Project Controls

Project Controls There are six variables involved in any project, and therefore six aspects of project performance to be managed.CostsThe 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 costsTimescalesAllied to this, and probably the next most-frequent question asked of a Project Manager, is: ’When will it be finished?’QualityFinishing 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 purposeScopeExactly 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’)RiskAll 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.