence (hot tubbing) on various large disputes in Asia Pacific. His expert reports have covered such matters as building defects, compliance with statutory building standards and codes, architectural design, design management and procedures, standards of materials and workmanship, contract administration and potential negligence, as well as the impact of various procurement routes.
Martin’s extensive experience and proven track record in large-scale international projects make him a valuable addition to our team of experts. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise which will further strengthen the capabilities of our team.”
Dr. Kourosh Kayvani, Partner and Forensic Technical Services Lead, Asia Pacific
I am delighted to be part of HKA, a company known for its excellence in dispute resolution and risk management services. I look forward to contributing to the success of the company and providing high-quality expert services to our clients.”
Martin’s appointment to HKA reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering deep expertise and premium expert services and innovative solutions to its clients. His expertise in design and delivery of large and complex projects will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to the team.
ABOUT HKA
Headquartered in the UK, HKA is a leading global consultancy in project advisory, risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness and litigation support services.
HKA brings a proud record of excellent service and high achievement to bear on today’s challenges. As trusted independent consultants, experts and advisers, we help clients manage disputes, risk and uncertainty on complex contracts and challenging projects. Our advice is impartial, incisive and authoritative.
We work with government agencies, local authorities, contractors, legal firms, and other professional service providers, as well as owners and operators, financial institutions and insurers. HKA’s global portfolio includes some of the world’s largest and most prestigious commissions across a wide range of industries, including aerospace and defence, buildings, energy and natural resources, environment and climate change, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, industrial and manufacturing, marine and shipping, mining and metals, oil and gas, power and utilities, real estate and tourism, sports and entertainment, technology, media and telecomms and transportation infrastructure.
HKA has in excess of 1,000 experts, consultants and advisors across 45+ offices in 17 countries with the skills and experience that are essential to get to the heart of even the most complex issues. Our people have vast first-hand experience spanning all major industries and the world’s most complex megaprojects, as well as an international track record of achieving successful outcomes.
Media contact:
Name
Peita Calvert
Title
Marketing and Communications Director, Asia Pacific
A conversation with Baoqiang Zheng, a delay expert and WWL Global Elite Thought Leader
7th March 2024
Baoqiang Zheng’scareer has developed from an assistant planning engineer on a major hydropower project in China to a senior project planner and delay analysis expert helping clients resolve complex project planning, claims and dispute situations around the world. Named a WWL Global Elite Thought Leader in 2023, he talks about his motivations, career development and what it takes to succeed.
Tell me about your background.
Following my graduation with an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering, I was selected to take part in a one-year special training programme organised by the Ministry of Water Resources of PRC. In late 1997, upon completing this training programme, I was assigned to work on the Xiaolangdi Multipurpose Dam Project on the Yellow River, funded by the World Bank. It was China’s second-largest hydropower project, second to the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River. I spent four and a half years at Xiaolangdi, working at the Employer’s VCG (Variation Claim Group) office with senior Chinese colleagues, alongside the employer’s multi-national consultants and lawyers from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Together, we dealt with complex claim and dispute issues arising from international contractors from Germany, France and Italy.
Following the amicable settlements of the dispute matters on the Xiaolangdi Project, I pursued further studies abroad. In 2002, I ended up at Warwick Business School in the UK, where I completed my Masters in Management Science and Operational Research. The courses at Warwick provided me with key skills in management, strategic thinking, and especially problem-solving.
Upon completing my Masters degree, I started working with High Point Rendel in London. Here, I worked with highly experienced professionals from all disciplines – especially the head of planning and scheduling and a senior delay expert – which enabled me to pick up all the critical project planning and scheduling skills. I learned the standard methods of forensic delay analysis while finding opportunities to travel around the world to work on several major international projects. These projects covered almost all major sectors in the construction industry, including but not limited to infrastructure, transportation, buildings, process plants and power sectors.
I also completed a distance-learning programme in Construction Law and Arbitration when working with High-Point Rendel. This has further enhanced my knowledge and understanding of the laws associated with the construction industry and the roles and procedures in arbitration proceedings.
After ten years with High-Point Rendel, I decided it was time to move back to my home country to be closer to my family and to be more involved with China’s international construction companies and foreign enterprises. I had seen that Chinese companies were heavily involved in international projects in almost every continent. At the same time, there were and still are a significant number of major foreign companies investing and operating in the construction industry in China. Therefore, at the beginning of 2014, I joined Hill International (the former name of HKA), working as a director for its Beijing office.
In 2021, I became a Partner, leading the Beijing practice.
What inspires you in your job?
I am particularly inspired by the uniqueness and complexity of construction projects and the challenges facing project teams, especially those working on major international projects. I find it very stimulating and rewarding as I can use my knowledge, experiences and expertise to help our clients resolve complex issues and get them out of difficult situations.
