On March 11-12, 2025, Projecting Success hosted its 24th Project:Hack event in Reading, bringing together 102 registered participants to tackle real-world project challenges through AI and data analytics.

Thanks to Oracle, who generously co-hosted the event by providing the venue and catering for hackers, VIPs, and staff. We also received valuable support from the Major Projects Association and the Association for Project Management.

What is Project:Hack?

Project:Hack is a key event within the Project Data Analytics (PDA) community, which brings together professionals passionate about improving project delivery through advanced data analytics and AI. Whether you're just starting to explore these tools or actively integrating them into your workflows, the Hack provides a collaborative space to drive innovation.

Challenges—or “stucks”—are submitted by Coalition organisations looking for solutions to complex project delivery problems. The best part? All challenge solutions are open-source, making them accessible for any organisation to implement and benefit from.

The Challenges & Solutions

🔹 Dynamic Resource-Adjusted Scheduling – Rolls Royce

The problem: When key resources (people, materials) become unavailable, project schedules are disrupted, leading to delays and inefficiencies.
The solution: Hackers developed a tool that dynamically updates schedules in real time, recalculating critical paths and highlighting the impact of changes—helping project managers make faster, data-driven decisions.

🔹 Risk Foresight 1: Rapid Risk Recognition & Resolution – Thales

The problem: Traditional risk registers lack real-time insights, making it difficult to anticipate risks before they escalate.
The solution: Teams built a system that analyses historical risk data to predict emerging threats, helping organisations proactively mitigate risks.

Thales has already integrated solutions from previous Hack events into production and is eager to implement the latest innovations from Project:Hack24.

🔹 Risk Foresight 2: AI-Powered Risk Insights – Thales

The problem: Risk tracking is often static and difficult to navigate.
The solution: Hackers designed an AI-driven chatbot, integrated with Power BI, that enables users to query risk data using natural language. This tool provides quick access to historical trends, mitigation strategies, and predictive insights, making risk management more interactive and efficient.

🔹 Red Team Agent: AI-Assisted Bid Assurance – MoD & Major Projects Association

The problem: Poor bid quality and lengthy review processes slow down decision-making and reduce success rates.
The solution: Teams explored an AI-powered “Red Team” assistant that reviews draft proposals against predefined client personas. This tool offers real-time feedback to improve bid quality before submission, increasing the likelihood of success.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

🔹 Oracle – If you’re already using Oracle services or want to explore how their solutions can support your projects, reach out to Sammy Ismail (sammy.ismail@oracle.com) to arrange a visit to their Industry Lab in Reading.

🔹 Association for Project Management (APM) – If you're a student, APM offers free membership! Find out more at Membership | APM

🔹 Major Projects Association (MPA) – If your organisation is involved in project delivery, membership with MPA is an essential step. Learn more at Major Projects Association

Upcoming: Prize-Giving Ceremony

Challenge submissions are now being reviewed by our panel of external judges. Winners will be announced during the awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 2, at 18:00.

📅 Register to attend: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Charity Donation

At Projecting Success, we take no money from running these Hacks. Our vision is to transform project delivery through open-source collaboration. To support this mission, 100% of ticket proceeds go to charity.

At Oracle’s request, we are proud to have donated £497.49 to the Alzheimer’s Society, supporting their vital work in dementia research and care.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Project:Hack24—your contributions are driving real change in the world of project delivery! 🚀

I’m Christoph Kuhle, Operations Director at Projecting Success. I’m thrilled to share the key highlights from yesterday’s dynamic webinar, which I had the pleasure of leading. The session featured valuable insights from Dave Turnbull of EDF and Gareth Parkes from Sir Robert McAlpine. Together, we explored the complexities of project data analytics and discussed the collaborative efforts propelling the PDA community forward.

Key Takeaway's from the webinar

1. Overcoming Challenges in Data Analytics

I emphasised the importance of overcoming challenges in data analytics with actionable strategies. Dave Turnbull shared a real-time example from EDF. The transition from monthly to weekly data updates in Primavera, visualized through Power BI, highlighted how presenting data to senior leaders can catalyse change. For instance, a milestone dashboard unveiled discrepancies in milestone baselines, prompting a shift in behaviour and better data integrity.

Gareth Parkes focused on the significance of bridging the gap between IT and business functions. By creating a Data Governance Board, Sir Robert McAlpine is aligning priorities and fostering collaboration between data owners and system managers, ensuring a holistic approach to data management.

2. Prioritising and Implementing Solutions

Both speakers discussed methods for prioritizing and implementing data solutions in large organisations:

• Dave Turnbull: EDF's approach involves integrating data inputs from various systems into a central data lake. This centralised approach supports real-time decision-making and helps address issues like grey IT, where unofficial systems might skew data reliability.
• Gareth Parkes: Sir Robert McAlpine uses a centralized IT function and Data Management Office to address detailed problems and ensure effective collaboration across business and IT professionals.

3. Moving from Descriptive to Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics

Vivian’s question about advancing from descriptive to prescriptive analytics sparked a discussion on industry readiness. Gareth acknowledged that while the construction industry is not fully there yet, efforts are focused on improving real-time reporting and predictive insights.

Dave highlighted the role of predictive analytics in decision-making, using historical data to forecast trends and enhance project delivery. His analogy of shopping behaviors across generations illustrated the shift from intuitive decision-making to data-driven approaches.

4. Educating Senior Leaders

Christoph asked about educating senior leaders, a crucial aspect for data-driven transformation. Dave noted the challenge of shifting mindsets, especially for senior leaders accustomed to traditional decision-making methods. By presenting data in a more predictive and visual format, EDF is gradually changing perceptions and improving decision-making.

Gareth emphasised the need for continuous education and the role of apprenticeships in building data literacy. The coalition’s focus on data-driven skills and collaboration across organizations is essential for advancing the industry.

5. The Coalition’s Impact and Future Steps

The discussion wrapped up with thoughts on the coalition’s role. Gareth highlighted the importance of data sharing and pooling, as outlined in the Belfast Paper and the manifesto for data-driven projects. He stressed the need for collective problem-solving and shared solutions.

Dave underscored the coalition’s value in fostering collaboration and leveraging collective knowledge. By solving problems together, organisations can avoid reinventing the wheel and drive more effective project delivery.

next steps

Thank you to Dave Turnbull and Gareth Parkes for their invaluable insights and to all attendees for their participation.

For further information on our apprenticeship courses, reach out to us at enquiries@projectingsuccess.co.uk