Major Projects Association

In this episode of the Major Projects Association podcast, Executive Director Andy Murray is joined by Mark Sutton, Elections Programme Manager at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to explore one of the most overlooked stages of the project lifecycle: closure. Building on insights from the Association’s recent seminar ‘Enhancing value through project closure’, Andy and Mark discuss how effective closure planning can turn the end of a project into a moment of value creation rather than decline. Drawing on real experience from the government’s electoral integrity programme, Mark shares how early preparation, structured learning, and clear communication helped his team navigate scrutiny, uncertainty, and transition. Together, they examine the importance of acting early, looking after team wellbeing through periods of change, and recognising the different leadership styles needed to finish strong. From government programmes to major infrastructure, this conversation reveals how disciplined closure, underpinned by learning, legacy, and leadership, can make the difference between simply ending a project and truly completing it. As Mark reminds us, successful closure isn’t about winding down; it’s about finishing well and setting the stage for future success. Links Enhancing value through project closure seminar information and Highlights report  No more Heroes report  Mark Sutton Elections Programme Manager, Directorate Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Mark Sutton stepped up from Head of Programme Management Office to programme manage the Electoral Integrity Programme from June 2023 until its closure in Spring 2025. He had oversight of the first instance in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government of closing a Government Major Projects Portfolio initiative. Starting as a member of multi-disciplinary Royal Mail project teams in the 1980s, he has led increasingly complex and high-value projects and programmes at Royal Mail  and subsequent employer and client organisations. As an ex-professional trainer and ex-consultant, he is passionate about using only proportionate P3M to manage change activity, and develop project delivery professionals who will go on to make project delivery professionals of others. He has developed project, programme, portfolio and change management frameworks and developed centres of excellence to enable organisations to improve their approach to change delivery. Mark is a Chartered Project Professional, and has achieved Government project delivery profession practitioner-level accreditation. He has conducted medium risk Gate reviews on behalf of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority. Mark led a local community school-place campaign programme, and in 2013 co-founded the first secondary school in his district for 35 years. To date this has been the single most rewarding application of his change management experience. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn.

In this episode of the Major Projects Association podcast, Executive Director Andy Murray is joined by David Whitmore, Director at MIGSO-PCUBED, to explore the critical role of business-to-business relationships in the delivery of complex major projects. Drawing on the new research paper ‘Managing strategic relationships in inter-organisational projects', a collaboration between MIGSO-PCUBED and University College London, Andy and David delve into what makes these relationships succeed or fail. They unpack the key distinction between transactional and strategic relationships, why neither should be viewed as inherently adversarial or collaborative, and how leaders can consciously choose and manage the right model for their context. From insights into exemplary programmes such as East West Rail, Sellafield’s Programme and Project Partners, and the Anglian Water's @One Alliance, to practical lessons for those implementing delivery partner models, this conversation highlights how effective relationship management can make or break project outcomes. As David notes, successful major projects don’t just rely on sound contracts or strong governance, they depend on leaders who understand, nurture, and strategically manage the web of relationships that underpin delivery. This is a must-listen for anyone involved in shaping, leading, or partnering on major programmes. Links Managing Strategic Relationships In Inter-organisational Projects No More Heroes report MIGSO-PCUBED’s RelationSHAPE The rise of the delivery partner David Whitmore Director David is a project & programme management practitioner with a unique mix of safety critical design, procurement and safety case expertise. He has a proven track record of transforming organisations and leading teams of people engaged in delivering complex, high technology projects. Prior to joining MIGSO-PCUBED and following 7 years in the high voltage power transmission industry, David held director level positions with Rolls-Royce, Horizon Nuclear Power and Atkins working on nuclear major projects including design, manufacture, construction and in-service support projects. He led the project and programme management function for Rolls-Royce’s Submarines business and introduced innovative collaborative working arrangements with client organisations and supply chain companies. In Atkins David led the nuclear engineering function including a secondment to Horizon Nuclear Power as Engineering Director before being appointed as the Major Projects Director for the Atkins Nuclear business. In MIGSO-PCUBED he is a Strategic Advisor to the CEO. He is developing new thinking for the delivery of major projects in the UK context and he has published a number of academic papers on the transformation of major project delivery. In 2020 he was seconded into Veolia Nuclear Solutions to lead the recovery of the Fukushima inspection programme. If you would like to know more about the research discussed in the podcast or would like to get involved, please email david.whitmore@migso-pcubed.com.