I have also enjoyed international travel opportunities and working on iconic projects around the world. To mention just a few, I have worked on the Dubai Metro Project in the UAE, Muscat International Airport Project in Oman, Ichthys LNG Project in Darwin, Australia, the Medupi Power Station in South Africa, and the IGCC Power Stations in Jazan, KSA.
Although our involvement in each of those projects can be limited to a particular stage, I feel our impact on the projects and our clients. That is also why most of our clients have asked us to extend our services and/or to work on their other projects.
Describe a typical day in your role.
Being in a project-oriented profession, there is no so-called typical day for me – how I work changes periodically. As most of my work is client-focused, I work with our clients to deliver the best possible products and outcomes within the time frames and budgets, while taking into consideration any logistical arrangements or constraints.
As most of the projects I work on are international, I often need to travel to the project sites to work alongside the project team members (typical for live projects), or I could be sitting in the client’s head office where most of the project files or project personnel can be reached (typical for completed projects). Alternatively, I could work in our own offices – this is normal for very remote projects, and the clients can make most of the project files available electronically.
Even though all projects are unique, there are still many similarities in the issues practitioners in the construction industry face; our knowledge, experiences and expertise gained on a broad international spectrum put us in the ideal position to best assist and support our clients, making our services really valuable to them. I find those experiences and expertise particularly useful for our Chinese clients, as they tend to focus on the progress of the work while at the same time overlooking their contractual entitlements, particularly in terms of time and costs.
My work also involves collaboration and cooperation with other HKA offices in the APAC region or HKA worldwide. Since joining the company in 2014, I have been involved in projects with several HKA offices, including Australia, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Dubai and KSA.
Furthermore, as the Head of Operations for HKA China, apart from dealing with routine management issues, maintaining client relationships is also an important part of my role. I often attend and present at relevant seminars and conferences organised by professional bodies such as the Beijing Arbitration Commission, CIETAC, or RICS whilst providing training to those professional bodies and major Chinese construction companies.
What is your speciality, and how did it become so?
Although I have a degree in mechanical engineering, I have practised as a planner and delay analyst from the beginning of my career.
When I started on the Xiaolangdi Project, I was assigned to work with a senior planner, who at the time was the company’s P3 (Primavera Project Planner) expert. I learned how to operate P3 with him, including creating and managing project plans and updating and controlling project progress. Upon starting at High-Point Rendel, I was lucky to be allocated to work with the head of planning and scheduling, who was also the company’s delay expert and was heavily involved in arbitration-related matters. Working alongside the head of planning and delay expert exposed me to great opportunities, especially in project planning and scheduling, but most importantly, the various methods of forensic delay analysis and how the issues should be approached differently depending on the circumstances.
I thoroughly enjoyed being a planner and delay analyst and being able to assist on major international projects. Apart from the deep involvement and hands-on practices in the construction industry, academically, I have deliberately designed two of my Masters dissertations on project planning and delay analysis.
What is the accomplishment you’re most proud of?
Over recent years, I have been recognised by the Who’s Who Legal (WWL) as an Expert Witness in various categories, including Consulting, Arbitration, and Construction. However, I am most proud of my recent achievement of being recognised by WWL as a Global Elite Thought Leader in Construction 2023. This is unique, as I am one of the only native Chinese speakers who is recognised at this level in the international space. This means a lot to me as it’s recognition of the work I do and my dedication to delivering to a high professional standard.
What do you think have been the reasons for your success?
I think the right attitude and platform have been the primary reasons for where I am today.
Being native Chinese, getting into the international construction consultancy, especially in a highly specialised field (like delay analysis an expert witness work was difficult, especially in London.
Besides that, the most important aspect is a professional attitude, especially being responsible for whatever I do. Before starting any task or commissioning any services, I usually take time to think things through and identify the right approach first. Most importantly, I never compromise on the quality of my work, as I believe our reputation is built on consistently delivering high-quality services within the timeframes and budgets agreed upon with our clients.
My attitude is also reflected in my habit and ability to pursue continuous professional development. I am proud of myself in that I finished my Master in Law using my spare time and have achieved fellowship/membership status and qualifications from a number of professional bodies, including CIArb, RICS, CIOB, and PMI. These qualifications have given me the right knowledge, expertise and recognition of who I am today and what I am capable of.
Furthermore, construction is an industry with high complexity, which covers a wide range of sectors, such as building, defence, industrial, infrastructure, oil & gas, and power & utilities. Only when we are willing to learn and pick up new things can we gain the capability and confidence to advance our careers further and gain our clients’ trust.
My advice to young professionals who want to get into the construction consultancy field is to have the right professional attitude, be persistent and be willing to learn and continuously develop their career in stages.
