The following will be discussed in this chapter: The plan-monitor-control cycle, data collection and reporting, earned value, project control, designing the control system, scope creep and change control. | Chapter 7 Monitoring and Controlling the Project Monitoring and Control Monitoring is the collection, recording, and reporting of project information Control uses the monitored data to bring actual performance into agreement with the plan Monitoring and control are the opposite sides of project selection and planning Project selection dictates what to monitor Project planning identifies the elements to be controlled Plan-Monitor-Control Cycle The plan–monitor-control cycle constitutes a “closed loop” process Continues until the project is completed With complex projects, there is a temptation to minimize the planning–monitoring–controlling effort so that “real work” can be done It is these projects that need the planning–monitoring–controlling process the most Project Authorization and Expenditure Control System Information Flow Figure 7-1 Designing the Monitoring System Identify special characteristics of scope, cost, and time that need to be controlled Specific performance . | Chapter 7 Monitoring and Controlling the Project Monitoring and Control Monitoring is the collection, recording, and reporting of project information Control uses the monitored data to bring actual performance into agreement with the plan Monitoring and control are the opposite sides of project selection and planning Project selection dictates what to monitor Project planning identifies the elements to be controlled Plan-Monitor-Control Cycle The plan–monitor-control cycle constitutes a “closed loop” process Continues until the project is completed With complex projects, there is a temptation to minimize the planning–monitoring–controlling effort so that “real work” can be done It is these projects that need the planning–monitoring–controlling process the most Project Authorization and Expenditure Control System Information Flow Figure 7-1 Designing the Monitoring System Identify special characteristics of scope, cost, and time that need to be controlled Specific performance characteristics should be set for each level of detail in the project Real-time data must be identified to measure achievement against the plan It is important to avoid the tendency to focus on easily collected data Data Collection and Reporting Once data to monitor has been decided, mechanisms to collect this data must be designed Analysis is used to transform data into information A number of questions come up: Should we use special forms? Should data be collected before/after milestones? Should time and cost data be collected at the same time? Data Analysis Data analysis techniques Simple aggregation Averaging, for example Fitting statistical distribution functions to the data Curve fitting Significant differences from the plan should be flagged Reporting and Report Types Routine performance reports Project status reports Time/Cost reports Variance reports Avoid periodic or routine reports Not all stakeholders need to receive same information Electronic media makes it possible to customize