In this special edition of the Major Projects Association podcast, we're diving deep into the intersection of sustainability, planning, and major infrastructure projects. Our guest host for this episode is Janet Greenwood, Global Lead for Sustainable Infrastructure at KPMG and Chair of the Major Projects Association Sustainability Ambassador Network. Janet is joined by two leading experts from the legal and planning world: Imogen Dewar, Senior Associate in the Planning and Environment team at Pinsent Masons, and Robbie Owen, Partner and Head of Infrastructure Planning and Government Affairs at Pinsent Masons. Together, they explore the evolving landscape of planning and consents for major projects, the impact of new legislation and case law, and the critical importance of embedding sustainability from the very start of project development. From biodiversity net gain to the implications of the Finch case on environmental impact assessment, this is a must-listen for anyone navigating the complexities of infrastructure planning, consenting and delivery in a changing world.   Resources mentioned in the podcast No Planet B, so what can I do? Major Projects Sustainability Playbook    Related resources Building Green Britain Highlights Report and Full Report Major Projects Sustainability Playbook presentation    Janet Greenwood Global Lead for Sustainable Infrastructure, KPMG Janet Greenwood is KPMG’s Global Lead for Sustainable Infrastructure. In 2024 Janet won The Times Consultant of the Year and Management Consultancies Association Experienced Leader Award. She is Chair of the Major Projects Associations Sustainability Ambassadors, a member of the Institution of Civil Engineer’s Inspiring Engineering Excellence Board and founder member of the Cambridge University Centre for Smart Infrastructure in Construction’s Carbon Code. A Visiting Fellow at Southampton University Business School, a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and a Policy Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, she has extensive experience in delivering sustainability, social value and carbon priorities in major construction projects and supporting built environment clients to deliver their most challenging programmes. She has over 30 years’ experience in the built environment, having worked across sectors such as water, wastewater, flood defence and transport. Connect with Janet on LinkedIn. Robbie Owen Partner and Parliamentary Agent, Head of Infrastructure Planning and Government Affairs, Pinsent Masons LLP Robbie has over 35 years' experience of advising mainly transport and water undertakers and authorities on the planning and consenting of a wide variety of infrastructure projects in the UK, and on infrastructure public policy and parliamentary issues.  Robbie is widely regarded as one of the top infrastructure planning and policy lawyers in the UK market. He gives advice on a wide range of planning, highways, environmental and other aspects of public and administrative law.  Connect with Robbie on LinkedIn. Imogen Dewar Senior Associate, Pinsent Masons LLP

This episode delves into the critical role that business-to-business relationships play in the success of major projects. Drawing on insights from our seminar Do we have the Capability we need for the new types of Major Projects in the pipeline? and MIGSO-PCUBED's recent research, conducted in partnership with UCL, on the importance of business-to-business relationships, we explore whether we possess the necessary skills and collaboration to tackle the ambitious projects of today and the future. Joining Andy Murray, Executive Director of the Major Projects Association, is David Whitmore, Managing Consultant at MIGSO-PCUBED. They discuss the findings from MIGSO-PCUBED's and UCL's joint research. Their discussion covers the importance of collaboration and relationships in project delivery and the key factors that influence project success. They look into how strategic and transactional relationships impact project outcomes, the challenges of aligning contracts with desired relationships, and the importance of measuring and managing these relationships effectively.  ******** Links MIGSO-PCUBED's RelationSHAPE No More Heroes report  Do we have the Capability we need for the new types of Major Projects in the pipeline? Highlights report  McKinsey's Beyond Performance 2.0: A Proven Approach to Leading Large-Scale Change  David Whitmore Strategic Advisor David is a project & programme management practitioner with a unique mix of safety critical design, procurement and safety case expertise. He has a proven track record of transforming organisations and leading teams of people engaged in delivering complex, high technology projects. Prior to joining MIGSO-PCUBED and following 7 years in the high voltage power transmission industry, David held director level positions with Rolls-Royce, Horizon Nuclear Power and Atkins working on nuclear major projects including design, manufacture, construction and in-service support projects. He led the project and programme management function for Rolls-Royce’s Submarines business and introduced innovative collaborative working arrangements with client organisations and supply chain companies. In Atkins David led the nuclear engineering function including a secondment to Horizon Nuclear Power as Engineering Director before being appointed as the Major Projects Director for the Atkins Nuclear business. In MIGSO-PCUBED he is a Strategic Advisor to the CEO. He is developing new thinking for the delivery of major projects in the UK context and he has published a number of academic papers on the transformation of major project delivery. In 2020 he was seconded into Veolia Nuclear Solutions to lead the recovery of the Fukushima inspection programme. If you would like to know more about the research discussed in the podcast or would like to get involved, please email david.whitmore@migso-pcubed.com.

