Project Consulting

Independent project expertise for engineering projects and operational improvement activities.

With 15 years running major capital projects across Asia and Africa, we help project teams regain control and get delivery back on track — without taking it out of your hands.

Chaos Control - Who are we 

When you need to know what is really happening

Chaos Control works with the people responsible for the delivery and business outcome of engineering projects and operational improvement activities.

This may be a Project Director who needs additional support, a Project Sponsor or Business Owner concerned about delivery, a Client-side Executive seeing warning signs, or an Operations Director recognising that a project is not delivering what the business expected.

You may already know that something isn't right. You may not yet know exactly what the problem is, what needs to change, or what support is required.

That's where we start.

We work with you to understand the situation, identify what is really getting in the way, and establish what the project needs to move forward.

Practical project expertise, when you need it

Projects can reach points where additional support, a fresh perspective or experienced intervention can make a real difference.

Chaos Control works with clients through focused, clearly defined engagements, designed around the particular circumstances and outcomes you need to achieve.

Our expertise is not just in the theory of what to do, but in the lived experience of dealing with challenges and issues.

Start with understanding, finish with capability

Every engagement starts by understanding what is really happening — not by assuming that the first problem identified is necessarily the right one to solve.

Understand the situation

We begin with a Project Diagnostic: a two-way review that brings together the client's understanding of the project and the issues they want to address with an independent assessment of what is happening beneath the surface.

This gives both sides a clearer picture of the situation, the issues that need attention and what the engagement may need to achieve.

We look to see the real issues and be open in the discussion of them.  Sometimes there is a clear alignment, sometimes a deeper issue revealed, and sometimes it doesn't require us to be involved.  We are focused on understanding what is the right solution for the client.

Design the engagement together

The next step is to take what was agreed with the client and design what is needed to achieve it.

The scope, responsibilities, expected outcomes and duration are clearly defined from the outset, including what needs to happen for the engagement to come to an end.

Our focus is being clear on what is required, and what is expected from the engagement and to work to deliver.

Work where it makes a difference

Our approach is practical. Where recommendations are needed, we provide them. Where implementation needs support, we work alongside the people responsible for making it happen.

Working directly with a project team means that solutions can be tested, adapted and focused on what will actually work in the project environment — not simply what looks right on paper.

Build capability and hand back control

We don't aim to create dependency.

From the beginning, we establish what the handing back needs to look like and who needs to be ready to receive it.

An engagement is successful when the agreed requirements have been completed and the project team has the capability to manage the issues and ongoing challenges themselves.

The objective is not simply to solve today's problem. It is to leave the team better equipped to manage what comes next.

Outcomes that move the project forward

The outcome of an engagement is agreed with the client from the beginning. We don't measure our work by the document produced or the process put in place, but by whether the project has achieved what it needed to achieve.

Because our scope isn't defined until we have designed the engagement, we agree with the client the scope of the outcome together.  Depending on the circumstances, this may mean:

A schedule that can be managed

A meaningful, achievable project schedule — with the structures and capability needed for the project team and contractors to work to it and demonstrate progress against it.

Recovery of lost time

Where a project has fallen behind, we work with the client to identify realistic ways to recover time without simply throwing additional money at the problem.

This can involve better use of contracts, stronger relationships, clearer priorities and focused support for the project team.

Resolution of critical issues

When a specific issue is consuming the team's attention, we can create the space needed for the people closest to the problem to resolve it.

This may mean taking on standard project work or specific tasks while the team focuses on the issue that requires their expertise and attention.

Protecting the business return

Project performance has a direct impact on the business beyond the project itself. 

Delayed start-up can delay planned operational benefits and the return expected from the investment, while poor budget and contract control can increase the time required to achieve that return.

Our focus is therefore on the delivery outcomes that matter to the business, not simply on completing an activity or producing an output.

Capability that remains

Our focus in every engagement is to help build the team's capability, leaving behind a team better able to manage the project and to deal with ongoing and new challenges without us

The result is not dependency on an external consultant. It is a project that is better controlled, better equipped and able to continue moving forward.

Experience that understands the whole project

Projects are never just about plans, schedules and processes. They are delivered by people, under pressure, within complex organisations, and the challenges that arise on the project can have consequences far beyond the project itself.

Our experience comes from project management and project leadership across multiple regions, cultures and industries, seeing first-hand the challenges faced on site, in project teams and in leadership meetings.

That gives us an understanding not only of what it takes to deliver a project, but of how project challenges can affect the wider business and how issues and delays need to be resolved quickly and effectively.

Experience when it matters

Every project has issues. Some are small. Some can put delivery at serious risk.

The objective isn't to eliminate every issue. It is to resolve the issues that matter, manage their impact and keep the project moving.

Having experienced these challenges first-hand, been part of resolving them and worked under the pressures they create, we bring practical experience to situations where it matters most.

Support, not replacement

Your team was selected for a reason.

Even when a project is under pressure, we believe that reason is still valid.

Our role is not to replace your team or create dependency on an external consultant. It is to provide the experience, capacity and support they need to address the challenge, regain control and return to a steady state.

We work with your team so they can get back to delivering the project the way you expect.

A project does not exist in isolation.

A delayed project can mean delayed operations, delayed benefits and delayed return on investment. Decisions made on the project can have consequences for the wider business.

We bring that perspective into the work — keeping sight of both the project that needs to be delivered and the business that is relying on it.