08 Aug 2025 Project Controls News

Dear Planning Planet Member,

Join the Global Community [1] - welcome to the newsletter; did you know that this newsletter goes to the largest community of project controllers on planet Earth? 

WEBSITE UPGRADE  - Web and Mobile Portal GUI 50% Complete

Megaprojects are complex, high-risk and costly endeavors. Without a structured approach to change management, even the best-planned projects can face budget overruns and schedule delays.

Contruent Change Management provides a centralized, auditable and integrated approach to tracking, managing and mitigating project changes—ensuring your megaprojects stay on track and within budget.

Read more... [3]

Contruent Resource Centre... [4]

Track Your Event from Any Device, Anytime, Anywhere

Wherever you are, stay in control of your turnaround with iPlanMobile [5].

Because when safety and budget are on the line - visibility matters.

Speak to James Holt [6], email [7]today to discuss your specific requirements or visit the IAMTech website [5]and discover how iPlanSTO [5]can keep your next event on track.

IAMTech Knowledge: The Hidden Costs of Using Spreadsheets for STO Planning. In this article, we’ll examine the limitations of spreadsheet-based planning, explore the operational risks it creates, and introduce purpose-built STO software that not only streamlines the process but delivers measurable returns. Let’s explore why now is the time to rethink your approach. For more information visit Iamtech website [9].

• Minimizing facility downtime and production losses
• Cutting turnaround costs with generative scheduling
• Managing, mitigating, and recovering from project risks

Learn practical strategies and real use cases to improve the efficiency, resilience, and ROI of your STO project.

Watch the webinar here [10]...

The background: A few months ago nPlan invited planners to beta test an early version of ‘Schedule Studio’, a new tool which lets you create detailed schedules with Generative AI in minutes. 

So, what’s the update? Schedule Studio is now out of beta, meaning you can sign up and start generating schedules without having to sit on a waitlist!

Planning Planet members who sign up using this link [11] will get 100 credits to try Schedule Studio for 30 days (enough to generate several schedules)

How it works: you paste in a scope and/or upload project documents, validate the assumptions and WBS the AI makes for the project, wait a few minutes and–voila–a detailed schedule is generated, which you can then export to P6 for further refinement

nPlan says: it can reduce the time you spend building v1 of your schedule by >95%

Why it could be a big moment for the industry: schedules have traditionally been time-consuming, complex and expensive to build - that needs to change. Project leaders will finally be able to close the talent and skills gap that's been pinching scheduling capacity. 

Cost overruns, cash flow issues, and scope creep are some of the most common risks in construction projects and they often trace back to one core problem: a lack of visibility into when project costs will occur.

That’s why time-phased budgeting is gaining traction as a must-have strategy for project and cost managers.

Cleopatra Enterprise’s practical guide covers:

• What time-phased budgeting is and why it matters
• Step-by-step instructions to build a time-phased budget
• Common pitfalls to avoid and how to solve them
• Tools that make the process easier and more efficient

With time-phased budgets, teams gain clarity across cost, schedule, and scope, empowering them to plan proactively rather than reactively.

Take control of construction costs with this proven approach [13]...

Looking to sharpen your estimating skills in just 4 days?

From May 12th to May 15th, join the Cost Estimating Essentials Course offered by the Cost Engineering Academy to gain the tools to deliver faster and more accurate estimates across all project phases.

Here is what you'll get from the course: 

• A complete understanding of cost estimation fundamentals. 
• The ability to create reliable factor and detail estimates.
• Skills to structure estimate reports and validate third-party work.
• Techniques to estimate efficiently and improve project control.
• Insight into key cost drivers and risks to avoid budget overruns

Construction CPM Conference News
RENO Nevada
January 18-19-20-21 2026

• Early Bird rate still $775 for Three Full Days of Study and Training in CPM (the Critical Path Method of Planning & Scheduling Analysis)
• Hotel room rate is $79/night* (*$119.66 inclusive of Resort Fee and Taxes)
• FREE Shuttle from/to Airport - FREE Parking - FREE WIFI - FREE Pool and Fitness Center
• 70+ Sessions on Software "How To," Theory to Practice, Litigation Support, and More

For more information and to join us now... [22]