In this episode, we are delighted to have Lawrence Rowland join us again, one year on from the first What can ChatGPT do for major projects? episode.  Lawrence, a project data/AI specialist, talks to Andy Murray, Executive Director of the Major Projects Association, to revisit their discussion from a year ago and explore the advancements in AI technology, particularly focusing on OpenAI’s latest models. Lawrence has been actively experimenting with AI and shares his insights and practical examples of using AI to enhance project management processes. Lawrence and Andy also discuss the potential future impact of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial superintelligence (ASI) on the industry. This is the third in our series of podcasts on AI leading up to our Annual Conference AI is the answer. Now what’s the question? in October. ******* Links A selection of Lawrence's LinkedIn posts: Project execution strategy and testing the research results Consulting many documents: Tactic one is RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) with ai assistants (or in custom GPT); Tactic two is in context learning (the conference example) Two GPTs talk to each other, one with Strategy documents, the other with Kindle clippings GPT agents perform roles on the UK rail reform project (post 7 is here, including links to all earlier posts). And here they are talking in a meeting to each other  How to use multiple custom GPTs as proto agents The first type of agent that can go away and think for you and message you later is now possible with o1, once they allow it to think for arbitrary amounts of time The second type of agent (Replit agent builds a decision app based on ontology) A Manifesto for running projects with AI in 2024 Manifesto (full)  AI in the Knowledge Economy paper  Claude artefact (apps) you can create in Sonnet 3.5 John Schulman on AGI and ASI (YouTube) About Ceefax: Ceefax demo Ceefax: What life was like before the internet (BBC) Paying tribute to Ceefax (BBC) Lawrence Rowland Lawrence began as an engineer on large capital projects with WSP and Motts, and moving onto Bechtel and Booz Allen. He spent ten years in project and portfolio management with CPC and Pcubed, before transitioning to data analytics and AI for projects, working originally for Projecting Success. He now helps project services firms find relevant immediate AI applications for their business. Follow him for daily posts on how to get started on LinkedIn or write to him at lawrence.rowland@reactai.com.  