As project managers, we need to be equipped to manage and innovate in the project environment. We need to be prepared to think about how we can be disruptive innovators, change-makers and fit-for-future project managers.
Note: In this article, the term ‘Project Manager’ is applied to a holistic project professional on an infrastructure project. They may be a typical project manager or a technical and engineering manager, interface and integration manager, property manager, construction manager, placemaking or asset manager, risk, schedule, cost, change control manager, safety manager… including more managerial roles that do not currently exist yet.
Speculative Future
Let’s imagine a speculative future: What if the end of project management is near?
A speculative future is a design approach that helps us visualise new and potential worlds that could one day be reality. A speculative future may be utopian or dystopian. As a dystopian disruption, we can explore how the extinction of the project manager may impact the planning, delivery and operation of infrastructure projects across the nation.
The infrastructure pipeline is not a source of security for the project manager. There is a tendency for industry to be reactive to the pipeline and for organisations to fit people to projects and profit to pipeline. The question then becomes, how can we reframe our approach from being fit-for-purpose (reactive) to being fit-for-future (proactive)?
Fit for Purpose
Project management is a dark art, and there is no linear journey to becoming a project manager. The project managers’ success is contingent on the ability to understand the behaviours and interactions occurring on the project to ensure optimum outcomes are achieved – on time, on budget, and with benefits realised. To be truly effective, the project manager needs to be a problem-solver because, in essence, projects are interventions into problem spaces. We need to adapt methodology and project processes to meet the pace of complexity, the demands of productivity and the growing expectations to meet global, environmental and sustainability targets.
The Successful Project Manager
To become change-makers in our industry, we need to bring positive disruption to our projects, pipeline and organisations. To bring positive disruption, we need to know what we’re disrupting.
By mapping the interconnectedness of project management capabilities, we see the need for us to be dynamic problem solvers across the project environment. If we perform any project capabilities in isolation, perfect our core management skills, we may be capable, but not mature, innovative, or evolutionary as a project manager. If a project is a direct response to a real problem, and we have a project lifecycle that extends from two (2), five (5), even ten (10) years or more, this means we need to constantly ensure the alignment of our solutions and interventions to the project and problem landscape.
Figure 2: Fit-for-Purpose Project Manager
Problem spaces are never stagnant, and neither should our solutions and project delivery methods.
We cannot underestimate nor neglect the importance of problem-solving in our toolkit. Problem-solving is the differentiator of a fit-for-future and successful project professional. Without this ability to innovate and manage problems as well as projects, we are unable to be change-makers.
Fit for Future
To create a framework for conversation, the DNA of the fit-for-future project professional was born. This framework was developed by identifying key trends and emerging skills in the project space. The first iteration was reflected in a Venn diagram, where key themes were clustered under people, process, and systems with overlapping themes of agility, transdisciplinary and productivity.
To future-proof the framework, the next iteration of the Venn diagram reflected the DNA as a meta web, linking all separate skills into a system blending knowledge and crossing the boundaries of multiple disciplinary domains. The core themes were visually defined to represent how the project professional can leverage synergies and skills across people, processes and systems to be fit-for-future.
Figure 3: Fit-for-Future Project Manager
As depicted, the nucleus of the DNA is problem-solving, complemented by three (3) core threads:
Agile: a fit-for-future characteristic at the intersection of process and systems
Productivity: a fit-for-future capability at the intersection of people and systems
Transdisciplinary: a fit-for-future approach to transform people and processes.
The framework is not a static vision of the future of the project profession but is fluid and adaptive. There are already more threads that could be included for development, i.e. antifragility spectrums, social license literacy, co-opetition, and more. We must continue to modify our core skills and capabilities to transform our DNA as fit-for-future project managers in order for problem-solving to remain central in all we do.
Let’s explore the three (3) core threads in more detail.
Agile
We need to be agile to be able to adapt to change as it comes. Our projects and processes demand leaner and more agile ways of working than ever before. Increasingly, we see a rise in requests for “black belts in lean six sigma” to accompany our project management toolkit.
The concept of black belts is an interesting one. A black belt is obtained by pursuing training in individual disciplines within karate, boxing, and more to get multiple black belts. There are no holistic black belts. While obtaining a black belt in martial arts is a huge accomplishment, this does not make you a master.
To truly master project management, we need an all-encompassing toolkit. No one tool in our toolkit will suffice. The tools in our project management toolkit remain the same, it’s just how we use them that has changed. A perfect example of this is traditional and modern project management practices. When these practices are mapped next to each other, what remains constant is the project manager, our scope and our role.
“One good tool is rarely enough in a complex, interconnected, rapidly changing world. No tool is omnicompetent’’. – David Epstein in Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialised World,
We need to be so flexible in our role and practice that we can be applied effectively and placed seamlessly into any project, organisation, or new disciplinary domain. We need a broad toolkit with the ability to think and act holistically in order to implement integrated solutions.
