Fed up with adverts from software companies and consultancies that are going to change the world of Planning and solve all your project problems? This series of occasional articles promises nothing but thought provoking questions on how well we understand the basics of our profession from the perspective of a retired planner with 50 years’ experience in the industry whose worked in a variety of UK EPC roles for Clients and Contractors with no axe to grind. We are going to look at PEOPLE, PROCESSES, and PROCEDURES (the old 3P’s – not 4P’s, 5P’s, 6P’s or 7 P’s)that we all have been educated and trained to use in our everyday work (5W’s + 1H) and POKE THEM IN THE EYE / LOOK UNDER THE STONE (the Inverse Universe) and get into trouble with the planning profession because for loads of reasons were not doing so well. If you want to contribute to this soul searching drop me a line with either POSITIVE or NEGATIVE comments (yes, we are PLANNERS that can hold both views at the same time!)
So having looked at some problems with applying CPN and EVM processes in blog 8 and 9 we now move on to written progress reports.
PROCESSES No 12 – MENTORING young Project Control Staff
To be honest when I first became a planning manager and had responsibility for professional development of my staff I had it easy. I had the luxury of a very good HR department, excellent experienced staff, well developed and funded internal courses and a clear CPD route. Most (not all) had gone through a 3 or 4 year management graduate development programme which gave them 6 to 9 months experience in numerous company departments allowing them time to gain a basic grounding in their work. They made contacts, they began to understand the challenges, questions, and language of each of these departments. At the end of their development programme, they could choose a career path in Engineering or Project Services departments. We also had planning staff that had been on the tools, worked in construction management, and had O&M experience as our project work was very varied. So, posting on LinkedIn, I was surprised to receive numerous posts from young graduates who felt isolated in their work, confined to just updating schedules and producing reports, and lost as to where to obtain resources to develop a career path. As most of these posts are from GCC/EMEA work area I asked a consultant what they were looking for as an employer and 2 very experienced project control engineers what help was available in their area to mentor new starters. I also received a post from a young pc engineer who seems to have had a brilliant experience so far in his career and the company should be celebrated for providing this.
This blog is just supposed to kick off the debate which will be hosted by PlanningPlanet’s Project Services Careers Issues Forum – thanks to James Williams for this.
I wrote in earlier PEOPLE blogs
Blog 2 – Are you cut out to be a Planner? Do you have the right characteristics?
Blog 3 – What support your department should offer you.
Blog 4 – How you should look after yourself (self-care) and form habits that last a lifetime.
Strap Line – If you do a job you love, you never work a day in your life!
From Simon Arnott, T & T Director
Simon Arnott can be contacted on [email protected]
One of the biggest problems in project controls recruitment is that we continue to confuse time served with capability. Five years’ experience is routinely used as shorthand for competence. It isn’t. Too many job descriptions still ask for five years’ experience while quietly describing someone who would need ten, fifteen or even twenty years to have genuinely developed that range of capability. That is not just unrealistic—it is fundamentally unhelpful. It sets young professionals up to fail and leaves employers wondering why they cannot find the talent they claim to need. What should someone realistically be capable of after five years? And after ten?
After five years: strong foundations and growing confidence. After five years, no one should expect a finished article. But they should expect strong foundations. By this stage, a project controls professional should understand the mechanics of the discipline: schedule development, progress measurement, reporting cycles, change control, risk awareness, cost interfaces and, critically, data quality. They should be comfortable with the tools—P6, Excel, Power BI, cost systems—but let’s be clear: tool competence is not capability. The real test is whether they can explain what the data actually means.
At five years, the expectation should be that individuals are starting to think, not just process. That means asking better questions:
- Is the sequence realistic?
- Is progress being measured properly?
- What has actually changed since the last period?
- Where is the emerging risk—not the reported one?
- What decision does the project need to make now?
This is the point where someone stops being an administrator of data and starts becoming a project controls professional. They are unlikely to be leading the function—and that is fine. But they should be able to support a package or workstream, understand interfaces, escalate when required, and challenge in a constructive, informed way. If they cannot explain movement, only report it, they are not there yet.