This podcast explores the commonly-held perception that transport infrastructure projects are consistently over budget and underperforming and the guests discuss the findings from a recent study that reveals that this is in fact a misperception: 93% of major road schemes have a positive benefits-cost ratio and are delivered within budget. In today's podcast we ask: who knew and what changed? Andy Murray, Executive Director of the Major Projects Association is in conversation with Paul Chapman, Senior Fellow of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and Nirmal Kotecha, Founder and Director of Inframonik Advisory Limited and Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Major Projects Association.  They discuss Paul's recent reports, one examining the delivery performance of road projects in England and another focusing on similar projects in Sweden. These studies challenge the widely-held belief that transport infrastructure projects are consistently over budget and underperforming. They discuss the surprising findings which the reports revealed about cost efficiency and benefit delivery, for example the Said Business School study concludes that major Road schemes in England outperformed their budgeted costs by c 6-7% from 2008 onwards.  They dive into why Roads schemes in England went from cost over-runs of c. 10-15% pre-2007/8 to outperforming budgeted costs by c 6-7% post that period. They also consider whether these positive outcomes are unique to roads or can be applied to other types of major projects. ********************* Links Project Delivery Performance: Insights From English Roads Major Schemes. Report by Paul Chapman, 2024. Revisiting Project Delivery Performance: Evidence from Swedish Transport Infrastructure. Research article by Paul Chapman, 2024. Review of Highways Agency's Major Roads Programme. Report by Mike Nichols, 2007. Nirmal Kotecha Founder and Director of Inframonik Advisory Limited Nirmal is the founder of Inframonik Advisory Limited which focuses on helping develop Intelligent Infrastructure Clients. He has held senior roles in several Major Infrastructure Client organisation across many sectors including, Energy, Roads and Water and led the transformation of their procurement, commercial and programme delivery capability.  He recently stepped down from UK Power Networks after serving over 12 years on the Executive Team as the Director of Capital Programme & Procurement, having successfully delivered its ED1 major capital programme via the ED1SON Alliance whilst also creating a Procurement function that has been accredited by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply as Platinum standard. Nirmal was previously on the Board of what was the Highways Agency for almost four years as their Major Projects Director. He joined the Agency in 2008 on the back of the Nichols’ Review and is credited with transforming the Agency’s commercial and programme delivery capability.  Prior to that he was at Anglian Water where he developed the @One Alliance which is still regarded as an exemplary model for collaboratively delivering a large and complex programme of works.  Nirmal is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Major Projects Association and the immediate past Chair of the Infrastructure Client Group Management Board. He is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing Supply and is an Alumnus of the London Business School. Connect with Nirmal on LinkedIn.  Dr Paul Chapman Senior Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Paul established Oxford’s MSc in Major Programme Management and currently serves as Academy Director for the UK Government’s Major Project Leadership Academy (MPLA). This role includes leading the “Sponsoring Major Projects Ministerial Programme” to equip UK Government Ministers to discharge their duties as major project sponsors, and co-directs the ‘Orchestrating Major Projects’ programme for sponsors who shape the operating environment that enables the delivery of major projects.  He recently concluded a report for the Secretary of State for Defence on procurement reform.  Paul supports the project profession as Chair of the Association for Project Management’s Research Advisory Group, having previously completing a six year term as Board Director and Chair of the Professional Knowledge and Standards Committee followed by four years as Vice President.  Connect with Paul on LinkedIn. 

Andy Murray, Executive Director of the Major Projects Association talks to Huda As'ad, Managing Director - Capital Projects & Infrastructure for UK, Ireland, and Africa at Accenture and Dale Foong, COO and Co-Founder of Movar. Huda and Dale spoke at our 'Pace of Change in AI' seminar in June and we have invited them back to share their insights from the seminar and our upcoming Annual Conference 'AI is the answer. Now what’s the question?'. They discuss where AI can be most effectively applied in major projects, the benefits and challenges of AI, how AI will change the roles and skills required in the industry and how to stay relevant. Dale breaks down the meaning of AI and shares findings from a survey on AI in the construction industry including the barriers to AI adoption. Huda addresses the issue of bias in AI, including data bias, algorithmic bias, and human bias. Huda provides examples of bias in hiring algorithms and facial recognition. This episode is the second of 3 podcasts leading up to our Annual Conference 'AI is the answer. Now what’s the question?' in October.   Huda As'ad Huda leads Accenture’s UKI Capital Projects and Infrastructure Practice and is passionate about ensuring critical infrastructure maximises benefits for people, supports the planet and keeps it safe for future generations.  Her 20 year career experience to date has included government, having worked at the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) which reports to both Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, where she co-authored the Construction Playbook which sets out key policies and guidance for how major public works projects and programmes are assessed, procured and delivered to include innovation and deliver sustainability.  Prior to that, Huda worked for a Big Four consultancy where she was recruited to deliver work on critical national infrastructure programmes such as the London 2012 Olympics, Network Rail, National Grid, Thames Tideway Tunnel and others. Huda’s purpose is to encourage the use of technology and digitisation to support a sustainable, inclusive, diverse and productive infrastructure and construction sector. She is a Chartered Civil Engineer. Dale Foong Dale is a seasoned Project Consultant dedicated to empowering organisations and business leaders to optimise project outcomes through innovative digital solutions. Originally hailing from South Africa, Dale has become a prominent figure within the UK's project management sector. As the Chief Operations & Innovation Officer and co-founder of Movar, he utilises his Executive MBA and vast industry experience to lead and deliver major projects across a wide range of sectors. In 2019, Dale launched the Project Chatter Podcast, followed by the Gen AI Podcast in 2023, both of which delve into the transformative potential of AI in project management, providing valuable insights for senior leaders. As a co-founder of the Project Connect Group and a Fellow of the ACostE, Dale is deeply committed to enhancing team dynamics and driving exceptional project outcomes. His approach is informed not only by professional expertise but also by the strategic thinking and discipline honed through his passion for rugby and sports. Connect with Dale on LinkedIn.

