Project Controls

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Project Controls

There are six variables involved in any project, and therefore six aspects of project performance to be managed.

Costs

The

project has to be affordable and, though we may start out with a particular budget

in mind, there will be many factors which can lead to overspending and,

perhaps, some opportunities to cut costs

Timescales

Allied

to this, and probably the next most-frequent question asked of a Project Manager,

is: ’When will it be finished?’

Quality

Finishing on time and within budget is not much

consolation if the result of the project doesn’t work. In PRINCE2 terms, the project’s products must be fit for purpose

Scope

Exactly

what will the project deliver? Without knowing it, the various parties involved

in a project can very often be talking at cross-purposes about this.

There

must be agreement on the project’s scope

and the Project Manager needs to have a detailed understanding of what is and

what is not within the scope. The Project Manager should take care not

to deliver beyond the scope as this is a common source of delays, overspends and

uncontrolled change (’scope creep’)

Risk

All

projects entail risks but exactly how much risk are we prepared to accept?

Benefits

Perhaps

most often overlooked is the question, ’Why are we doing this?’ It’s not enough

to build the house successfully on time, within budget and to quality

specifications if, in the end, we can’t sell or rent it at a profit or live in

it happily. The Project Manager has to have a clear understanding of the

purpose of the project as an investment and make sure that what the project

delivers is consistent with achieving the desired return.

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