Productivity
To deliver optimised solutions, we need to enhance the way we work and how we work with technology to proactively respond to problems and be more efficient in our project spaces.
There are increased pressures to enhance productivity, innovation and financial sustainability of infrastructure delivery across the pipeline. We need to be at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies and be early adopters and champions for innovation in infrastructure.
In our current landscape, we are seeing the rise of productivity tools and increased use cases for generative technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). As project managers, we have the keys to decide whether to leverage AI to continually adapt and optimise our operational environment and drive productivity across project constraints, i.e. supply and demand, construction sequencing, etc. To achieve improved outcomes on our projects, our role as project managers will be seamlessly integrating and leveraging AI now and in the future.
AI does not omit us, but invites us to both manage and innovate on projects.
Transdisciplinary
To be effective problem-solvers, we need to learn to operate across disciplinary domains. We need to move beyond the lens of a single disciplinary domain or a siloed task-based approach. The problems of tomorrow require us to break traditional and disciplinary boundaries to generate diverse and novel solutions. Multi-faceted problems require transdisciplinary solutions.
To operate in the transdisciplinary domain, we need to combine different disciplinary expertise to produce innovative, holistic and shared conceptual frameworks, with the integration of knowledge into a meaningful whole.
The visual below depicts the disciplinary domains we must learn to transverse.
Figure 4: Disciplinary Domains
To be change-makers, we need to shift from a single-lens “circle” (intradisciplinary), towards a holistic, kaleidoscope-lens of “overlayed circles” (transdisciplinary) view of problems on our projects.
A wicked problem can help us understand these disciplinary domains further. A wicked problem has interconnected root causes that cannot be solved through traditional approaches.
An example of a wicked problem in infrastructure is: How can project professionals navigate the strategic conundrum of delivering long-lived assets (tunnels, roads etc.) without the ability to predict whether transport modes (e.g. air taxis, hyperloop) or people of the future will even use them?
Let’s break down this wicked problem through the lens of each disciplinary domain:
Intradisciplinary: We respond through one single lens, e.g., the commercial viability lens. Here, we only have a siloed discipline contributing to the solution.
Multidisciplinary: We respond by drawing on various functional lenses, e.g. transport planning lens, architecture lens, commercial lens, asset lens, engineering lens, sustainability lens, constructability lens. Here, we have siloed, independent disciplinary responses to the problem.
Crossdisciplinary: We respond by asking all functions to come together and adopt the perspective of another function, e.g. the project team all view the problem through a commercial lens. Here we have multiple disciplines responding to the problem through a siloed disciplinary lens.
Interdisciplinary: We respond by synthesising, harmonising, and integrating multiple functions, lenses and knowledge into a coherent solution, e.g. where the transport planner, architect, commercial manager, asset manager, sustainability manager, constructability manager and project engineer combine disciplinary knowledge to create a shared response, tackling the problem via a holistic lens. Here we have no disciplinary siloes, as multiple disciplines contribute to the solution.
Transdisciplinary: We respond by not only harmonising disciplinary perspectives but creating a holistic perspective that connects knowledge to construct novel solutions, e.g. going beyond what already exists and what’s been done before to pioneer a brand-new process, new framework, new response. Here we have no disciplinary siloes but an innovative solution that goes beyond existing disciplinary boundaries, knowledge and processes.
In this example, we witness the need to harness transdisciplinary solutions to create meaningful interventions that are truly change-making and drive positive disruption to people, process and systems.
Fit-for-Future Project Managers as Disruptive Innovators
We need to change the trajectory of our future and be known as change-makers and innovators.
We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world. Every project manager needs to be equipped with an understanding of complexity. Understanding complexity helps us to navigate complexity.
To keep pace with complexity, we need to move away from the kind of problem-solving that breaks problems down into parts towards a systematic lens on problems and their interdependencies. We can’t solve a part of a project problem without it affecting other parts of the project.
We need to be fluid, responsive to behaviours and interactions, to constantly shift and adapt our mode of operation, disciplinary thinking, and problem-solving to the project environment. We must continually modify our DNA (core skills and capabilities) as project managers in order for problem-solving to remain central in all we do.
To manage and embrace the changing nature of the project landscape, the future of the project manager hinges on the expression and evolution of our problem-solving and sense-making abilities. We need to subject ourselves to a continuous innovation loop, not just subject processes and systems to continuous improvement.
Problem-solving is the differentiator of a fit-for-future and successful project manager. Without this ability to innovate and manage problems as well as projects, we are unable to be change-makers.
Jessie is positioned in the Integrated Project Services stream with specialisation in risk management, change control and portfolio alignment and performance with a focus on process improvement.
This topic was presented at the Australian Institute of Project Management Conference on 31 October 2023.
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