“AI is out there already. This is not some kind of super-duper future thing that we’re waiting for. It’s with us.” So said Mark Enzer, Strategic Advisor at Mott MacDonald, at our 'Pace of Change in AI, Data and Analytics' seminar in June. In this podcast, our guests Mark Enzer and Dale Sinclair, Head of Innovation at WSP, chat to Andy Murray, Executive Director of the Major Projects Association, to explore what can be done right now with AI.  The guests discuss why the use AI in projects needs to be purposeful and the importance of getting the foundations right: good data and skills.  They each give examples of where AI and data analytics is making a demonstrable difference to major projects and offer practical tips on how all of us working in major projects can keep up with the pace of change in AI. Dale also explains his 'Three Little Pigs' story metaphor which he first spoke about at our June seminar. This is the first of three podcasts ahead of our Annual Conference in October which will be on the topic of AI. ******************************* Resources mentioned  Daisy AI Top 15 Books that Support the Human Side of Digital Mark Enzer OBE FREng Mark is a keen champion of outcomes-focused systems-thinking, collaborative delivery models, digitalisation, connected digital twins and the circular economy in the built environment.  Mark is the Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor in the digitalisation of the built environment at the University of Cambridge, and he is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. As Strategic Advisor at Mott MacDonald, Mark provides advice to key clients on digitalisation and broader industry transformation.  Previously, Mark was the CTO of Mott MacDonald and the Director of the Centre for Digital Built Britain, where he was the Head of the National Digital Twin programme. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn    Dale Sinclair, Head of Innovation Described as a pragmatic futurist, Dale is driven to transform project delivery through innovative use of digital technologies and offsite manufacturing. By integrating artificial intelligence into interdisciplinary workflows, he aims to revolutionise the approach to design complexity and future challenges including net zero. His global team is actively engaged in delivering cutting-edge projects, collaborating with clients and contractors to harness the advantages of progressive manufacturing methods including kits of part approaches. Dale is a qualified architect with over 35 years of experience and has played a key role in shaping industry standards. He was the lead author of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 publications. Recently, he contributed to the field with the publication of the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Overview and the Security Overlay and contributed to the 2nd Edition of the DfMA Overlay. He has also authored multiple books emphasising design management and the crucial role of the lead designer in the digital age. Dale is involved in many forums, helping stimulate and drive change in the built environment industry and he regularly talks at round table events and gives keynote addresses. He is chair of the UK Construction Industry Council (CIC) Digital Forum, chairs the CB/1 committee for the British Standards Institute (BSI), and is an adviser on the Bridge AI steering committee. Connect with Dale on LinkedIn 