After five years, what should we really be looking for?
Capability, curiosity, and reliability. Not perfection.
After ten years: judgement, integration, and leadership. After ten years, the conversation changes. This is no longer about task execution. It is about judgement.
At this stage, a project controls professional should be able to look at a schedule, a cost report, a risk register, or a change position and cut through the noise. They should be able to identify what matters—and just as importantly, what does not.
They should understand how time, cost, risk, procurement, change, commercial exposure, and construction delivery interact—because in complex environments such as GCC, KSA and India, nothing operates in isolation. At ten years, they should be capable of leading workstreams, supporting senior decision-makers, and challenging assumptions with credibility. Not by quoting process—but by understanding consequence.
They should recognise that:
- The schedule is not a document—it is a decision-making tool
- Cost reporting is not hindsight—it is forward-looking exposure
- Risk management is not a register—it is behaviour
- Change control is not administration—it is commercial control
And importantly, they should be starting to develop others. Because if you cannot explain the “why” behind what you do, you have not fully understood it yourself.
After ten years, what should we expect?
Judgement, integration, and influence. Not omniscience.
What employers need to provide (and often don’t). This is where the industry needs to be more honest. We say we want capable project controls professionals. Then we give them no exposure to the very things that build capability. If a planner is only ever asked to update percentages, they will become excellent at updating percentages. If a cost engineer is only ever asked to fill in reports, they will become excellent at filling in reports. If young professionals are consistently kept out of the rooms where decisions are made, we should not be surprised when they struggle to influence decisions later in their careers.
Mentoring is not complicated. But it does require intent.
It means:
- Let them attend the risk review—not just update the register afterwards
- Let them sit in the schedule review—not just issue the PDF
- Let them understand the commercial implications of delay—not just record milestone movement
- Let them see how different stakeholders interpret the same data in completely different ways
That is where judgement is built. Not in templates or procedures—but in exposure.
What young professionals need to own.
There is a second side to this argument. Employers cannot carry the full burden of development. The most successful project controls professionals are not the ones who waited to be trained. They are the ones who asked questions, sought feedback, read widely, and pushed themselves beyond their defined role. Project controls is not a back-office reporting function. It sits at the centre of decision-making—if you choose to engage with it that way. Own it.
In simple terms
- After five years: foundations, curiosity, and the ability to explain what the data is saying
- After ten years: judgement, integration, leadership, and the ability to influence better decisions
We need to stop writing job descriptions that compress twenty years of experience into five. That approach does not raise standards—it lowers them. Instead, we need clearer development pathways, better mentoring, and far more meaningful exposure to how projects are really delivered. Because the future of project controls will not be built by better software. It will be built by people who understand projects, ask better questions, and are willing to challenge how things are done.
From Mohamed Mamdouh
Mohamed can be contacted on [email protected]
Thank you for reaching out — and even more for what you're doing for those young graduates. Mentoring at that stage of a career makes a difference that compounds for decades. They're fortunate to have someone invested in their development.
Here's an overview of the professional landscape in the Middle East — specifically Qatar and the broader GCC — that might help them build a support network:
Professional Bodies worth joining:
- RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) — very active in Qatar and the GCC, highly respected across contracts, commercial and quantity surveying roles
- CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building) — strong presence across the region, particularly relevant for construction management professionals
- APM (Association for Project Management) — growing presence, relevant for project and programme management
- CIArb (Chartered Institute of Arbitrators) — essential for anyone moving toward contracts, claims, or dispute resolution
- AACE is particularly relevant for anyone moving into cost engineering, claims, and project controls
PMI/PMP — from my own experience I obtained it after 3 years in the field, so the bar isn't as high as many think. That said, having real project experience behind it makes a significant difference in how much value you actually extract from the certification. Without it, it risks becoming another certificate without depth.
LinkedIn is the most active professional community in this region right now. Engaging consistently, sharing knowledge, and connecting with senior professionals here has more impact than almost any formal network in the GCC.
