APM Planning, Monitoring and Control SIG Conference 2021 - Project controls: but not as we know it Session title: Punchcards to Power BI - Managing change in the digital age presented by Jay Armstrong and Sanjay Nithiyanantham Tuesday 13 July 2021 The link to the write up page and resources of this conference: https://www.apm.org.uk/news/apm-pmc-sig-conference-2021-project-controls-but-not-as-we-know-it/ Presentation synopsis: As the digital age evolves, data science, automation and AI will increasingly disrupt and change the way we deliver projects. As project controls professionals we know that its often not what we do but how we do it that determines our success. How do we harness new and evolving technology to meet the needs of our teams in order to achieve success? How do we adapt the technology into our current processes and our overall process strategy to maximise efficiencies? How do we better engage with our teams to trust and go on this digital journey with us to curtail resistance? Conference description: How will Project Data Analytics (PDA) change project controls in the future? We all know that one of the key elements to successful project delivery is a robust project control system. But while many of these processes are well established, the ability to make maximum use of the resulting data has often proved challenging. But this is changing. For those involved in project controls in any way, this conference shared the latest practical uses of PDA as well as a glimpse into the future! The conference provided insight from a range of PDA practitioners as well as feedback from a recent Delphi research study on the topic. PDA will be key to the profession as we look forwards, make sure you help us shape it to deliver what we really need.

2. Punch cards to Power BI
Managing Change in the
Digital Age
Jay Armstrong
&
Sanjay Nithiyanantham

3. About Us
Jay Armstrong
Principal Consultant at LogiKal
Over 15 years experience in major
project delivery
Rail, Water, Mining, Oil and Gas,
Infrastructure
UK, Australia, Canada
jarmstrong@logikalprojects.com
Sanjay Nithiyanantham
Senior Consultant at LogiKal
Over 10 years experience in major
project delivery and systems
engineering
Rail and Infrastructure
UK, Australia
snithiyanantham@logikalprojects.com

4. Introduction
01
People
02
Process
03
Outline
04 Systems
Conclusion
05
Q&A / Discussion

5. 01 – Introduction

6. Where are we now?
• Also known as 4IR or the 4th Industrial
Revolution
• Started with the industrial revolution
in the late 1700s
• Increased computing capability
coupled with connectivity
• Use of data and automation to drive
processes and efficiencies
• Industry disruption, changes to ways
of working
• Focus on system and processes

7. What is the problem?
The
technology
and tools
already exist
Why don’t we
see the
benefits?
Lag in
technology
adoption
why is that?
Accelerating
change
New ways of
working
how can we
manage this?
New
technologies
Increasing
disruption to
projects
how do we
keep up?

8. What are the root causes?
People
• People, not machines
deliver projects
• Understand the human
element of the interaction
between people and
technology
Process
• Simply throwing
technology at an existing
process may not be the
solution.
• We need to look at the
process holistically.
Systems
• With so many options in
technology, are we using
the right tool for the right
task?

9. 02 – People

10. Understand your People
Current
behaviours &
attitudes
1
End user
requirements
2
Business
requirements
3
Politics &
conflict zones
4
Skill level
5

11. Create the desire for change
Why do
people fight
change
• Technology is an
additional step
• Learning curve
• Fear
• Restrictions
Understand
motivations
• Less work
• Less repetition
• Less errors
• More time
Incentivise
• Carrot stick
• Immediate vs
long term

12. Let people drive
Push vs Pull Ownership
Key
Stakeholders
Champions
Development
Invite
Resistance
IKEA

13. Building Trust
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek
Being transparent with our own motivations
Give visibility of how the tool/process change works
Set up a feedback loop so that they see the output from the technology
Let them embrace the technology by ensuring that it is their data/information

14. •Source of resistance – people fear what they don’t understand
People generally won’t admit that they don’t understand
•A good system expects its users to make errors and is forgiving as possible.
Expect errors – we are human after all
•70:20:10 rule
•Use champions to lead and teach
Upskilling the team over time rather than in a single course.
•Embedding change requires constant reinforcement.
Recognise that this will take time, effort and resources
Let end users engage in the tools as early as possible to experiment with it.
KISS principle
Skilling Up

15. Flexibility & adaptability
Change is
inevitable
Comfortable with
change
Emotional situations
require empathy
Habit change
requires behavioural
strategies
Feel safe
Continuous
improvement
Lessons learned
Feedback
Resolve issues
quickly
Act on feedback
Keep guides &
documentation
updated
Follow process

16. 03 – Process

17. Understand your Process
Evaluate your current
processes
Is the current process understood?
Is the process defined?
Are there reasons for current
processes?
Are there inefficiencies?
Think systematically
Don’t be quick to attribute blame
to people, process or tools
Find root causes
Problems may have multiple causes
Add, remove or simplify?
System update
required?
May not make the process efficient
Can complicate rather than simplify

18. Plan your new process strategy
Understanding the bigger
picture
• What are your project and
business processes going to
achieve?
• Anticipate what processes
you may need in future?
Plan how you will get
there
• What are the “stepping-
stones” required to get there
• Maybe you may need to take
a detour (or go backwards)
to get to your destination

19. •Can cause confusion and resistance
•People need to learn the new process and may cause inefficiencies
•Lose knowledge and expertise in the current process
Big changes to processes can be daunting
•Remember your goal and the “stepping-stones” to get there
Make small changes to the process at a time
•creates momentum for change
Ideally change a small process for quick benefits early
•Usually, if there is a imminent problem or threat
If you want to make a revolutionary change you will need to create a drastic desire for change
•People tend to take a path of least resistance
•Conversely keep undesired behaviours/processes harder to do
Build good behaviour through simple and easy to follow process
Evolution vs Revolution

20. Keep your processes fluid
Keep updating
the process
(and your strategy)
Know your goal
How you get there
should be flexible
Acknowledge if a
new process is
not working
Roll back or have a
backup process
Keep a record of
lessons learned
Request for more
changes.
Look for ‘Easy wins’

21. 04 – Systems

22. Too many options
• Pick a product to meet your requirements (aligning to the values of people and processes)
• Is this an interim tool (stepping-stone) or the final tool (strategic goal)
• Meets the current average skill level
• Advantages vs Disadvantages
Appreciate the main function
• Some expect the technology to do more than it is capable of (one button to do everything)
• Others underestimate what the technology can do
What are the limits of the system
• Are there restrictions on the type of input or output
• Do we need to change the process to align with the limits of the system
Select the right tool

23. Quick
deployment
Keep it flexible
Refine the
process
Increase
restrictions
Deploying the system

24. 05 – Conclusion

25. ▪ As the digital age evolves data science,
automation and AI will increasingly disrupt
and change the way we deliver projects
▪ We need to consider three key areas to
manage the inevitable change
▪ Explored ways of addressing some of the
key challenges in each of these areas People
Process
Tools
Conclusion

26. Thank you for joining us!