The Major Project Podcast

What does it take to keep billion-dollar projects running on the latest version? 
Document Control expert Leanne Allgaier joins Orion Matthews to unpack how great document management saves time, money, and even lives across the world’s largest industrial projects.
In this episode of The Major Project Podcast, Orion Matthews sits down with Leanne Allgaier—a veteran document control leader who’s managed major assets from gas fields to refineries for companies like BP and Phillips 66.
They explore why Document Control—the discipline ensuring every engineer, contractor, and regulator has the right information at the right time—is one of the most underrated functions in billion-dollar project delivery.
Leanne breaks down:
Why document control is not clerical work, but a technical, process-driven function critical to cost, schedule, quality, and safety.
How to structure doc control under Project Services, define lifecycles, and establish version control that prevents costly errors.
The dangers of “ready, fire, aim” project starts where doc control is added too late—and how early planning avoids rework and risk.
How to scale document teams across project phases and transition to operations.
Practical leadership lessons: earning compliance, handling pressure, and using humor and empathy to build trust.
The role of checklists, procedures, and “one source of truth” in maintaining integrity under deadline pressure.
How AI tools like OpenText and M-Files are already transforming search, reporting, and document insight—accelerating, not replacing, skilled document controllers.
From managing pipelines and refineries to mentoring the next generation of document controllers, Leanne shows how a discipline often overlooked at kickoff becomes the backbone of safe, efficient, and compliant mega-projects.
🎧 You’ll Learn
Why document control belongs in project pre-planning—not after execution starts.
The real ROI of good doc control (cost, schedule, quality, and risk).
How to build scalable document control teams and choose the right tools.
Leadership strategies for compliance, clarity, and collaboration.
How AI and automation are reshaping the future of document management.

In this episode of The Major Project Podcast, host Orion Matthews sits down with James Wiseman, Major Project Capital Manager in the Energy Industry with 25 years of experience spanning Chevron, Tesla, Santos, and Alyeska Pipeline. Together, they explore the intersection of people and energy — how to deliver on the world’s exploding demand for power through smarter project execution, modern leadership, and new technologies.
James shares lessons from executing billion-dollar energy projects around the globe, from deepwater oil fields to Tesla’s lithium refinery. They discuss how traditional stage-gate project models are giving way to faster, more adaptive methods, how renewables like solar, geothermal, and battery storage are reshaping the industry, and why people — not processes — remain the ultimate key to success.
🎧 You’ll learn:
How billion-dollar projects scale under today’s global energy crunch
Why project execution models must evolve beyond the stage-gate approach
The rise of lithium, geothermal, and long-duration energy storage
How AI, modular construction, and manufacturing-style efficiency will define the next decade
What leaders can do to inspire teams and shape project culture
Career advice for the next generation entering the energy transition
🌍 Guest: James Wiseman — Major Projects Leader (Chevron, Tesla, Alyeska Pipeline)
🔗 Connect: LinkedIn – James Wiseman
Learn more at themajorprojectpodcast.com

What does it take to grow 7.5 million trees across a capital city? 🌳Jovita Stander takes us inside Green Riyadh, a Multi-Billion-dollar mega project that is set to transform the capital city of Saudi Arabia into a green oasis.
In this episode of The Major Project Podcast, Orion sits down with Jovita Stander—a project controls director now with Knight Frank and formerly on Green Riyadh, one of the world’s most ambitious urban-afforestation efforts under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Beyond planting trees, the program aims to improve public health and livability (from increased exercise to longer life expectancy) and expand women’s participation in the workforce.
Jovita explains how the team coordinates canopy, parks, and stormwater scopes across a city that’s rapidly growing—and why it’s a program, not a single project. She details how treated-sewage-effluent irrigation is delivered through a ~1,300 km network, and how Primavera P6 and ArcGIS are linked with common location codes so progress, costs, and scope all reconcile at street, mosque, and neighborhood levels.
They also cover the KPI outcomes that matter: lowering ambient temperatures by 1–2°C, cutting CO₂ by 3–6%, adding close-to-home green spaces (≤ 300 m away), and using native species (≈ 72 types) that thrive with minimal water. Leadership takeaways abound—from setting one source of truth and common cut-off dates to presenting with clarity and candor in high-stakes rooms.
🎧 You’ll learn
How Vision 2030 frames Green Riyadh’s health, livability, and inclusion goals.
Why Green Riyadh operates as a city-wide program (roads, neighborhoods, “smart” parks) instead of a single project.
How P6 ↔ ArcGIS coding keeps scope, cost, and progress aligned.
The role of treated-sewage-effluent and a ~1,300 km network in irrigating green assets.
KPI targets: temperature, air quality, stormwater capture, and proximity to parks.

When a billion-dollar facility shuts down, every minute counts. 🚧 Orion Matthews and Grant Stead explore the art of turnarounds—how to rebuild critical systems, manage thousands of people, and use AI to keep the world’s biggest assets online.
 
In this episode of The Major Project Podcast, host Orion Matthews sits down with Grant Stead, founder of Stead Global, to explore what happens after the build — when billion-dollar assets go offline for critical maintenance. Known as turnarounds, these high-intensity shutdowns are among the most complex operations in heavy industry, where every hour offline means millions lost.
Grant unpacks what it takes to plan and execute these massive events: managing thousands of workers, maintaining safety and culture at scale, and rebuilding critical systems under relentless schedule pressure. The conversation then shifts to how AI and data are reshaping document control and field execution across major projects.
🎧 You’ll learn:
Why turnarounds are the most dangerous and decisive phase in a billion-dollar project’s life cycle
How culture and cadence drive both safety and performance
The hidden costs of poor resource planning — and how to avoid them
How AI-driven document management tools like Doc Ultra and Stoic are redefining project execution
📍 Guest: Grant Stead — Founder & CEO, Stead Global
🌐 steadglobal.com | LinkedIn: Grant Stead
Learn more about the world of high-stakes, billion-dollar projects at majorprojectpodcast.com