Project Controls from the Owner's Perspective 

May 5-7, 2026 (Tue, Wed, Thu)

1.2 CEUs

$500 member / $600 non-member

This live, instructor-led seminar will be held virtually over 3 consecutive days from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM Eastern (US).

Co-Instructor: Stephen L. Cabano

Stephen L. Cabano is President of Pathfinder, LLC, a project management consulting firm specializing in the planning, development and execution of domestic and international capital plant construction projects.  With 30+ years of project engineering and project management experience in the industrial and commercial facilities industry, he has provided cost, scheduling, procurement, and similar project-related services for owner and government clients in the Petroleum, Petrochemical, Chemical, Environmental, Pharmaceutical, Industrial and Commercial industries in the United States and world-wide.

Stephen earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University and is a member of the AACE International (AACE), Construction Industry Institute (CII), Engineering and Construction Contracting Association (ECC), and the Project Management Institute (PMI). He received the AACE O.T. Zimmerman Founder's Award in 2016 and the AACE Brian D. Dunfield Education Service Award in 2021. Also in 2021, Stephen was presented with the CII 2021 Richard L. Tucker Leadership & Service Award. In 2023, Stephen was awarded AACE Fellow status.

Stephen is a lead instructor for Pathfinder’s training division, designing, developing, and presenting project related training sessions and is an internationally recognized training instructor. He has also authored several articles for Chemical Processing, Chemical Engineering, Refinery Today and PMI.

Co-Instructor: Erik M. Anhorn

Erik an Executive Associate with pathfinder, LLC and is a seasoned project management and engineering leader with over 30 years of experience guiding strategic initiatives for global Fortune 500 organizations. His career spans project management, new product development, process improvement, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and IT—consistently delivering complex, high‑impact projects on time and within budget.

Mr. Anhorn is recognized for his ability to lead and inspire cross‑functional teams of 50+ professionals across more than 15 disciplines, driving collaboration from executive leadership to plant‑floor operations. His results‑driven approach has produced measurable improvements, including 20–30% reductions in project delivery time and 10–15% annual cost savings.

He has worked across diverse industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food & beverage, metals and mining, oil & gas, power generation, and chemical processing. A skilled communicator, process expert, and accomplished trainer, Mr. Anhorn has delivered numerous workshops and developed project delivery systems that strengthen organizational capability and performance.

Description
This seminar will cover Project Controls Industry “Best Practices” (approaches, methods, techniques and tools) suitable to an owner organization’s project portfolio and specific projects.  Topical coverage will include:

• Project Controls Perspective (relative to Owner’s role)
• Project Controls Process
• Roles and Responsibilities for Project Controls (Project Manager/Engineer, Owner’s Project Team, Owner's Project Controls Team/Representatives, Contractors)
• Planning and Scheduling (Development and Baselining)
• Cost Estimate/Budget (Development and Baselining)
• Cost and Risk Analysis and Contingency (Development and Management)
• Progress and Productivity Measurement
• Cost and Schedule Management
• Project Controls Reporting
• Change Management

A combination of material presentation in lecture format, examples and interactive sessions will be utilized by the instructor to provide attendees with an opportunity to engage in discussions and participate in an effective learning experience.

Who would benefit most by attending this seminar?
Owner Project Team Representatives, primarily Owner’s Project Manager’s, Project Controls Specialists and Managers, Project Engineers.

Content:  Basic

Key learning objectives:  
-Define the Role of Owner Representatives in Project Controls
-Understand the working relationship between Owners and Contractors with respect to Project Controls
-Define Project Controls "Best Practices" for Owner Organizations
-Define the Development and Utilization of Work Breakdown Structure
-Developing Project Cost and Schedule Baselines
-Define Effective Framework for Internal (Owner) and Contractor Project Controls Reporting
-Analyzing/Interpreting Project Reports/Data
-Outline and Effective Change Management Process/Guidelines
-Define and Effective Project Controls Environment for: Measuring Progress, Measuring Productivity, Measuring Earned Value, Forecasting/Trending Cost/Schedule

How learning objectives are measured:
An appraisal form and participant feedback form to quantitatively (10 point scale) and qualitatively measure the attendees' learning experience on a self-assessment basis (pre and post-seminar level of understanding of topical coverage) is used. 

Knowledge areas addressed:
Project Controls:
• Planning & Scheduling (Development, Baselining, Control)
• Cost Estimating/Budgeting (Development, Baselining, Control)
• Risk Analysis/Management, Contingency Setting & Management
• Change Management
• Project Reporting/Communication