During my entry years to the workplace in the early 70's, I trained as a boilermaker and went on to concentrate on a B/Tech diploma. My areas of focus were Applied Thermodynamics, Cardkey Light and Strengths of Materials. My physical vocational journey however, due to the existing political climate, was somewhat fortuitiuosly beneficial (due to racial segregation and job reservation), as a result, provided me with different levels of in-depth exposure, to various major construction projects in the Pulp and Paper, Ship and Rig Building, Sugar, Oil and Gas, Rail  and Power Generation industries. My interest in Project Management was ignited some two and a half decades ago, where I was appointed Site Manager, on a major expansion project in one of our oil refineries in South Africa. To me, the level of interaction between the project Owner's Management Team and ourselves as the MEIP Contractor, demonstrated a structured and almost scientific approach, to the manner in which projects are understood, executed and delivered globally. This incited within me, an insatiable thirst and curiosity for a comprehensive understanding of Project Management and the role I could play within that space.

After some three years of research, study, application and role-playing within a Project Management Office, I soon realized that my past working experience, together with my new-found project management knowledge, better placed me to operate comfortably within the Project Controls arena with particular emphasis on planning and scheduling. The effort expended in understanding Project Management (the PMBoK) in particular, has proved invaluable to me over the years as a Planner because I understand how my contribution and that of other disciplines in the Project Management Office coaleces to fulfil the Project Manager's obligation of successful delivery of a project through planning, organizing, directing and controlling. My involvement and experience on projects thus far is as follows:

• As a Planner - providing the necessary planning support/deliverables to the Project Director/Manager commencing at the Strategic Planning, Concept Definition, Risk Identification through to Project Start-up phases.
• As a Scheduler - providing the necessary scheduling support/deliverables to the Project Management Team commencing at the Project Start-up, through Project Performance Measurement culminating at the Project Close-out phases.