Unit 4

Framework for management and control

Once the project is started, attention should be in on progress, which involves
monitoring of what is happening, comparing actual achievement against schedule
and revising plans and schedules.
To achieve this, a framework is needed to monitor the progress for that, a cycle is
needed to monitor the progress regularly.
Creating the framework
Once the initial project for a plan has been established, project control is a
continual process of monitaring progress against the plan.
If any deviation occurs, the plan will be revised and after the project is completed,
using the past experience, futuer steps can be planned
A project manager makes the initial project plan and kicks off the project. Project
manager collects data regarding the progress of the project from various sources
and various forms.
Reporting maybe done in various ways
. written
. Formal and informal
. Regular or ad-hoc
the following diagram shows a model of the project control cycle and shows how,
once the initial project plan has been published, project control is a continual
process of monitoring progress against the plant and, where necessary, revising the
plant to take account of deviation.
Figure 9.1
Responsibility
The overall responsibility for ensuring satisfactory progress on a project is often
the role of the project steering committee, project management board, or project
board.
Day to day responsibility will rest with the project manager and, in all but the
smallest of projects, aspect of this can be delegated to team leaders.
The following shows thae typical reporting structure found with medium and large
projects.
Figure 9.2
Assessing progress
some information used to assess project progress will be collected rountenly,
while other information will be Triggerred by specific events.
Setting check points:
It is essential to set a series of check points in the initial activity plan. Checkpoints
maybe:
. Regular (monthly, for example)
. Tied to specific events such as production of a report or other deliverable.
Taking snapshot:
Project level progress reviews will take place at certain points during the life of
project. These point are called " review points" or " control points".
Collection of data
,during the project development, data is collected for 2 reasons.
1. To expect the completion of project date.
2. To expect risks and take correction activities.
- there are two types of activities normally involved
1. partial completion reporting
2. RAG reporting
1. Partial completion reporting
- in this type, the staff time booked to a project indicates the work carried out and charges to
the product.
- jobs will be broken down to activity level and also the work done in addition to the time spent.
- the following diagram shows and example of a report form with many factors.
fig Time Sheet
2. Red/ Amber/ green (RAG) reporting
- in this type, the estimated completion dates is avoided. Instead of giving the
estimated completion dates, the team members are asked about the meeting of
planned target dates.
- one way of doing this is the traffic-light method.
This consist of the following:
. Identify the key(first level) element for assessment in a peace of work.
. Break these key elements into constituent elements(second level).
. Assess each of the second level elements on the scale green for " on target",
Amber for " not on target but recoverable and red for " not on target and recoverble
only with difficulty".
. Review all the second level assessments to arrive at first level assessments.
Review 1st and 2nd level assessment to produce and over all assessment.
The following diagram shows Justin's completed assessment at the end of week 16.
fig.

visualizing progress

- once data about project progress is collected, the collected data should be
presented by the project manager. the progress is views in 2 ways

. static ->this method provides a static picture of the progress

. Dynamic -> this method shows how the project has evolved over time.
The Gantt Chart
- This is the simplest and oldest method used for project tracking.
- Progress is indicated by on activity bar chart which indicates scheduled
activity with data and time (duration). Activity floats are also given.
- Reported progress is recorded by shading activity bars. “Tody cursor”
provides the indication about the progress completed (or) behind schedule
details.
The slip chart
- It is an alternative to Grantt chart.
- The slip chart gives a detailed visual indication of the activities that are not
progressing as per schedule.
- In the slip chart, the project manager will get an idea, whether the program
of project is improving reqularly.
- Rescheduling of activities should be done, if the slip line looks jagged form.
- The slip gives relative position of each acitivity.
The Timeline:
The timeline chart is a method of recording and displaying the way in which targets changed
throughout the project durtion.
- The charts such as Gantt chrt and Slip chart will not show the project slippage of entire
project life cycle.
- There are 5 phases involved in timeline chart:
i) Be Analyse existing system
ii) Obtaining user requirements
iii) Planning office logout
iv) Drafting tender
v) Issuing Tender
In the timeline chart, each activity is scheduled to be completed in a specific timeline.
- For example, cosnider this sequence
 Anlyse existing system ie the first phase is scheduled to be completed by Tuesday of
3rd week.
 The second phase ie obtaining user requirements is scheduled to be completed by
Thursday of week 5.
 The final activity ie issue tender is scheduled to be completed by Tuesday of week 9
and so on.
 At the end of all weeks, we can decide about the scheduled completion a project.
  Thus timeline chart is useful during the execution of a project.

Cost Monitoring
- This is also called ad “Expenditure monitoring”
- - it gives an indication about the amount of effort which is required to develop a project.
- One of the charts used for this pupose is “Cumulative expentiture chart”.
- This provides a simple method of comparing the planned and actual expenditure.
- The fighure below shows the expenditure chart
- This chart shows the deviation between planned cost and the actual cost.
- The current status of the project should also be considered before monitoring the
expenditure.
- Project costs augmented by project monitoring can be used to generate forecast of future
costs.
- The following diagram show the additional information available once the revised cost
schedule is included – in this case it is apparent that the project is behind schedule nd
over budget.
Prioritizing Monitoring
Here list prorities we must apply in deciding levels of monitoring

 Critical path activities Any delay in an activity on the critical path will cause a delay in the
completion date for the project. Critical path activities are therefore likely to have a very high
priority for close monitoring.
 Activities with no free float A delay in any activity with no float will delay atleast some
subsequent activities eventhough, if the delay is less than the float, no delay the project
completion date.These subsequent delays can have serious effects on our resource
schedule(resources unavailable before that activity is completed).
 Activity with less than a specified float If any activity has very little float it might use up this float
before the reqular activity monitoring brings the problem to the project manager’s attention. It is
to monitor closely.
 Hight risk activities A set of high risk activities should have been indentified as part of the initial
risk profilling exercise. We will designate as high risk those activities that have duration variance.
These activities will be give close attention.
 Activities using critical resources Activites can be critical because they are expensive( as contact
programmers). Staff or other resources avail only for liited period. In any event, an acitivity that
demands a critical resource requires high level monitoring.