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Behind every project is a team, and within every team is an essential role required to drive a project successfully to completion. In order to realise project objectives, it is paramount for these roles to effectively communicate with failure to do so a major contribution factor in project failure.

Project controls and project management are similar functions within a project team. Both roles provide the process building blocks to facilitate execution of a project throughout the total lifecycle. There are key fundamental differences with a diverse set of skills between these two roles.

“Project Manager” is a diverse title that encompasses a broad number of core responsibilities depending on industry, organization size and demographic.

As Project Management consultants we often see Project Managers with the best intentions to deliver time, cost and risk deliverables, however are often incomplete, technically flawed or nonexistent. As this role requires complete oversight and involvement with all project stakeholders it is often difficult to acquire the technical skills to perform duties across all areas of a project. After all there are only so many hours in the working week.

Delegation is therefore a key responsibility of any project manager, with a symptom of project distress/failure insufficient delegation and communication by the PM. Organisational pressures, budget constraints and personal pride have all featured as root causes for ineffective delegation.

Project controls focuses on the technical side of the management function with core knowledge areas of cost, schedule and risk. High levels of technical proficiency and skill are required to produce outputs that are able to facilitate informed management decisions. Project outcomes are forecast through the analysis of trends in project context, acknowledging technical inputs and objectives. When done well and are part of the project team, the project controls function is the ships rudder that steers a project towards a successful outcome.

 

Author

Frankie Larizza

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