With decades of experience and a passion for front end planning, Valerie Weaver guides teams through capital project assurance with clarity and thoughtful leadership.
As part of Valency’s Facilitator Spotlight series, we’re showcasing the experiences of our Senior Consultants—leaders who guide teams through the complexities of capital project delivery with clarity, empathy, and expertise. This edition features Valerie Weaver, whose thoughtful leadership and structured approach have helped organizations gain clarity and the confidence to move projects forward with purpose.
Introduction
When Valerie Weaver stepped into her first major capital project assurance role, she didn’t pretend to know everything. She prepared. She took courses. She asked questions. And she carried forward decades of experience in engineering and execution.
“I’m the kind of person who likes to learn how to do it well before I actually try to do it,” she says
After 38 years in oil and gas, much of it in refining, Valerie had lived through the pressures of capital projects from the inside. But in this chapter of her career, she pivoted toward
“I attended several classes on best practices,” she explains. “That training gave me the confidence to move into assurance and facilitation roles. It’s not just about knowing your stuff—it’s about feeling ready to lead others through it.”
She was also presented with the opportunity to work with some extremely knowledgeable project leaders who took the time to coach and mentor her. “That really put my learning on the fast track,” she says.
For those considering a similar shift into a facilitation or project readiness role, training courses like VAL-102 with PDRI Certification offer that same structured foundation—equipping professionals to lead with both competence and confidence.
Making Assessments Matter
In her work with Valency today, Valerie facilitates PDRI assessments, actively using Valency’s cloud-based project assurance platform, Carve, with a focus on informed decision making and project readiness. Carve helps organizations rapidly adopt project assurance best practices aligned with the Construction Industry Institute (CII).
But for Valerie, it’s not just about using the tool. It’s about making the insights meaningful. She’s less interested in the score itself and more focused on whether the team truly understands what that score represents.
“PDRI isn’t just a checklist. It’s a planning activity.”
Valerie frames her recommendations in the context of each client’s work process. She listens carefully, speaks their language, and uses Carve to pinpoint where benchmarking data can guide attention and decision-making.
Still, she sees it often. Teams celebrate a “green” score while leaving important action items unresolved.
“I always encourage teams not to focus so much on the number,” she says. “The value is in the roadmap—the actions that ensure they’re truly ready for what comes next.”
The Dynamics in the Room
Some of the most powerful insights from a PDRI assessment don’t come from the report. They come from the people in the room. But that requires space, neutrality, and sometimes, a little bit of courage.
Valerie notes that dominant voices, particularly project managers, can unintentionally overshadow others.
“It’s human nature. You want to show your project is on track. But that can make others hold back.”
That’s where she turns to Carve’s polling tools. Anonymous input allows everyone a chance to speak honestly. It’s often in those moments when outlier scores emerge, and the meaningful conversations begin.
“Sometimes the entire conversation shifts when you launch a poll,” she says. “People feel safer stepping forward.”
But not all challenges are cloaked in silence. Sometimes the team identifies a problem and begins exploring solutions right there in the session.
“For example, engineers want to solve things on the spot,” she says with a smile. “But facilitation is about timing. You have to guide the energy without losing it.”
When a conversation starts to drift too far into the weeds, Valerie works with her co-facilitator to capture it as an action item. This gives the team the opportunity to revisit it later with the appropriate stakeholders—without derailing the session.
“PDRIs can be long,” she adds. “You want to keep momentum without losing those valuable points of discussion.”
Strengthening Stage Gate Process: A Culture of Discipline
For organizations looking to mature their stage gate process, Valerie’s message is clear: start with structure, then teach it well.
“You need a well-documented work process. And then you need to train everyone! Not just the project team, but the leadership, too.”
True alignment happens when people across the organization share a common understanding. For Valerie, that’s what makes discipline stick—when everyone, at every level, knows the process and pulls in the same direction.
A Career That Keeps Evolving
After decades in oil and gas, Valerie could have stepped back completely. Instead, she stepped into a new kind of role with Valency; one that values both her expertise and her curiosity.
Today, she supports projects across a range of industries, from aerospace to advanced manufacturing. Every new engagement brings something different, and that’s exactly what keeps the work rewarding. Before each assessment, she immerses herself in project documents, meets with the team, and asks thoughtful questions, especially when navigating unfamiliar projects.
“Every project is unique,” she says. “The value starts when the client walks me through their world.”
But what Valerie values just as much as the work is the freedom to choose it. Valency gives her the space to take on projects where she can have the most impact without sacrificing the flexibility she’s earned.
“It’s a career after a career,” she says. “I still get to contribute. I still grow. And I get to do it on my terms.”
Final Thoughts
Valerie Weaver’s facilitation style isn’t loud. It isn’t flashy. But it’s powerful, rooted in preparation, empathy, and the belief that clarity creates confidence.
She doesn’t just guide teams through assessments. She helps them see their work in a new light. With structure. With discipline. And with space for every voice in the room to be heard.
“You don’t have to shout to lead,” she reflects. “Sometimes the best leadership happens when you simply create a space where others feel safe to speak.”
For professionals inspired by Valerie’s path, training like VAL-102 offers a strong starting point for building the skills to lead with confidence and support project readiness, especially to facilitate impactful PDRI discussions.