Project Controls in Capital Projects: The 2026 Watchlist

As we kicked off what looks to be a very busy and fast paced 2026, Emily Bartlett, specialist consultant at Blackfield Associates, decided to reach out to her network with a simple but timely question: “For those leading project controls on capital projects, what’s taking up the most attention right now?” Below, Emily discusses her thoughts and findings around the biggest pain points, most pressing priorities and top trends in this critical specialism for the coming year.

What’s keeping project controls leaders busy in 2026?

Recently, I made the decision to kick start a poll series, to really capture the heart of project controls within capital projects. I wanted to understand from my network where projects globally need the most attention within the project controls realm. That question hits at the heart of what project controllers are up against with today’s complexity, governance, risk, data and delivery certainty when juggling cost and schedule demands.

Based on conversations across the sector, and the latest research in terms of engagement on my poll series, here’s a snapshot of the key themes within capital projects in 2026.

Tighter control of cost, time and risk

One of the main responsibilities of project controls is ensuring projects stay on budget and on schedule. Despite improvement over time, capital projects still do experience cost overruns and delays, and this is not something that is rare or unheard of. Project controls teams are at the forefront of the identification and mitigation of issues before they become problematic.

Project controls teams are specialised across cost management, scheduling, risk management and governance, and performance reporting so decision-makers can interject early. This remains pivotal, especially for leaders in large, complex, costly programmes.

Better visibility and reporting for decision-making

Project controls professionals are under pressure to transform data from projects into strategic and analytical insights. They are not just keeping on top of costing, numbers, and schedules; they are very much responsible for forecasting and giving long-term insights with reason, identification and ways to mitigate what could be a future problem.

With the often-steady integration of artificial intelligence, the transforming of data, there is a real need to be prioritising development across data analytics, software tools and risk management registers and governance.

Skills shortage and talent development

At the forefront of ongoing challenges, clients often struggle to find professionals with specific industry experiences and specialist knowledge when it comes to methodologies and systems.

There are often skill gaps relating to industry experience, although unlike some other specialities, project controls aptitudes are very much transferable in a lot of ways.

Complex projects and multi-project programmes

Project-based work within project controls does not always mean working solely on one dedicated scope of work; it is often a collection of programmes on a large-scale project across a multitude of projects, locally, nationally and globally.

Communication and team integration

Although not a project controller myself, after years of providing consultancy support across the life science sector, it’s apparent that there’s a real drive to include controls earlier, and alongside this, the willingness to adapt schedules to communicate more concisely with the wider teams, reiterating the importance of clear and realistic milestones.

In addition, the use of systems such as SAP really lends itself to a clear and streamlined way of working and communicating, providing clear cost and work breakdown structures.

Maintaining our momentum

Project controls is an ever-developing sector, one full of innovation and challenges. I will leave you, for now, with one last question…

How will project controls continue to evolve and influence the projects of today and tomorrow?

Emily Bartlett is a specialist talent consultant for project controls professionals and international organisations within the life science industry. With 3 years’ experience at Blackfield Associates, the award-winning staffing consultancy, Emily is dedicated to solving her clients’ biggest talent challenges through knowledge sharing, in-depth market insights and elevating the profile of project controls professionals. Check back next month for the second instalment in her Project Controls series.

Get in touch

Are you a project controls professional looking for a new team or opportunity? Contact Blackfield Associates today using the link below, and Emily will be in touch to understand your challenges and requirements, and ensure you’re fully 2026-ready.