Project management is rightfully positioned as the central management process for the delivery of infrastructure in the oil and gas sector. The management of projects is reasonably well understood, and there are high levels of maturity in the industry. However, the likely future direction for projects is towards more complexity, with an increasing number of stakeholders with legitimate needs to be met, and with fewer skilled resources available to contribute to the work.

The existing paradigm in project management, of a somewhat mechanistic, process driven approach to delivering large infrastructure is unlikely to be able to meet the emerging demands of projects. Increasingly the focus for project managers is becoming people, not process. It is recognized more and more that effective processes alone will not achieve the results needed in the industry.

This session will look at the likely future approaches and issues for project management in the sector. Alternative ways of operating for project managers and teams will be presented. Pragmatic solutions to the difficulties likely to be faced will be presented, allowing project organizations to prepare for the new skills they will need.