Unit No.

IV -Project Tracking and Control

Project Management and Control:

Framework for Management and control:
Project Management Framework refers to a set of methods, procedures, and rules
that relate to and cover the entire lifecycle of the project. Essentially, a Project Management
Framework defines a project’s charter, scope, and purpose by specifying and delineating the
processes, steps, and actions needed to execute the project from initiation to delivery.
Project management framework (PM framework) is a subset of tasks, processes,
tools and templates used in combination by the management team to get insight into the major
structural elements of the project in order to initiate, plan, execute, control, monitor, and
terminate the project activities throughout the management life-cycle. PM framework allows
using various methodologies and approaches to plan and schedule the major phases of the life-
cycle.

Idea:
To create and share a clear understanding of the basis of a project and share this understanding
among all stakeholders, including the team.
Purpose:

 Simplify and assist with sharing information on project management best practices,
approaches, tools, templates and samples.
 Improve the level of competence
 Create and share an understanding of the best practices for planning & management for
all types and kinds of projects, including IT projects, construction projects, etc.
Collection of data:

 Data collection is the process of gathering quantitative and qualitative information on

specific variables with the aim of evaluating outcomes or gleaning actionable insights.
 Good data collection requires a clear process to ensure the data you collect is clean,
consistent, and reliable.
 Data collection is defined as the procedure of collecting, measuring and analyzing
accurate insights for research using standard validated techniques.
 eg. A researcher can evaluate their hypothesis on the basis of collected data. In most
cases, data collection is the primary and most important step for research, irrespective
of the field of research.
 The approach of data collection is different for different fields of study, depending on
the required information.
Most often in data collection and service delivery programs, your data can be broken down into
two categories:
(1) program performance metrics
(2) worker performance metrics.

Program performance metrics focus on how well you are meeting the project objectives.

Worker performance metrics are the best indicators for how well your workers are performing
their duties and how much they are contributing to the success of the project.
The Principal tasks are:
 Designing the methods and obtaining the tools to support data collection and
retention.
 Obtaining and training staff for the data collection procedures.
 Capturing and recording data for each process that is targeted for measurement.
 Using defined forms and formats to supply the collected data to those who
perform analyses.
 Monitoring the execution (compliance) and performance of the activities for
collecting and retaining data.

Visualizing progress:
A manager needs some way of presenting that data to the greatest effect. Some methods of
presenting picture are,
Gantt chart – It is used to track project progress. It is the simple and the oldest form of
representing the progress of the project. It consists of an activity bar that indicates the scheduled
activity dates and the duration along with the activity floats.

Slip chart – It is a visual indication of activities that are not progressing to schedule.
Alternative view of Gantt chart by providing a visual indication of those activities which are
not on schedule. The more bend in the greater the variation in the project plan. If the slip line
deviates more towards the non achievement of project objectives then it has to be reconsidered.
Additional slip lines can be included at regular intervals.

Ball charts – The way of showing whether or not targets have been met or not. It is represented
in the form of circles that indicate the start and the end point completion of activities. Circles
of the ball chart mostly contain only two dates, the original and the revised one. An activity is
denoted by a red circle and green color denotes that the activity is ahead of its schedule.
Slippage in the project completion date but it is overcome by the timeline charts

TimeLine - The timeline is a method of recording and displaying the way in which targets
have changed throughout the duration of the project.
Cost monitoring:

 Expenditure monitoring is an important component of project control

 A project might be on time but only because more money has been spent on activities
than originally budgeted
 Cost chart is useful if we add project feature
 Computer based planning tool is used
 A project could be late because the staff originally committed, have not been
deployed in this case the project will be behind time but under budget

 A project could be on time but only because additional resources have been added and
so by over budget
 Need to monitor both achievements and costs

Earned Value Analysis:

 Earned Value Analysis (EVA) is an industry standard method of measuring a project's

progress at any given point in time, forecasting its completion date and final cost, and
analyzing variances in the schedule and budget as the project proceeds.
 It compares the planned amount of work with what has actually been completed, to
determine if the cost, schedule, and work accomplished are progressing in accordance
with the plan.
 As work is completed, it is considered "earned". Based on assigning value to each task
or work package.
 The assigned value is the original budgeted cost for the item & is known as budgeted
cost of work schedule(BCWS).
 A task that is not started is assigned a value zero earned value
Prioritizing Monitoring:

 The process of prioritizing projects is an activity for defining what projects within a
portfolio to perform in what sequence.
 It is an attempt to make the project portfolio more effective through identifying the
most effective way of implementing the projects.
 Project Prioritization Process is a structured and consistent activity that aims to
analyze the current operational environment to identify any projects running in parallel
within the same portfolio, develop a scoring model including ranking criteria, and apply
that model to prioritizing the projects in order to determine the execution order that
ensures the highest efficiency of the overall portfolio.
 The process serves as a framework for managing the effectiveness of parallel projects.
Steps involved for prioritizing monitoring:

 Collection – you must collect and gather all the data about your projects.
 Ranking – you must develop and use a ranking model that includes criteria for
prioritizing.
 Verification – you must approve the ranked projects.

