Client Snapshot (Anonymous)
A global technology manufacturer was ramping up major capital construction and needed to strengthen project controls across a growing portfolio. Their environment was fast-moving – priorities could shift day-to-day – and their culture was deeply engineering- and tools-driven, which made consistent scheduling rigor and contractor accountability harder to standardize at scale.
The Challenge
When we first engaged, the client’s project controls processes were improving but still inconsistent. Scheduling tools varied across teams (with heavy use of Microsoft Project), and CPM scheduling discipline wasn’t being applied uniformly. Leadership wanted a single standard approach – using Primavera P6 across all projects – and needed support to implement stronger contractor schedule requirements, improve schedule quality, and proactively identify delay risks before they became real impacts.
Our Approach (How Plan Academy Supported)
What began as training quickly expanded into a broader project controls partnership:
- Primavera P6 Training for Project Managers – We delivered targeted training to help project managers adopt Primavera P6 and build confidence using CPM scheduling as the standard across projects.
- Professional Schedulers Embedded with the Team – As needs grew, our professional schedulers worked alongside the client’s project managers to strengthen day-to-day project controls execution and contractor oversight.
- Contractor Schedule Reviews Against Client Specifications – We reviewed contractor schedules to confirm they met required standards, were logically sound, and were being updated and delivered on a consistent cadence.
- Weekly Contractor Management & Accountability – We supported recurring coordination and quality control with multiple contractors to ensure project controls outputs were reliable and decision-ready.
- Proactive Forensic Schedule Analysis (Delay Risk Detection) – We performed forensic-style schedule reviews to surface early warning signs and potential delay drivers – helping teams act before issues turned into schedule impacts.
- Owner Schedule Development (Pre-Bid Planning) – We helped develop detailed owner schedules prior to bid release – cost- and resource-loaded – built in collaboration with the client’s estimating group to improve planning accuracy and bid readiness.
What Made This Engagement Unique
This wasn’t a “steady-state” project controls environment. The client operated in a highly dynamic setting where priorities could change daily. Our team had to be adaptable while still reinforcing consistent rigor – helping an engineering-first culture integrate stronger project controls practices, including tighter alignment between cost and schedule.
Results / Impact
- Supported delivery across $63B worth of construction scope through improved project controls execution and contractor schedule governance
- Helped standardize the organization’s move toward Primavera P6 + CPM scheduling as the default approach
- Improved schedule quality and reliability through consistent reviews, cadence enforcement, and contractor management
- Increased proactive risk visibility through forensic schedule analysis and early delay detection
- Strengthened front-end planning via owner schedules that were cost/resource loaded and aligned with estimating
Ongoing Partnership
Plan Academy continues to support the client as they expand their project controls maturity – especially as they roll out new software packages and further refine their processes.
The goal remains the same: build durable project controls capability, improve predictability, and ensure teams have the tools and rigor to manage complex construction programs with confidence.
