How to manage production in a project
13-January-2025
How to deal with project problems
13-January-2025
20 – MONITORING AND CONTROL
The central tenet of project management is that the project must always be under control. How to monitor and control project progress is therefore a big question.
The project manager (and to some extent the sponsor) certainly needs to have the data, processes and systems to continually monitor the condition of the project. Accurate, honest reporting is therefore essential.
The JCB Dieselmax project had a tight budget and a pressing deadline. Strict monitoring and control was a major factor in its ultimate success.
Keeping the project in control
20.1 – Keeping control
Learn what being in control really means and why it is so important. Understand what needs to be monitored to stay in control and what can get in the way of doing this.
The Miniatur Wunderland model railway and airport exhibition is in Hamburg, Germany. The video titles show its control room. The construction of this intricate mini-world has involved many projects as challenging as some of their life-size counterparts.
You will learn:
- Why the project must always be in control.
- What the project being in control means.
- What are the facets of a controllable project.
- What gets in the way of project control.
- Why the project manager needs to have a broad view of what is going on.
- How to keep a project under control.
Keeping a close eye on progress
20.2 – Monitoring the situation
Learn what needs to be monitored as the project progresses. Know what data needs to be collected and problems that can occur in doing so. Understand how to handle bad news with stakeholders.
You will learn:
- What does project monitoring mean.
- Why project monitoring is necessary.
- How to manage the progress of a project.
- What should be monitored in a project.
- What is a balanced scorecard in a project.
- What are the special things to focus on when monitoring a project.
- What are common problems with project data.
- How to handle bad news in a project.
- How to use tolerances when monitoring a project.
- What is the work cycle in a project.
A tool to predict how the project will end
20.3 – Earned value management
Find out how the earned value management technique can be used to assess the state of a project. Recognize the advantages and drawbacks of EVM and why accurate, up to date data is so important.
You will learn:
- What is the S curve in monitoring a project.
- What are problems with the S curve.
- What is earned value management.
- How earned value management works.
- How to use earning value management in a project.
- How to interpret the results of earned value management analysis.
- How earned value management deals with work in progress.
- How to use earned value management to predict the final time, duration and cost of a project.
Reporting on the project
20.4 – Reporting status and progress
Project reports are used to advise stakeholders on the status of the project, but also sustain confidence in the team doing it. Learn about the different types of project report, and why different types of report are necessary for different audiences.
You will learn:
- Why project reporting is important.
- What are the problems with getting good data for project reporting.
- What job project reporting does.
- How to provide good project reports.
- How to write a good project progress report.
- Who are the audiences for project reports.
- What are traffic light indicators for project reports.
- What is the cumulative variance chart for a project.
- What is the burn rate chart for a project.
- How can Gantt charts show progress on a project.
- What is a project dashboard.
- What is a good project report template.
- How to share project report information with the right people.