Project Monitoring and Control

Outlines of Discussion

Project Monitoring and Control – The phase & cycle

What is Project Monitoring & Control?

Project Monitoring - what, why, where, when, how? Benefits?Reporting, meeting & management aspect of Project Monitoring

Project Control - Parameters

Project Control: The Big Picture

CLOSEOUTEXECUTION

OPERATIONS DESIGN,PLANNING

FEASIBILITY

Actual Start of Project

Monitoring & Control

CLOSEOUT

5 Phases of Project Management

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Plan-Monitor-Control Cycle

• Closed loop• Planning-monitoring-controlling effort often

minimized to spend time on “the real work”

“And we’re going to keep having these meetings until we find out why nothing’s getting done…”

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Plan-Monitor-Control Cycle

PLAN

MONITOR

COMPARE

CONTROL/ ACTION

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Plan-Monitor-Control Cycle

PLANSpecificationsProject ScheduleProject budgetResource planVendor contracts

MONITORRecord statusReport progressReport cost

COMPAREActual status against plan-Schedule-Cost

CONTROL/

ACTION

Performance analysis/

Correct deviations from plan

RE-PLAN as necessary

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What is it ?

Project Monitoring and Control is not only

Monitoring – collecting, recording, and reporting information concerning project progress &

performance

Controlling – uses monitored information to align actual performance with the plan

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Contd..

Monitoring and controlling • involves regularly measuring progress

• to ensure that the project is meeting its objectives • and addressing current business needs within

timeframe, budgets as per the scope and quality of the projects.

• The project manager and other staff • monitor progress against plans • and take corrective action when necessary.

Monitoring & Control: As a Process

Correct Deviations

Monitoring1. Measurement2. Reporting

Detect deviations

Control1. Performance Analysis, Actions2. Revised Plans, Cash Flows, Schedules, etc.

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Project Monitoring……

Why do we monitor?

What do we monitor?

When to we monitor?

How do we monitor?

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Why do we monitor?

Simply because we know that things don’t always go according to plan (no

matter how much we prepare)

To detect and react appropriately to

deviations and changes to plans

What do we monitor?

Men (human resources)

Machines

Materials

Money

Scope

Time

Tasks

Quality/Technical Performance

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When do we monitor/Frequency?

Continuously

Regularly –Daily, Weekly, Monthly

Logically

While there is still time to react

As soon as possible

At task completion

At pre-planned decision points (milestones)

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Where do we monitor?

At head office?

At the site office?

On the spot?

…Depends on situation and the ‘what’…

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How do we monitor

Through meetings with clients, parties involved in project (Contractor, supplier, etc.)

For schedule – Update CPA, PERT Charts, Update Gantt Charts

Milestones

Tests and inspections

PMIS (Project Management Info Sys) Updating

Collection, Recording and Reporting

Benefit and level of Monitoring

A properly designed control system helps management at various levels to perform their factions effectively and efficiently

for achieving overall project objectives

Director/VPs

General Manager / Project Managers

Dept. G. /Senior Managers

Supervisors/Engineers

Strategic Control

Project Control

Process Control

Operational Control

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Reporting

Reports• Project Status Reports• Time/Cost Reports• Variance Reports• Impact of Electronic Media

Cautions• Not all stakeholders need to receive same information• Avoid periodic reports• Work with the organization’s information system

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Performance Reporting

keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives.

• Status reports • describe where the project stands at a specific point in

time.• Progress reports • describe what the project team has accomplished during

a certain period.• Forecasts • predict future project status and progress • based on past information and trends.

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Meetings

Purpose of Meetings

• Leadership

• Team building

• Group decision making • To solve the project related problems for timely

completion of the project without cost overrun

• Avoid routine weekly progress report meetings

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Meeting Guidelines

Distribute written

agenda in advance of meeting

Ensure everyone is

properly prepared

for meeting

Chair of meeting should

take minutes

avoid attributing remarks to individuals

in the minutes

Avoid excessive formality

If meeting is held to address

specific crisis, restrict meeting

to this issue alone

Management issues of monitoring..

What problems do you have and what is being done to correct them?

What problems do you anticipate in the future?Do you need any resources you do not yet have?Do you need information you do not have yet?Do you know anything that will give you schedule

difficulties?Any possibility your task will finish early/late?Will your task be completed under/over/on

budget?

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..No Surprises..•so the project manager or

concerned team must be clear and honest in communicating project status.•By no means should project

managers create the illusion that the project is going fine •when, in fact, serious problems

have emerged.•Need to alert top management

when conflicts arise

Top management

hates surprises,

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Managing Stakeholders

•how they will identify and resolve issues with stakeholders.

Project managers must address

•is a matter under question or dispute •th

at could impede project success.

An issue

•is a tool used to document and monitor the resolution of project issues.

An issue log

•so that the project can proceed as planned.

It’s important to resolve issues as soon

as possible

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Project Control - Parameters

•Time (schedule)

•Cost (budget, expenses, etc)

•Performance (specifications, testing results, etc.)

Control the triple

constraints

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PM Control - Activities

Process Reviews

Personnel Assignments

Resource Allocations

Like a closed loop control system

Project Control: The Big Picture …

Given

Project is Off-track

Project Control: The Big Picture …

Given

Project is Off-track

Monitoring indicates that:

- Project is behind time-schedule, and/or

- Project has exceeded budget, and/or

- Quality of materials or finished work is below standard, and/or

- Productivity is lower than as planned, etc.

Project Control: The Big Picture …

Given

Resources for PC (the 4-M’s)

Project is Off-track

Project Control: The Big Picture …

Given

Project is Off-track

Resources available to the Project Manager for Project Control:

- Money- Manpower (labor)- Materials- Machinery (Equipment)

Resources for PC (the 4-M’s)

Project Control: The Big Picture …

Given

Mechanism and Elements of PC

Resources for PC (the 4-M’s)

Adjust the resources

Adjust the project characteristics: size, scope, etc

Project is Off-track

Project Control: The Big Picture …

Given

Mechanism and Elements of PC

Resources for PC (the 4-M’s)

Adjust the resources

Adjust the project characteristics: size, scope, etc

Project is Off-track

More labor? Better labor?Better supervision?More materials? Better materials?More equipment? Better equipment?More money? Reduce project size? Reduce project scope?

Terminate project?

resources

project

Project Control: The Big Picture …

Given

Mechanism and Elements of PC

output

Resources for PC (the 4-M’s)

Project is Off-track Adjust the

resources

Adjust the project characteristics: size, scope, etc

Project brought back on-track

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Tools for Control

• Variance Analysis

• Trend Projections

• Earned Value Analysis

• Critical Ratio

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Summary• Plan-Monitoring-Control a closed loop continuous process

• Monitoring and controlling involves regularly measuring progress to ensure that the project is meeting its objectives and addressing current business needs.

• Monitoring and controlling outputs related to communications management include performance reports, forecasts, and resolved issues.

• Management issues of project Monitoring involves analytical and fair approach to monitoring, managing stakeholders than the mere reporting.

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Summary• Resources for Project Control(PC) are 4 Ms and mechanism of

PC is the adjustment of resources

• Main parameters for controlling are time, cost, and quality. Monitoring and controlling outputs related to time, cost, and quality management include schedule control, cost control, and quality control. Unique outputs include performance measurements, forecasted completion, and quality-control measurements.

• Tools for Control are Variance Analysis, Trend Projections, Earned Value Analysis and Critical Ratio