Explore the Agenda
8:00 am Check-In & Networking
9:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Building the Future Scheduling Workforce
9:10 am Finding the Next Generation of Planners & Schedulers to Close the Talent Gap & Build a Stronger Future Workforce
- Identifying new routes for bringing talent into scheduling from graduates, project controls, estimating, and field backgrounds
- Repositioning scheduling as a visible career path for analytical people who want to shape how projects are delivered
- Addressing why the industry is struggling to attract and retain future schedulers as project pressure increases
Practical Takeaway: Leave with view of how to widen their scheduler talent pipeline and position scheduling as a long-term career path, not just a specialist role people fall into by accident
9:40 am Panel Discussion: Accelerating Scheduler Development Through Hands-On Training, Field Exposure & Knowledge Transfer
- Sharing how leading teams are training junior schedulers to understand construction and get up to speed quickly
- Transferring knowledge from experienced schedulers and field leaders before critical construction judgement leaves the business
- Exploring practical training methods that combine technical learning, site exposure and communication
Practical Takeaway: Leave with practical ideas for building a junior scheduler development pathway that combines technical training, field exposure, and senior knowledge transfer
10:10 am Morning Refreshments & Networking
Strategic Scheduling & Risk Control
Managing Milestones
11:00 am Leveraging the Schedule as a Decision-Making Tool to Improve Risk Visibility, Forecasting & Project Performance
- Turning schedule data into timely analytics that help teams identify risk and make faster decisions
- Improving data quality and reliability so schedule outputs reflect what is happening across projects
- Using historical data, predictive analytics, and lessons learned to strengthen forecasting and future planning
Practical Takeaway: Leave with a clearer workflow for moving from schedule updates to actionable insight, helping teams use the schedule as a forward-looking decision tool rather than a backward-looking report
11:30 am Audience-Led Q&A: Coordinating Cross-Functional Stakeholders to Keep All Milestones Aligned
- Integrating owner, vendor, equipment, regulatory, and inspection milestones into planning conversations earlier
- Clarifying how GCs, owners, and external stakeholders coordinate schedule inputs without creating confusion around accountability
- Tailoring schedule communication so leadership, vendors, and delivery teams receive the right level of detail at the right time
Practical Takeaway: Leave with practical ways to improve cross-functional schedule coordination across stakeholders whose work sits outside the baseline construction plan but still determines project success
Field Execution & Delivery Alignment
Bridging Data & Planning
11:00 am Connecting BIM/VDC Coordination With the Construction Schedule to Improve Field Readiness on MidSize Projects
- Scaling BIM enabled planning practices beyond mega projects by adapting coordination workflows for smaller GC teams, tighter budgets, and faster project timelines
- Linking submittals, procurement lead times, BIM coordination milestones, and installation sequencing to make schedule impacts visible earlier
- Improving collaboration between planning, VDC, project management, and field teams so coordination work supports real execution rather than sitting outside the schedule
Practical Takeaway: Leave with practical guidance on how to integrate BIM/VDC coordination into the construction schedule on mid-size projects, helping them connect procurement, submittals, coordination, and installation milestones earlier to reduce field disruption and improve schedule confidence
11:30 am Running Effective Pull Planning to Improve Trade Coordination, Field Engagement & Schedule Reliability
- Practicing how to run a mock pull plan by assigning trade roles, mapping activities, and working backwards from key milestones
- Comparing different pull planning approaches, from traditional sticky notes to more detailed activity-based and digital workflows
- Improving trade partner engagement by creating more collaborative planning conversations that expose handoffs, constraints, and sequencing issues earlier
Practical Takeaway: Leave with a clearer structure for running pull planning sessions that are more engaging, better aligned with the schedule, and easier for field teams and trade partners to act on
12:10 pm Lunch Break
Strategic Scheduling & Risk Control
Making Risk Visible
1:10 pm 0 Interactive Use-Case Exchange: Using 4D Scheduling to Improve Planning Clarity, Field Understanding & Execution Readiness
- Demonstrating how 4D scheduling can help teams visualize sequence, constraints, and construction flow before work reaches the field
- Identifying where 4D adds practical value beyond presentation visuals
- Exploring how 4D and model-based planning could support stronger schedule understanding as projects become more complex
Practical Takeaway: Leave with a clearer understanding of where 4D scheduling can genuinely improve planning and execution, and where it risks becoming a visual tool without practical scheduling impact
1:40 pm Case Study: Closing the Loop Between Site Risk & Executive Decision-Making to Escalate Delays Earlier & Improve Proactive Schedule Recovery
- Developing integrated scheduling dashboards and automated risk escalation workflows to improve visibility between site teams, schedulers, and executive leadership
- Learning how leadership teams are being trained to interpret schedule health KPIs and identify high-risk projects earlier
- Understanding how automated project risk categorization and proactive notification systems are helping reduce missed warning signs
Practical Takeaway: Leave with a practical model for connecting site-level risk signals to executive action, helping teams escalate issues earlier, improve accountability, and trigger recovery decisions before delays become unmanageable
Field Execution & Delivery Alignment
Field Commitment & Capability
1:10 pm Building Trade Partner Accountability by Creating Schedules They Can Realistically Commit To
- Validating trade durations and sequencing with the people delivering the work before commitments become unrealistic
- Documenting GC-side constraints, coordination issues, and readiness gaps so trade accountability is fair, transparent, and defensible
- Strengthening schedule trust by showing trade partners that the project team is holding itself accountable, not just pushing risk downstream
Practical Takeaway: Leave with a more balanced approach to trade partner accountability, helping teams secure realistic commitments, document constraints fairly, and reduce disputes when schedule delays emerge
1:40 pm Embedding New Schedulers in the Field to Build Jobsite Understanding & Strengthen Project Team Support
- Creating practical ways for entry-level schedulers to spend meaningful time on site without disrupting field teams or slowing daily work
- Clarifying how superintendents, PMs, and project teams can involve junior schedulers in meetings, trailer discussions, and site walks to improve their construction understanding
- Building scheduler confidence through consistent field exposure so they can provide more accurate updates, better questions, and stronger support across multiple projects
Practical Takeaway: Leave with a simple field-integration approach for turning junior schedulers into more useful project team partners, while helping field teams receive better schedule support earlier
2:10 pm Afternoon Refreshments
Strengthening Your Function
2:50 pm Driving Schedule Discipline in the Field to Improve Adherence, Readiness & Short-Interval Planning
- Balancing near-term execution with long-term milestones so teams stay focused on the work that must happen now
- Defining the right level of detail, float, and activity completion criteria to make the schedule more useful for field teams
- Aligning design, procurement, material, labor, and superintendent input so crews have what they need before work begins
Practical Takeaway: Leave with a practical approach for improving schedule adherence by making lookaheads, completion criteria, and field readiness more disciplined and actionable
3:20 pm Recap Session: Building an Integrated Planning & Scheduling Function from the Ground Up to Improve Visibility, Accountability & Organizational Impact
- Establishing scheduling as a recognized function by defining expectations, senior leadership buy-in, and measurable value from the start
- Embedding scheduling into project delivery by aligning PMs, site teams, and leadership around consistent processes and ownership
- Communicating scheduling success through internal reporting, feedback loops, and KPIs that help leadership make better decisions
Practical Takeaway: Leave with a roadmap for building or elevating a scheduling function, so it becomes a mainstream part of project delivery, not just a support service