Project tracking:
Project tracking is a project management method used to track the progress of tasks in a project.
By tracking your project, you can compare actual to planned progress, and identify issues that
may prevent the project from staying on schedule and within budget.
Tracking is the process of determining how well you are sticking to the cost estimate and
schedule.
It is the same as adapting the schedule according to the latest developments
Benefits:
Project tracking helps project managers and stakeholders know what work has been done, the
resources that have been used to execute those tasks, and helps them create an earned value
analysis by measuring project variance and tracking milestones.
Steps to track the project:
 Start with a project outline
 Create deliverables and milestones
 Set realistic, clear and measurable goals
 Use a project tracker template or a project tracking software to keep track of time, costs
and tasks
 Meet regularly with team and stakeholders
 Have clear deadlines
 Support transparency
Change control:
Change control is a methodology used to manage any change requests that impact
the baseline of your project. It’s a way to capture that change from the point where it’s been
identified through every step of the project cycle. That includes evaluating the request and then
approving, rejecting or deferring it.
Change control is the process used to manage all these variables. If change happens (which it
always does) then it’s crucial that you have a mechanism in place to control that process.
Purpose:
To make sure that you’re not changing things in the project that don’t need to be changed.
Benefits:

 Change control not only reinforces your team’s ability to work better together, but the
positive effects bleed into overall efficiency. It works hand-in-glove with teamwork, of
course.
 Managing change effectively is crucial to bringing in your project on time and within
budget.
Software Configuration Management:

1. SCM is concerned with tracking and controlling changes to the software

2. In software development process, every work product would have to be accessed and
modified by several members
3. Hence a proper configuration management system is required to avoid several
problems
4. Configuration management is carried out through the following two principal
activities
5. Configuration identification
1. It involves deciding which parts of the system should be kept under
configuration management
6. Configuration control
1. It is used to ensure that changes to a system occur smoothly Configuration
management process

Purpose of SCM:

 Concurrent access
 Undoing changes
 System accounting
 Handling variance
  Accurate determination of project status
 Preventing unauthorized access to the work products
Managing contracts:
Contract management is the overseeing of a project’s contracts from their initial pre-award
phase through to completion.
Proper contract management ensures that the project’s budget and resources are in alignment
with its overall objectives.
Tracking contracts as they progress and identifying and managing any issues as they come up
is an important project management process.
Phases:

1. Contract creation ( This contract management stage involves identifying the

contract type and who will be responsible for each task.)
2. Contract negotiation (After the initial contract is drawn up, negotiation occurs
inwhich line items are discussed, changed, updated, or completely removed.)
3. Contract approval (Contract approval often involves multiple sign-offs from
various managers and departments, as well as contractors and vendors. All may
have to give approval on the contract’s specifications before the final deal is made.)
4. Contract finalization (The process of contract signing between the involved
partiesis the final step to getting the project started.)
5. Contract change management (All data and information regarding changes to
contract deadlines, budgets, expenditures, etc., must be fully tracked and shared
with the teams involved.)

Contract Management:

 Contract management is an intricate oversight process that follows contracts from pre-
award to completion, including execution, vendor selection, issue detection and control,
tracking and processing.
 When implemented properly, contract management processes ensure that budgets and
abilities are in alignment with project objectives.
 The best contract management flows seamlessly through the organization and integrates
with project management and control, always involving the team members for input
and outcomes, and carefully monitoring contractors for performance and deadlines.
 When a contract is initiated, it should reflect goals, timelines, budgets, resources, risks,
regulations, and specifications.
 Each phase of the process requires specific elements, purpose and management in order
to proceed to the next step.
  Technicians, engineers, and other skilled professionals must be carefully chosen to
complete the contract and execute the project.
 provides an active thread connecting all aspects of the project, helping to fill in the
holes during revisions, and ensure communication with the right team members, at the
right time.

Benefits:

 Contract management streamlines adherence to the contract and can lower business
costs. All necessary documents can be found and accounted for in one place, offering
increased transparency for team members from different departments, as well as
contractors working offsite.
 A positive contract experience creates lasting business partners with vendors and
subcontractors. Particularly in the construction industry, finding good help is
paramount for future projects.
 Important business objectives and goals are identified when a contract is written. A
good contract management process sets expectations around those priorities and
ensures commitments in the contract are met.