ESTABLISH THE CONTROL SYSTEM

When the first two steps are executed properly, there is a well-defined project that can be controlled. The simplest control system that sup­ports completion of the project on time and within budget is usually the best one because of the ease of understanding and time required. Some organizations attempt to control projects to budget rather than schedule. These attempts are typically unsuccessful because

• the control system becomes complex
• the time devoted to assigning effort to budget categories or accounts is not built into the plan
• many of the costs associated with a project are period costs that vary with time rather than effort.

If the project is controlled to schedule and the planned level of re­sources are employed, on-time delivery will ensure meeting the over­all budget. The allocation of costs to specific budget categories or ac­counts can be done separately from the control system.

The project control system defines the guidelines for

• reporting activity status and problems
• measuring progress
• maintaining the project plan
• reporting project status.

The reporting of activity status and problems must occur at least weekly. A project of less than 90 days' duration may require more fre­quent reporting. The purpose of frequent reporting is to identify devia­tions from the plan before they become problems. The basic facts that should be reported are the activities that were scheduled to complete and those that were completed. Do not bother trying to estimate the percentage of an activity that has been completed. Too many people think that they are 20 to 30 percent done with any task soon after they start it and then take 50 percent of the planned time to completed the last 10 to 20 percent of the work.

Activities on or near the critical path require additional reporting because they are the very important few. Planned and actual starts as well as completions should be reported for these activities. A recovery plan should be presented for any of these activities that have actual or projected schedule slippage. Finally, any problems or issues that will impact meeting the schedule should be documented.
The project manager must take the activity status and problem re­porting and measure progress to the plan. This includes updating the project plan and resolving any missing or inconsistent reporting. The project manager must also attempt to resolve any problems that were identified within the project team. These activities should not be un­derestimated. They are time consuming and time critical. The project plan cannot be maintained and status reports cannot be prepared until they are completed.

Maintaining the plan is also a time-consuming and time-critical ac­tivity. It must be done before the status reports are prepared and pre­sented. The future activities and relationships between activities should be continually refined to reflect a better understanding of the work to be done and the passage of time.

The activity reschedules and refined activity and relationship definitions must be reflected in the project plan and in the network. Any negative slack must be resolved or the problem must be raised in the status report. The project plan that is plotted in color on a 36" x 17' Mylar sheet and never touched is im­pressive, but it won't help deliver the results on time and within bud­get. The maintenance of a large project network may justify the invest­ment in a large color plotter—cutting and taping dozens of 8-1/2" x 11" sheets of the project network that were printed on a laser printer is very time consuming and error prone.

The next component of the control system is status reporting. There are typically three different levels of reporting. The most detailed and time-critical reporting is to the project team. This report must be dis­tributed within 24 hours of receipt of the activity and problem reports. It should identify key successes and problems that must be addressed. An e-mail note is typically appropriate for this level of reporting.

The next level of status reporting is to the project champion or the steering committee. This should be a formal written report and presen­tation delivered on a regular schedule. Weekly reporting is recom­mended, but some project managers have been successful reporting every other week. The written report must be distributed in advance of the presentation. There must be a set agenda and time limit for the presentation. Figure 3 presents a representative status meeting agenda. Keep the meeting crisp and address only the top­ics that are appropriate for the audience, but be prepared for very detailed questions that are raised by the written report. This level of reporting typically includes a summary of activity starts and completions to plan, projection of completions for the next two reporting periods, recovery plans, and any issues requir­ing management attention.

The highest level of reporting is to the community of individuals and organizations that will be impacted by the project outcome. A written monthly report is typically adequate at this level. Make sure that it reports status and prospects in business terms rather than internal project terms and acronyms. Include the short description of capabilities that will be delivered in the next 30 to 90 days and the training plan for each.

To Be Continued

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