With Inclusion Moments now integrated into all Major Projects Association events and with many members actively involved in our Inclusion Hub, we are delighted to shine a light on the topic of neurodiversity and inclusion in this podcast. Our guest host Al Simmonite, Managing Director of the Advance Consultancy and member of the MPA Inclusion Hub, is in conversation with Helen Buckingham of WSP, Caroline Keep of UCLAN and Anthony Newman of Projecting Success who share their experiences of living and working with neurodivergence.  The guests discuss the use and meanings of terminology like 'spectrum',  'neurodiversity' and 'neurodivergence', and openly share their personal stories about living and working with autism, ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions. The conversation delves into how technology helps them, what useful resources, strategies and hacks they use and, importantly, they share insight into what employers and teams can do to make the workplace better and more inclusive. Download the transcript. ******************* Neuro Cards mentioned by Helen are available on Etsy. You may find this list of Neurodiversity terms and definitions by Dr Nick Walker helpful. Al Simmonite               Al is the Managing Director of the Advance Consultancy, a SME consultancy business who have operated for over 30 years focusing on challenging and supporting individuals, teams and projects in complex organisations through effective collaboration and leadership.  Al has a career founded in working in complex teams where relationships and leadership are key. Advance are long standing members of the Major Projects Association and Al has been involved with the MPA’s inclusion hub team focusing on the role of the ally and the concept of allyship. Caroline Keep             Caroline Keep, a data scientist and educator pursuing her PhD in digitalization in education at the University of Central Lancaster, specializes in the application of advanced technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence within educational settings. Her contributions to this field have been acknowledged by several national awards, including the National TES Award for Teaching. Caroline's background in engineering has been instrumental in shaping her approach to digital transformation in education, making her an asset in the realm of project management within educational technology. In addition to her academic and consulting roles, Caroline is an active disability advocate across the UK. She is enthusiastic about organizing STEM events, reinforcing her commitment to creating inclusive and accessible educational environments. See Caroline's awards, research, interviews and more here.    Helen Buckingham           It was as a direct result of being involved in a Major Project during lockdown that Helen sought a formal diagnosis for her ADHD. Previously she would often use the phrase ‘I’m wired differently’ to explain to friends and colleagues her experience of the world. Her success in Engineering and Project Delivery has been because of this thinking differently not despite it however having the diagnosis and gaining greater understanding of managing symptoms has been great. She was promoted to Technical Director of Pharmaceuticals at WSP in 2023 which is testament to their support and commitment to D&I – previously to get to the next rung Helen felt she had to moved companies.   Anthony Newman         Since starting out wet behind his ears building machine learning models for the supercomputer at QinetiQ two decades ago, Ant’s entire career has been focused on machine learning, data science and data product development, both stand alone and in concert with sensor technology. He was probably in an office full of neurodiverse colleagues back then, but he didn't know as we never used to discuss this stuff.   For the past decade, Ant has been leading on data science/engineering and data product strategy, which has led him to his present role as the Chief Data Officer at Projecting Success. Passionate about data driven delivery, Ant yearns not just to release the power of data, but to build a collaborative approach to tackling the problems we face, together. Connect with Ant on LinkedIn.     

MPA Executive Director, Andy Murray, talks to project data/AI specialist Lawrence Rowland on the latest updates to ChatGPT and how major projects can use Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Co-Pilot and Google Bard. Lawrence describes himself as someone who sits in the intersection of exploring project management practices and the application of disruptive technology. Since the launch of the public version of ChatGPT by OpenAI in December 2022, Lawrence has been posting once a week on LinkedIn a copy of his experimentation of using ChatGPT - from producing scope statements from site photographs to producing estimates based on local market rates based on a scope statement. Andy explores with Lawrence what he has learned, discusses how transformative Generative AI is likely to be, what members and practitioners could be doing right now and where is it likely to go next, particularly with the recent launch of ChatGPT ‘assistants’ where organisations can train it on their own policies, frameworks and historical project performance data. Lawrence Rowland Lawrence began as an engineer on large capital projects with WSP and Motts, and moving onto Bechtel and Booz Allen. He spent ten years in project and portfolio management with CPC and Pcubed, before transitioning to data analytics and AI for projects, working originally for Projecting Success. He now helps project services firms find relevant immediate AI applications for their business. Follow him for daily posts on how to get started on LinkedIn or write to him at lawrence.rowland@reactai.com.

