Building Major Urban Transit Systems That Work with Ron Aitken

Adapting to the Next Wave of AI in Major Project Management with Lawrence Rowland

How is AI poised to transform our workflows and working relationships in the coming months and years? There’s no question that large language models have had an enormous impact on our lives—and most of us have barely scratches the surface of what is possible with these powerful tools. In this episode, Lawrence Rowland joins Riccardo to unpack all that’s changed since his last appearance on the podcast in 2024. Lawrence is a veteran of project management with a laser focus on AI transformation and strategy. Together, he and Riccardo explore numerous angles of working with these inhuman (but increasingly capable) agents on everything from research to reporting to improving coworker interaction. The conversation stays grounded in practice: the pair drills down on the massive shifts in AI in merely months, why token budgets matter, and the growing ability of programs to self-prompt and think outside the boxes of our requests. Lawrence shares the fascinating way he uses AI—to synthesize methodologies, generate playbooks, pressure-test thinking, and reveal tacit insights missing from current project narratives. The two AI buffs also confront the human side of the transition, including where accountability falls when work is partially automated and what “transformative AI” might mean for careers and organizations. Less about hype and more about adaptation, Lawrence and Riccardo’s conversation hones in the theory on constraints. They remove the rose-tinted glasses and speak to redesigning workflows based on a practical, vital question: where is AI genuinely better, and where are humans still essential? Key Takeaways: * How agentic AI shifts work from prompting to task-level execution; * The reasoning capacity of AI tools based on token budgets and model capability; * The concept of underwriting in retaining human liability in AI-dominated work * How theory of constraints and bottleneck thinking helps decide what to automate vs keep human; * How AI can improve communication and project alignment by translating complex work for different audiences. Quote: * “Either you’re checking the AI or the AI is checking you, and getting used to that will set you up for the new economy.” - Lawrence Rowland The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Navigating Major Programmes, Season 2 Episode 6 with Lawrence Rowland: https://navigatingmajorprogrammes.transistor.fm/s2/23 [https://navigatingmajorprogrammes.transistor.fm/s2/23] * NBER “Economics of Transformative AI Workshop, Fall 2025”: https://www.nber.org/conferences/economics-transformative-ai-workshop-fall-2025 [https://www.nber.org/conferences/economics-transformative-ai-workshop-fall-2025] * arXiv “Some Simple Economics of AGI” by Christian Catalini, Xiang Hui, Jane Wu: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.20946 [https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.20946] * SSRN PDF “Some Simple Economics of AGI”: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/6298838.pdf?abstractid=6298838&mirid=1 [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/6298838.pdf?abstractid=6298838&mirid=1] * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/] * Follow Lawrence Rowland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerowland/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerowland/]

Building Major Urban Transit Systems That Work with Ron Aitken

What can a long career in urban transit reveal about collaboration, contracts, and system integration? In this episode, Evgenia and Shormila guide a wide-ranging conversation with transit veteran Ron Aitken. The discussion ties together his nearly five decades of experience in Canadian and international infrastructure projects. Ron is an expert in what makes complex urban transit work: clarity of requirements, disciplined change control, and the relationships and experience on both sides of the contract. Examples from Vancouver and abroad illustrate the outcomes of effective collaboration, a concept that existed (and succeeded) long before it was being written into the alliance and collaborative contracts presently in vogue. Risk balance, project definition, and synergy have always impacted major programmes. The industry is evolving, and this conversation doesn’t shy away from exploring that. Owners are taking back certain systems integration responsibilities and accepting more risk. Interface and requirements management are becoming more essential, and the adoption of new AI tools is transforming scheduling and delivery across the board. Throughout their broad dialogue, Ron reinforces a simple but oft-overlooked fact: delivery models matter, but the culture and the people matter more. Key Takeaways: * Why procurement models don’t guarantee success; * How early automated transit programs forced teams to build delivery capability, not just technology; * Why trust and respect must be built quickly—and why experience on both sides of the contract is non-negotiable; * How systems integration drives risk in urban transit—and why “systems first” scheduling and access planning matters * The approaches that can mitigate and even abolish claims in major projects. Quote: * “I recommend to people just starting their career: get yourself a helmet and boots and find your way out onto the site” - Ron Aitken The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Shormila Chatterjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/] * Follow Evgenia Jilina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejilina/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejilina/]  * Follow Ron Aitken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-aitken-a9275468/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-aitken-a9275468/]

Beyond Price and Fairness: Rethinking Outcomes in Canadian Infrastructure Procurement

