Setting up Project Controls

Overview
Each decision on the project has to be made in a timely manner by the person or group most appropriate to make that decision, and must be based on accurate information. This process ensures that an appropriate control and monitoring framework is put in place.

Context
The process builds on the established information to produce a statement of Project Controls.

Process Description
The objectives of this process are to:

	Establish the level of control and reporting required by the Project Board for the project after initiation
	Develop controls which are consistent with the risks and complexity of the project
	Establish the day-to-day controls required to ensure that the project will be controlled in an effective and efficient manner.

In order to achieve these objectives, various steps need to be undertaken:

	Allocate the various levels of decision-making required within the project to the most appropriate project management level
	Establish any decision-making procedures that may be appropriate, possibly by tailoring procedures within existing Quality Management Systems or other standard procedures
	Incorporate the control requirements specified in the Project Directive into the overall control environment as created by the above steps
	Incorporate decision-making authorities and responsibilities into job definitions where appropriate
	Establish the information needs associated with each of the decision-making processes
	Establish monitoring mechanisms to satisfy these information needs
	Establish the resource requirements to provide the monitoring information
	Incorporate monitoring mechanisms into resource plans and job definitions where appropriate
	Refine and define the reporting requirements within the project, as described in the Controls chapter of this manual
	Establish the procedures required to produce and distribute the reporting information.

Where the project is part of a programme, controls must be put in place to feed information to the programme.

Responsibilities
The Project Manager is responsible, assisted by project support and advised by those with project assurance responsibilities.

Information Needs

Management information	Usage	Explanation
Project Plan	Update	This will need to be updated with resource requirements for control activities
Risk Log	Update	Risk levels will have an impact on the scale and rigour appropriate for control activities. New or changed risks may be noted as a result of defining control and monitoring activities. Also there is a need to put in place monitoring devices for risks as they develop
Project Quality Plan	Input	The achievement of quality is one area that must be monitored and controlled. There is, therefore, a need to co-ordinate Project Controls with the Project Quality Plan
Project Controls	Output	This will form part of the Project Foundation Document

Key Criteria

Are the decisions being allocated to people equipped and authorised to make those decisions?

The next points are there to reinforce the motto 'Not too little, not too much'.

	Are the controls appropriate for the risk, scale and complexity of the project?
	Is the level of formality established appropriate for the risk, scale and complexity of the project? This covers such things as reporting, monitoring, procedures and job definitions.
	Are all the participants committed to providing the information and acting on it?