 Shayna Whiteside may be new to AACE International and project controls, but she is definitely not a stranger to our organization or to our business. Born in Borger, Texas, and growing up in the shadow of the ConocoPhillips Refinery, Shayna has heard about the tools and techniques of project controls from a very young age.
Shayna’s father is James D. “Jim” Whiteside II, PE, an estimator at ConocoPhilips. Through Jim’s association with AACE International and his knowledge of project controls, she has heard about project work her whole life. Because of her strong writing background, Shayna spent her high school years reading and editing her dad’s technical papers and proofreading his presentations— Jim has been a frequent presenter at AACE International’s Annual Meetings. As she read his articles on estimating and the factors that affect a project’s outcome, she developed an interest in project controls and estimating.
In 2006, Shayna landed a position as an associate estimator at Fluor in Houston. Her experience with her father’s papers and presentations through AACE International, made estimating the logical place for Shayna to start her technical career. She grew in her knowledge of the industry as she performed material take-offs and entered equipment lists for several large refinery expansion projects.
It was that year when Shayna also joined AACE International and began attending the monthly technical meetings with the Houston Gulf Coast Section. Shayna recalls one of the first
things she did when she joined Fluor’s estimating team was to ask the department to sponsor her membership. Shortly thereafter, knowing the benefits of AACE International membership, she began a personal campaign to get the other new graduates involved in AACE International. Whenever someone new joined the department, part of her welcome to them was, “Oh by the
way, I am going to an AACE International meeting tomorrow night—want to come?” With a simple invitation, Shayna has been instrumental in introducing several new graduates to AACE
International at the section’s monthly meetings.
As a newcomer into AACE International and project controls, I asked Shayna what AACE International could offer the new graduates coming into business. Her remarks were:
“AACE International offers new grads an opportunity to network with more experienced people in the field, as well as get a clear idea of what a career can look like in the future. I love having dinner with more experienced AACE International friends before our meetings and learning about how their careers have progressed; it helps give me an idea of the goals I want to work toward. Many of my AACE International friends have been in project controls for years, but they have moved between cost, scheduling, estimating—that’s exciting to me. From my conversations with them, I also get a bigger picture of how each project controls discipline works together to make projects run smoothly.”
“Coming out of school, new grads are still in the learning mode and hungry to gain as much knowledge as possible (because after all, every new grad is ready to come and take over the world…or at least be the project manager on the company’s next $2 billion-dollar project!). AACE International provides a tremendous variety of courses which help new grads focus their energies, establish goals, and increase their value to their employers. Armed with this knowledge and perspective, new grads are well on their way to becoming successful project
controls leaders for tomorrow’s projects.” Shayna believes strongly that her association with AACE International and the Houston Gulf Coast Section has added value to her professional development. Her experience at the AACE International Annual Meeting and active participation in the local Houston Gulf Coast Section meetings teaches her about the hot topics within project controls and within the various
industries. She attended her first the Annual AACE International Meeting in Nashville this past summer and commented what a positive experience it was to her both personally and professionally. The Annual Meeting gave her an education on the different aspects of project controls, and she gained a broader understanding of each specific area that makes up project controls.
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As a result of her conversations with her AACE International friends and mentors, Shayna realized that there was a larger project controls world out there. After a year with Fluor’s world-class estimating team, Shayna sought to expand her horizons and learn more about estimating and project controls as a whole. In 2007, she joined Fluor’s Talent Acquisition Group as a Project Controls Recruiter. Her new opportunity gives her a bird’s eye view of how schedulers, cost controllers, estimators and project controls managers come together to execute some of the world’s most exciting and challenging projects. Shayna is a “big picture” person and enjoys having an overall view for Fluor’s projects—from refineries in Saudi Arabia to mining jobs in Peru.
“It’s exciting,” she says, “to touch billion-dollar projects in every industry and meet people all over the world.”
Shayna had several personal comments to make about networking and professional development:
“AACE International has also been a terrific place for me to meet people in project controls. I met people at the conference this year that I keep in contact with, and I think it is a neat thing to be able to pick up the phone and call an AACE International friend when I have questions. I’ve only worked in the project controls realm for a year and a half, so I have a lot of questions: If someone says they have experience with EVMS, what does that mean? What kind of questions should I ask a scheduler that will help me see if they really understand how to schedule? What’s new in the power/oil/mining industries? I am always so thankful to have mentors to help me understand what they do! I really believe that you
can never know too many people, and you never know when you can help another person figure it out.”
Through her participation in AACE International, Shayna is developing a firm understanding of what skills are needed to be a successful project controls professional so that she can add value to her role as a Fluor Project Controls Recruiter. Shayna commented,
“The professionals in AACE International are all top-quality professionals who really understand their fields. I’ve learned what kind of questions to ask people in the various project
controls roles to determine where they are in their career. It’s helped me understand what Fluor projects need, and it’s helped me present the best opportunities to Fluor candidates.
The result is Fluor and the candidate find exactly what they’re looking for!”
Shayna is another example of what happens when opportunity and knowledge meet.
She believes that if we strive for excellence in all we do, people notice. One thing that she has learned through her experience in AACE International and Fluor is the importance of asking lots of questions.
“Learn as much as you can, “she says, “don’t just learn data entry; learn the process and the logic behind all you do. Get to know as many people as you can through AACE International and learn from them. It makes all the difference!” Shayna and I agree that AACE International is the perfect place for all of this to come together—there is no other project controls organization that offers the same type of ducational and networking opportunities or has the same caliber of people as found at AACE International.
Shayna can be reached at Shayna.Whiteside@fluor.com.
article by Valerie Venters CCC
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