On the free online courses — Coursera, edX, and even YouTube have genuinely strong content now. For young graduates on tight salaries, starting there before committing to paid memberships is completely sensible.
(Ed. Note – ecollegelearning.com have a few free courses, Aram Academy has been recommended, ECITB have free project control courses and have just issued new National Occupational Standards for Project Control, NVQs Level 3 to 7 are supported by employers and popular in the UK and you can join AACE groups and join in their discussions for free)
Local Chapters and Events:
RICS Qatar regularly hosts CPD events, networking evenings, and professional development sessions. Getting involved early — even as a student or associate member — opens doors that take years to find otherwise.
My honest advice for young graduates:
Don't wait for your company to develop you. Read. Engage. Ask questions publicly. Share what you're learning. The professionals who grow fastest in this region are the ones who take ownership of their own development from day one.
The language point is one I feel strongly about. A lot of the nuance in contracts, claims, and commercial management is deeply embedded in how English legal and contractual language works. For graduates whose first language isn't English, that's a real barrier — and one that formal courses don't always address.
I hope this helps — and please feel free to connect them with me directly if any of them are working in contracts, procurement, or commercial management. Happy to engage with anyone genuinely trying to grow.
Mohamed Bathiyuzaman
Mohamed can be contacted on [email protected]
Mentoring the next generation of Project Controls and Planning professionals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is something I feel strongly about. As the Kingdom continues its transformation through Vision 2030, mega-projects, infrastructure development, energy expansion, and industrial diversification are creating unprecedented opportunities for young engineers. However, success in this profession requires much more than technical knowledge or software proficiency.
My core message to young graduates is simple:
Your value as a Planning Engineer will never come from the software you operate—it will come from the decisions you help your team make.
Anyone can learn Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Power BI, or scheduling tools. These are important skills, but they are only tools. What truly distinguishes an effective Planning Engineer is the ability to transform project data into meaningful insights that support informed decision-making.
Move Beyond Reporting Progress
Many young planners focus on updating schedules and producing reports. While these tasks are necessary, project controls professionals are expected to go further.
Learn to communicate risk, not just report progress.
Project managers and stakeholders do not simply need to know where a project stands today—they need to understand what could impact tomorrow's performance. A planner who can identify emerging risks, quantify potential delays, and propose mitigation measures becomes an invaluable member of the project team.
Challenge Assumptions
Baselines, schedules, and recovery plans should never be treated as untouchable documents.
Learn to challenge assumptions, not just accept baselines.
The best planners continuously question logic, productivity rates, resource allocations, procurement timelines, and project constraints. Professional growth comes from understanding why activities are planned in a certain way and identifying opportunities for improvement before problems arise.
Become the Early Warning System
The most respected Planning Engineers are often the individuals who identify issues before they become crises.
Learn to be the person in the room who sees the problem before it becomes a crisis.
Whether it is a procurement delay, engineering bottleneck, resource shortage, or contractor performance issue, your ability to anticipate challenges and communicate them effectively can significantly influence project outcomes.
This is what separates a data-entry planner from a true Project Controls professional.
The Importance of Professional Credentials in Saudi Arabia
For engineers building a long-term career in Saudi Arabia, professional credentials are becoming increasingly important.
Obtaining registration and certification from the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) is a significant step in establishing professional credibility within the Kingdom. Employers increasingly value engineers who possess recognized professional registrations, as these demonstrate commitment to industry standards and professional development.
In addition, Planning Engineers who achieve approvals or work experience aligned with major Saudi organizations such as Saudi Aramco, Ma'aden, and the Saudi Electricity Company often gain a competitive advantage in the job market. Experience gained on projects governed by the standards, procedures, and expectations of these organizations is highly regarded across the Kingdom's construction, infrastructure, mining, and energy sectors.
Such exposure not only strengthens technical competence but also provides opportunities for faster career progression, greater responsibility, and access to larger and more complex projects.
Develop Business Awareness
A successful Planning Engineer must understand more than schedules.