What would it take to prioritize major programme outcomes over more familiar factors like price and procedural fairness? This is the question posed by Peter Weltman, the guest host on this Uncharted Conversations episode. Peter notes that Canada’s infrastructure industry is struggling to maintain what it already has, much less build what it needs next. Iterating is likely to fail, so what are the alternatives? Co-hosts Shormila, David, Melissa, and Riccardo quickly surface the real tension: “outcomes” are often harder to define, measure, and defend than cost—and public procurement systems are deliberately built for political optics and to avoid the perception of discretionary decision-making. Together, the panel explores why technical merit often fails to meaningfully influence selection and why innovation tends to get squeezed out when projects are seen as fixed scope from the beginning. From there, the conversation widens beyond RFP mechanics into bigger levers: risk appetite for unsolicited proposals, whether Canada needs an “infrastructure venture fund” for ideas, and the value of portfolio thinking. Canada may not be ready to blow up the whole system. However, examples—including new financing entities and development-partner models—both within and beyond infrastructure highlight alternative pathways that are already emerging. Key Takeaways * The problem with reducing “value for money” to competitive pricing in major projects; * The difficulty in defining “outcome-based procurement” beyond cost; * How better technical discrimination can prevent price from dominating “best value” selections; * The potential for more rigorous schedule and delivery certainty evaluation through risk analysis; * How entities might catalyze more innovative deal structures than classic linear procurements. Quote: * “How do we create the incentives to build the capacity to do things in a more innovative way, realize more budget, more benefits?” - Peter Weltman The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/] * Follow Shormila Chatterjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/] * Follow Melissa Di Marco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-di-marco/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-di-marco/] * Follow Peter Weltman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-weltman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-weltman/]

Job Searching as a Skill: The Project Manager's Playbook with Mukhtar Kadiri

Behind every major programme is a project manager—but how do they get there? For a practical and informative conversation on the current PM job market, Riccardo sits down with Mukhtar Kadiri, whose extensive project management experience has culminated in his work as a Program Director and Career Coach, where he helps project management professionals compete for high-compensation roles in the industry. Though the hiring environment for PMs today varies by niche and region, competition is heavy across the board, and Mukhtar recommends all job searchers have a strategy—that they approach the search like a project in itself. He and Riccardo explore how candidates can use AI to make the most of their application process and the essential steps to get a foot in the door. Mukhtar has tips for employers and hiring managers, as well. Job searching is a skill, Mukhtar stresses, and this episode offers actionable ideas of how to approach the work intentionally. Specific and backed by plenty of real-world experience, Muhktar’s perspective is essential listening for employees and employers alike, whether they’re currently on the job hunt or planning to begin searching in the future. Key Takeaways * How today’s PM job market is changing competition, screening, and expectations; * The five-part strategy, from application to highest offer, that hones your job search skills; * Why you need to pitch differently to recruiters and hiring managers; * How to utilize AI beyond asking it to write your cover letter for you; * The traits employers should emphasize to win the best candidate. Quote * “Job searching is a skill” - Mukhtar Kadiri The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/] * Follow Mukhtar Kadiri at https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-kadiri/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-kadiri/]

Winning the Bid: Preparing for a Successful Infrastructure Proposal

What happens behind the scenes before a project bid is even accepted? The delivery outcome component of major programmes is fascinating, but a lot occurs long before procurement, design, and development get underway. Taking a step back, and behind the curtain, Riccardo, Shormila, and special co-host Evgenia Jilina, Colliers’ Transit Regional Sector Director, dive deep into what happens before the Request for Proposal is published.  The three infrastructure professionals explore the competitive, resource-intensive work that happens upstream: strategic positioning, RFQs and RFPs, partnership decisions, and the internal calculus of whether a proposal is worth the investment of pursuing at all. They break down why “winning” a project is rarely about a single submission moment. Preparing a proposal can cost millions, pull top talent off active work for months, and take months or even years—a lengthy span of time where assumptions, teams, and even the market can change.  They make the case that capture planning is so much more than paperwork—it’s the training plan behind the goal: the structure that helps organizations choose which opportunities to chase and show up with the right partners and narrative when it counts. Together, the panel tackles the uncomfortable tension at the heart of public procurement. It’s a system designed to prevent influence, yet meaningful early interactions help clients clarify needs and bidders understand the real problem. In the end, a strategic but authentic engagement approach inevitably weighs into the final decision. Real success is so much more than a lucrative “win”: it’s a mutually beneficial relationship where client, bidder, and the public recipients of the infrastructure all triumph.  Key Takeaways:  * Why capture planning is essential to success, not a waste of time and money; * How organizations decide which pursuits are worth prep that costs millions, months, and their best players; * What successful early engagement looks like before an RFQ or RFP is issued; * Why early conversations should be reframed as “engagement” rather than “influencing”; * How to build bid teams around strengths and gaps instead of searching for a unicorn. Quote: * “The stakes are high…you’re expected from day one to start on a project that’s bigger than the GDP of some small countries.” - Shormila Charterjee The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn: * Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/] * Read Riccardo’s latest at www.riccardocosentino.com [http://www.riccardocosentino.com] * Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/] * Follow Shormila Chatterjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shormilac/] * Follow Evgenia Jilina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejilina/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejilina/]