In this episode, Andy Murray, Executive Director of Major Projects Association, chats to Andy Taylor about the session he runs for the professional development programme Challenge of Major Projects. Andy Taylor is Managing Director of People Deliver Projects and he explains what the full-day experiential session called The Junction is all about and what participants will gain. The Challenge of Major Projects is a unique programme offering a stimulating opportunity for senior leaders confronting the demands of larger or more complex projects to explore the factors affecting success. Special attention is given to studying the success and failure of projects from the different perspectives of owners, contractors and others. It particularly concentrates on pressures and tasks in the early phases of projects and studies policy and strategic issues for successful major project development. Find out more about Challenge of Major Projects here. Andy Taylor Connect with Andy on LinkedIn. C

Emerging markets for major projects can take many forms, including new geographies, new economic models, and new technologies. In this podcast, drawing on the ideas from the recent Association Seminar, Emerging Markets - Opportunities and Threats for Major Projects, Andy Murray is in conversation with Stephen Beatty of KPMG, Dr. Zeynep Kurban of GHD, and Sam Mercer of Xlinks. Through the lens of some of the latest developments in power generation, they explore the challenges and opportunities associated with emergence. One of Xlink’s HVDC transmission projects involves manufacturing and laying a 4000 km cable from a solar and wind energy facility in Morocco to the UK, where it can provide the power for seven million homes. Dr. Zeynep Kurban brings us up to date with what’s going on with hydrogen power generation, an industry that is on the cusp of switching from hype to real delivery. Both these industries ask fundamental questions of the major projects sector: What will be the demand and how do we assure the requisite infrastructure is in place with the requisite investment in such an uncertain and fast-changing technology marketplace? What are the different, alternative options for delivery? How do we develop the capability we need against a schedule which requires much of this is in place in less than seven years? What about the resources, in an environment where mega-projects are increasingly competing for people and raw materials? How do we sustain the sense of urgency? The emerging market is exciting and fast-changing in equal measure and holds the potential for projects that can transform our nations and our planet. However, Major Projects will need a root and branch rethink in terms of process, human capital and finance, if the sector is to come close to realising what is needed.

                  In this wide-ranging podcast episode ahead of the Association seminar of the same name, Andy Murray from the Major Projects Association is in conversation with Carol Deveney of the consultancy See Change International.  Together, they discuss: the lack of practical guidance for aspiring new sponsors diversity and different personalities and approaches the transition from project manager to sponsor; learning to move from the detail of delivery to strategy the art of cancelling a project development pathways for sponsors how to get the sponsors you need the difference between professional, full-time sponsors and occasional sponsors (executive and delegated sponsors, in the jargon) the attributes of a great sponsor the sponsor's role in developing sustainable projects and increasing social value

Tony Slater is Managing Director of SMP Alliance, the collaborative organisation set up by National Highways, Jacobs, WSP, BMJV, Balfour Beatty, Costain and Fluor, to deliver the smart motorways programme. In conversation with Al Simmonite from Advance Consultancy, Tony tells the story of the Alliance and the challenge of creating an integrated, single entity; one that included National Highways and its key design and construction partners. He covers: the value of the Alliance - a delivery model within which every partner wins or they all lose the aspects of collaboration that enable the Alliance to deliver its outcomes and how they were agreed on the power of common purpose and the new ways of working associated with the Alliance how to make it easy for people to navigate across organisational boundaries and work together the significance of an outcomes-based approach in identifying and recognising achievements as key progress the reality of individual and collective accountability  the Alliance learning model for sharing lessons and good practice the nature and role of Alliance leadership

In this podcast episode on the topic of change and delivery at pace, Andy Murray interviews project delivery experts from the pharmaceutical industry: Denise Moody of the Pharmaceutical Industry Project Management Group, Fraser MacFarlane from GSK, and Danie Du Plessis of Kyowa Kirin International. During their conversation, we learn: the imperative and the challenge of focus and prioritization how a highly innovative industry uses a mix of waterfall and agile against the backdrop of a strict regime of regulation why organisations die of indigestion rather than starvation how to manage projects in an industry where multiple projects will die, very few projects will get to success and where spending on projects is in the billions the challenge of bringing new critical projects into the portfolio and the need to terminate other projects to provide the requisite space and resources the opportunity to things faster by doing them concurrently, rather than sequentially the five Cs of successful change

Gareth Parkes, Head of Data and Analytics at Sir Robert MacAlpine, interviews Ed Burns, CCO at Mafic, Luis Lattuf and Yixue Shen, both researchers at WMG, to help us understand where project data analytics is going and what are the practical applications, obstacles and opportunities presented by the fast moving technology. During their conversation, we learn about Mafic's real world application of data and what they have learned about the problem of trust, the need for both organisation and users to derive value from the tech, and how the power of positive motivation is encouraging uptake along with fundamental changes in management assumptions and style.  We also hear the evidence of the importance of the technology enablers: ease of use and usefulness and ways of overcoming the barriers to adoption; as well as discover the difference between artificial intelligence and machine learning, and how the latter can be used to predict project performance.