Take time to learn:
- Contract management
- Cost control and earned value management
- Risk management
- Construction methodologies
- Procurement and supply chain processes
- Engineering workflows
- Commercial implications of delays
The more you understand the entire project lifecycle, the more valuable your planning recommendations become.
Build Strong Communication Skills
Technical competence alone is not enough.
The ability to explain complex schedule impacts to project managers, clients, contractors, and executives is often what determines career progression. Learn to communicate clearly, confidently, and professionally. A planner who can influence decisions through effective communication will always stand out.
Never Stop Learning
The most successful professionals in Project Controls maintain a mindset of continuous learning. Technologies, methodologies, and industry expectations continue to evolve. Invest in certifications, training programs, industry networking, and practical project experience.
Every project offers lessons. Every challenge offers an opportunity to improve.
Final Thoughts
Saudi Arabia is entering one of the most exciting periods of development in its history. For young Planning Engineers, the opportunities are enormous, but so are the expectations.
Master the tools, but do not become dependent on them.
Develop analytical thinking, communication skills, commercial awareness, and professional credibility.
Most importantly, strive to become the person who provides solutions, identifies risks early, and helps project teams make better decisions.
That is the foundation of a successful and rewarding career in Planning and Project Controls.
Let’s celebrate this early career experience from MJ Hunais and L&T –
MJ Hunais can be contacted on [email protected]
Took me a while to write this. Not because I didn't know what to say, but because how do you summarize the project that shaped your professional life? I joined L&T straight from campus. From Kerala, landing in Mumbai for the first time with a joining letter, one bag, and honestly no idea what was coming.
The city was overwhelming. The food was different. Most people spoke Hindi and I nodded along pretending I understood. I didn't. Finding appam & puttu in a city obsessed with vada pav. Figuring out local trains. Slowly, Mumbai happened to me. The Hindi came. The trains stopped feeling chaotic and started feeling like rhythm. On leaves I travelled, Uttarakhand, Kashmir, and a solo Himachal trip that had been on my bucket list for years. Came back a little different each time.
L&T doesn't ease you in. It throws you in. I learned P6 under real deadline pressure. Learned what Earned Value means when a client bills against it. Learned that a planner's schedule either defends the project or exposes it when delays become claims. EOT claims, Window Analysis, procurement scheduling, on a USD 180M project with Eversendai, Alufit, and Toshiba. Real stakes. Real consequences.
But what changed me most wasn't the tools. I remember sitting outside a meeting room before my first presentation. Genuinely terrified. Hands sweating. That same person, by the time he left, had presented recovery schedules to the Vice President of L&T. Had prepared CEO-level reports. Had contributed to EOT review meetings. Had stood in Taisei Corporation review meetings and spoken about critical path risks and explained sequences without flinching.
I don't say that to impress anyone. I say it because I was the last person who expected that to happen. All of it earned, awkwardly, one meeting at a time. The hours were long. Some stretches genuinely tough. But that pressure built something comfort never could have.
What I'll carry the longest — the people. Mentors inside L&T and on the client side who took time for someone just starting out. Who corrected me without making me feel small. Who showed me what integrity looks like in this industry. Those relationships didn't end on my last day — and they never will. Genuinely grateful for every one of you.
You know who you are. I'm now in Dubai, a city that moves as fast as the projects built in it working on an AED 850M development, building toward a specialist career in project controls, construction claims, and delay analysis. L&T poured the foundation. Mumbai shaped what sits on top of it. To anyone starting out — feeling lost, feeling behind. Figure it out slowly. If it's broken, change it. If it's just hard — stay in it. There's a version of you forming on the other side of that discomfort. Trust it.
Reference response file - Peter Holroyd via LinkedIn or Planning Planet Project Services Career Issues Forum site.
Question to you all –
Do you feel supported in your role?
Have you mapped out your career for the next 5 and 10 years?
Have you had a CPD interview in the last 12 months with your boss?
For my last blog (No 13) in PROCESSES (before I move on to PROCEDURES), I have invited guest authors to give their thoughts about the AI revolution currently engulfing the profession.