Project control is a central element within project management methods and encompasses the planning, monitoring, and controlling of projects. Its aim is to ensure project success while achieving or even surpassing the project goals in terms of time, cost, and quality. Project control is an essential part of management to ensure efficient and effective implementation of projects.
Objectives of Project Control:
The main objectives of project control are:
- Ensuring project success by achieving project goals.
- Efficient and effective implementation of the project.
- Minimization of risks and challenges during the project.
- Ensuring compliance with time, cost, and quality requirements.
- Optimization of resource usage and maximization of project benefits.
Elements of Project Control:
Project control consists of various elements that are closely linked and contribute together to ensuring project success. These include:
- Project Planning: Project planning is the first phase of project control and involves defining project goals, creating a project plan, identifying resources, and setting milestones.
- Project Monitoring: Project monitoring involves tracking project progress, identifying deviations, and managing corrective actions. It also includes controlling adherence to time, cost, and quality goals.
- Project Controlling: Project controlling refers to the active influence on the project course through targeted control measures to ensure project success and correct possible deviations.
- Risk Management: Risk management is an integral part of project control and includes identifying, assessing, and controlling risks to minimize potential negative impacts on the project.
- Quality Management: Quality management involves planning, monitoring, and controlling the quality of processes and outcomes to ensure compliance with quality requirements.
Methods and Tools of Project Control:
There are various methods and tools that can be used in the context of project control to ensure project success. These include:
- Project Management Software: Project management software assists in the planning, monitoring, and controlling of projects and offers various features such as resource management, scheduling, cost control, and reporting.
- Milestone Trend Analysis (MTA): Milestone trend analysis is a method for monitoring project progress and identifying timing deviations. It is based on the regular recording of milestone dates and the analysis of trends.
- Earned Value Management (EVM): Earned Value Management is a method for cost and performance control of projects. It allows for the determination of cost trends and the identification of deviations.
- Risk Management Methods: Risk management methods such as risk analyses, risk matrix, or Risk Breakdown Structure support the identification, assessment, and control of risks in the project.
- Quality Management Methods: Quality management methods such as quality audits, quality controls, or quality reviews help ensure compliance with quality requirements.
Conclusion:
Project control is a central part of project management and crucial for the success of projects. Through targeted planning, monitoring, and controlling of projects, project goals can be achieved, risks minimized, and resources used efficiently. The application of suitable methods and tools supports the effective and efficient design of project control and ensures project success.