Join Andy Murray, Executive Director of the Major Projects Association; Jenni MacKenzie, Commonwealth Games Senior Programme Manager; Mark Russell, Chief Executive of The Children's Society , Dr Simon Addyman, Associate Professor at UCL; and Deirdre Fox, Non-Executive Director at Advance Consultancy as they explore collaboration and leadership in major projects. During their wide-ranging discussion, they cover: How the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games used collaborative leadership to deliver, despite the Covid pandemic, a curtailed schedule and the need to descope parts of the original plan Why collaboration is a strategic imperative for The Children's Society and how they deliver 80 different services to 50,000 children with and through others The importance of co-creation and co-design  The need for a North Star for what (collective) success looks like What time and means you have available for teams to come together across organisational boundaries The role of the generous and incomplete leader within all of this.

Professor David Clutterbuck recently celebrated his 75th birthday (and published his 75th book). In this wide-ranging Masterclass he shares his good humoured and razor sharp insights from nearly 50 years of coaching and mentoring. a range of models such as The Diversity Awareness Ladder, the five different levels of interaction we have with other people; how, as a coach or a mentor, you can help people have the conversations they need to have; the problem , in the context of complexity and collaboration, of organisational reward systems that remain focused on the individual rather than the team; the challenge of organisational leaders who are unable to think systematically; the ubiquity of HR bling, for example: succession plans (that aren’t worth the paper they are written on); performance reviews (that simply provide managers with a formal structure to hide behind rather than have the conversations they need to have); the five levels of coaching which rise to (the fifth level) coaching teams of teams in large projects; where coaching enables the formal and informal conversations between teams (and where the informal conversations are the more important); the concept of rapid teaming: enabling temporary teams, which may only be in place for six months, to hit the ground running and perform from Day One; ways in which coaches and mentors will need to adapt to respond to changing contexts and technology such as AI and Automation.

In the second part of our Annual Conference podcast, Andy Murray interviews Nick Smallwood, CEO of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, on how to change the way people think about delivery to make what you do 'nothing less than world class'. In a wide-ranging interview, they discuss topics such as benchmarking, project and programme leadership, risk versus reward, and what project organisations look like when 'curious leaders enable communities of curiosity'; facilitating new thinking and the adoption of innovative tools, processes and approaches.

Every major project encourages an unwavering focus on successful delivery. Whilst this has the advantage of generating continual forward momentum and progress, it carries with it a real risk: the creation of an echo chamber. In an echo chamber we remain fixed in our own limited bubble, unhearing or sceptical of any voices from 'outside our group' who may be advocating a different approach, questioning elements of our model or our delivery plan and playing the critical role of Devil's Advocate. The Major Projects Association annual conference in January 2023 explored the phenomenon of the 'echo chamber': defining the concept and its impact on project delivery organisations exploring how the echo chamber manifests itself and the behaviours it engenders looking at the antidote to echo chambers - encouraging diversity and inclusion, making time for reflection, listening to sceptical voices, tackling confirmation bias and 'not invented here' syndrome discussing the skills and new behaviours needed by everyone from the lowliest member of the team to the leader reflecting on the case example of Sellafield and how a historically risk-averse organisation worked to build a new model and a new culture to embrace change and innovation. The podcast episode, the first of two, features Andy Murray, Executive Director of the Association, interviewing Professor Harvey Maylor of Oxford Said Business School; Andrea Powell of EY; Lauralee Doughty of Sellafield; and Richard Corderoy of the Oakland Group. In the second episode, Andy interviews our keynote speaker from the conference to pick up and explore the ideas of the echo chamber  in the context of the work of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.