Project Management and Project Controls
Project controls sizing – the scale and complexity of the project will influence the project roles

Project Management and Project Controls

Contract won; let's deliver!

The scale and complexity of a project or programme will influence the staffing of project management and project controls.

As shown above, the project manager may carry out and be responsible for project controls roles in small projects.

At the other end of the spectrum, there will be programmes of a magnitude that justify a team of multiple project managers and project controls, along with specialists such as planners, schedulers and risk managers.

Recommending and deciding

Its not obvious, but in simple terms, project controls gather relevant, current data and perform analysis to enable them to have accurate recommendations. Project managers reflect on these analysis and decide what needs to be done to deliver a project on time, to budget and quality.

The table below shows in detail how the project controls and project management functions complement each other and could deliver together.

Take a view of this table and ensure that all these disciplines are being recommended and decided for your project by the correct resources.

Project controls constitute a significant part of the planning and delivery of a project.

Project controls should be adopted as early in the life cycle as possible and applied through to closure – and beyond.

Project controls are the data, analytical, reporting and forecasting part of project management, while traditional project management emphasises the softer skills, such as stakeholder management and issue resolution.


The Association for Project Management (APM) includes recognition of the Project Control function. Look at the 'Senior managers guide to project controls' book which is making the case for investing in Project Controls.

https://www.apm.org.uk/v2/media/ug5di4lk/senior-managers-guide-to-project-controls.pdf


Raphael Düa

DBA,FAICD, FAPE, GPCF, FPMCOS, MACS(Snr), CP, IP3, Grad DISC Consultant – Senior Planner and Senior Master Scheduler and Lead Project Controls

1 年

In my country village venison has always been meat from deer. Perhaps your having a beef about poor understanding of Project Management

Pierre Vallee

Owner and COO at L&M GLOBAL SERVICES

1 年

Controls should be clearly defined and apply across the project in all functions and disciplines

Firstly, it’s a Venn diagram (autocorrect strikes again), secondly Project Controls should know how project operate and should be run by a Senior Project Manager. Projects are now to important to organisations to be run by people who not only don’t understand what they are seeing, but need to know what to do to align the project with its goals.

Jo Ellman-Brown

Project delivery professional. Experienced senior leader. Project Controls expert.

1 年

Well timed article Dale! We were debating this exact question at the Expo earlier this week… and particularly the challenge that the branding of joint functions under the single “project delivery” umbrella is leading to a lack of understanding / investment in the project controls specialities within client teams.

Dr. Daher Sayfeddine

Ph.D. (Robotics), D.Cert. CMI LEVEL 8, MEng.(Mechatronics & Int. Engineering), CMgr. FCMI, CEng MIET, PMP?, PRINCE2?, PMI-ACP?, PM LEVEL 6, PSM I?

1 年

Dale Shermon thanks for your article. Only good-at-heart people can share knowledge. I have one clarification: projects control:- establishing governance-/ isn’t it the role PMO?

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