Donna Foubister, who is Lead Cost Estimator at NRS Dounreay in northern Scotland, has been working in project controls since 2008.
She joined Dounreay’s training scheme straight out of school at 16 as a secretarial trainee and did eight months of training before becoming a full-time employee in April 1991.
We caught up with Donna at Project Controls Expo 2024 at Wembley Stadium in London to find out more about her project controls journey.
How I got into project controls
Donna said: “Like many others in the industry, I fell into project controls. I was looking for a new opportunity and there was a chance to work with a team who were undertaking a strategic review of the site, which included the programmes and estimates. This led to me becoming a trainee estimator.
“To expand my knowledge base, I moved into a project controls engineer role for a few years. I moved back to our project management office (PMO) to fulfil the role of estimator, which then led to promotion to my current role as lead estimator.
“Project controls is so interesting because things are constantly evolving and you’re always learning something new.
“I remember one of the estimators that trained me all those years ago said he had been in the discipline for 30 years and he was still learning something new every day and I found that really is the case.”
Important role of project controls
NRS Dounreay, a division of Nuclear Restoration Services, was the UK’s centre of fast reactor research and development from 1955 until 1994 and is now Scotland’s largest nuclear decommissioning and demolition project.
Donna started at the nuclear facility in 1990, so has worked at the site both when it was still generating electricity and now in its decommissioning phase.
The 50-year-old says project control roles are crucial to many different aspects of its work.
“I genuinely believe it’s the best job in the world, it’s just so interesting and we can make a real difference,” she said.
“I don’t think the importance of project controls should be underestimated. If you’re going to successfully deliver a project, you can have the best project manager in the world, but if you don’t have the support of a good project controls team, like a project controls engineer or planner, you have less chance of success.
“For a project to be delivered successfully, you’ve got to be in control of your cost and your schedule and that’s what project controls is there to do. It’s there to create an accurate as possible baseline to monitor and report against, as well as ensuring any lessons learned are replicated in the future work.
“Because I undertake strategic estimating for the whole site, I have developed an understanding of all the projects and areas on the site and how they interact with each other. That’s what makes estimating so exciting.”
Any advice for those considering a career in project controls?
Donna added: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The biggest thing I’ve learned over the years is you cannot know about everything. That’s why you’ve got subject matter experts and that highlights why it is important to have a good network.
“One of the best bits of advice I was ever given was when you’re estimating anything, it’s not about what you can see, it’s about what you can’t see. The unknowns can prove to be very costly!
“Project controls can be a long-lasting career. The ECITB pathway (pictured) is very clear, and you can see that if you follow a certain route you can see how your career can progress.”
The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) project control training courses and qualifications provide skills training and occupational verification for all roles from technician to professional project controllers, estimators, planners, schedulers and cost engineers.
Developed with industry stakeholders, they focus on developing technical expertise as well as honing communication skills, fostering governance acumen, promoting continuous improvement, leveraging data analytics and contributing to carbon reduction and environmental sustainability.
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