PCL-AI
PCI AI Project Controls Leader
The integrated project-controls credential: planning, cost engineering, earned value, forecasting, risk and project finance with the governed use of AI.
Forecasting
Project controls · Cost · Finance · AI
The credential for
The credential for
the people who
control projects.
PCL-AI is one rigorous standard uniting planning, scheduling, cost, earned value, forecasting and project finance — with responsible AI built into every part. Open to anyone with three years’ experience, in any field.
Developed with reference to ISO/IEC 17024 principles
Founding stage, stated plainly. We publish exactly what is established and what is still in development — no invented numbers, no borrowed logos.
See our founding status →AI proposes. The professional disposes.
The governing principle of the PCI standard for AI in project controls.
Why PCL-AI
One credential. The whole discipline.
Most certifications cover a slice — scheduling, or cost, or estimating. Real projects don’t work in slices. PCL-AI certifies the integrated discipline the way it is actually practised, with AI treated as part of the work, not a bolt-on.
01
Integrated, not siloed
Planning, scheduling, cost, earned value, forecasting and project finance in one standard — connected the way delivery really works.
02
AI built in, accountability kept
Responsible AI runs through every knowledge area. AI proposes; the professional disposes.
03
Open by design
Three years’ experience in any field — no degree barrier, fully online, assessed purely on capability.
Who it’s for
Planning engineersCost controllersSchedulersProject controls managersPMO professionalsQuantity surveyorsProject finance professionalsAnyone moving into project controls
What you'll master
One discipline, taught in full.
Project management taught extensively, every area of project controls, commercial and project finance at a working level — with a dedicated AI knowledge area in every section.
Planning & control
Plan, schedule & control
WBS, critical path, earned value, forecasting and risk — across Agile, Waterfall and hybrid delivery.
See the curriculum Cost & financeCost, cash flow & finance
Budgeting, cash flow, project-finance structures, SPVs and guarantees — reported under IFRS & IAS.
Explore the finance track Artificial intelligenceAI, embedded & governed
ML forecasting, anomaly detection and generative reporting — validated, explainable and owned by a human.
Read the AI standardOur certifications
Every credential the Institute offers, kept current automatically. Choose the certification that matches your role and enrol online.
PFL-AI
PCI AI Project Finance Leader
Project finance, financial modelling, capital structure, bankability, coverage ratios (DSCR/LLCR/PLCR), PPP and concession structures, financial close and AI-enabled analysis.
PML-AI
PCI Project Management Leader – AI
Comprehensive project management, leadership and delivery credential covering governance, planning, execution, agile/hybrid delivery and AI-enabled project management.
Built for every project
One standard, any industry.
The same competence holds from a two-week software sprint to a multi-billion EPC programme, an energy megaproject or a national infrastructure scheme.
Be among the first to set the standard.
Enrolment for the inaugural cohort is open. Help define how the world plans, costs and finances modern projects — and earn the credential that proves it.
The standard · Artificial intelligence
AI is now part of the discipline. We certify it.
"AI proposes. The professional disposes."
The PCL-AI assesses the applied, governed use of AI across forecasting, risk and reporting — not generic literacy. Every output a certified professional relies on must be explainable, validated, and owned by a competent human who can defend it to an auditor.
How it works
From enrolment to credential.
3
Sit the exam
Proctored, online or at a test centre.
4
Get certified
Earn a verifiable badge and certificate.
5
Recertify
Maintain it through a three-year CPD cycle.
Membership
Join the profession, not just an exam.
Membership keeps your credential current and connects you to a worldwide community of project controls and project finance professionals.
- Recertification and continuing-development tracking
- A verifiable digital credential designed for recognition by employers
- Body-of-knowledge updates and AI practice guidance
- Member rates on examinations and events
Insights
From the Institute.
Standards
From IAS 11 to IFRS 15: what changed for project revenue
Read the articleMethod
Reading an S-curve: the four signals that matter most
Read the articleCommon questions
What is the Project Controls Institute?
PCI is a professional certification institute focused on project controls in the AI era. It sets a standard for the discipline, certifies professionals through the PCI certifications, and is building a global community — with the governed use of AI at its core.
What are the PCI certifications?
It certifies demonstrated competence across the integrated controls discipline — planning, cost, forecasting, risk and more — with AI governance assessed as a competency in its own right, through an independent, scenario-based assessment.
Is PCI accredited?
PCI is building toward formal accreditation rather than claiming it. The credential and its processes are designed around the ISO/IEC 17024 framework. We state our status plainly and do not imply recognition we do not yet hold — that honesty is part of how a credible certification body earns trust.
How is AI involved?
AI runs through everything PCI certifies, under the principle AI proposes, the professional disposes — a competent human validates, explains and owns every AI-assisted output. The credential proves you can govern AI, not just use it.
Who is it for?
Project-controls professionals — planners, schedulers, cost engineers, risk and controls managers — and the employers, universities and chapters that support them.
Find your route
Start where you are
Different readers arrive at this site with different questions. These are the shortest routes to an answer.
Practitioners
Read the candidate journey first. It sets out every step from eligibility check to recertification, so you know exactly what you are committing to — including your time — before you apply.
Comparing credentials
If you hold, or are weighing, another certification, the comparison guide explains how the PCI certifications' integrated scope differs from broader project-management and specialist cost-engineering credentials. PCI does not claim equivalence with any other body.
Employers
The Organisations section covers corporate programmes, employer recognition and workforce development — how to build one consistent controls standard across a team rather than a patchwork of tool training.