The role of project control systems in facilitating and measuring project success.

Week 1 Welcome: Project Progress / Control

 

Specific Learning Topics:

· Review of the project life cycle

· Understand the importance of project monitoring & control

What’s due:

· Read the below concept overviews

· Complete the discussion

· Read article from PMI.org – The role of project control systems in facilitating and measuring project success.

· Complete the week discussion (main post)

 

Project Life Cycle:

A project is broken into multiple phases as it progresses from the start to the end. Initiation or Conceptualization is where we develop the initial goal and specifications for the project, including the resources and stakeholders. Planning is where we go into detailed specifications, schedules, and plans are created. Execution is where the actual “work” is performed, the system is developed, or product is created. Closure or Termination is when the end result is transferred to the customer, resources reassigned, and the project is closed out. Review the below image as a reminder of the life cycle.

Notice the above graphic reminds us that a fourth components of all projects lives across all phases: Monitoring & Control. During this continuous process we continue checking that the project team is delivering on the set objectives and within the triple constraints; as noted in the next graphic. The triple constraints tells us that each component of the project (A. scope or identified work to be completed; B. time; and C. cost) must work in balance with the other two, or the triangle will break. For example, I cannot add scope (expand that triangle line) without either adding more costs (or resources) or time to the project. If I try and add scope without impacting costs/time, then my triangle will break. A broken triangle will mean that the quality of the project is being sacrificed.

Project Control:

Monitoring and controlling a project involves tracking, reviewing, and regulating progress to ensure that it is aligning to the objectives of the plan. This includes comparing actual project performance against planned, assessing to make sure the project is headed in the right direction, evaluating if risks could cause the project to become unsuccessful, updating plans, and communicating reports to applicable stakeholders. You can think of project control essentially is a repetition of four steps that a project manager continually monitors throughout the project.

1. Set a goal (scope, budget, time line, etc)

2. Measure progress (continue review to see how we are progressing)

3. Compare actual with planned

4. Take action and start the process again (it is continuous until the project closes)