IV1021
Lecture 6 – Monitoring and
terminating
Gunnar Wettergren
gunnarw@dsv.su.se
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Agenda
Monitoring the project
Controlling the project
Evaluating/Terminating the project
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Monitoring and controlling the
project
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Definitions and relationships
Monitoring and Control are opposite
sides of selection and planning
bases for selection dictate what to monitor
plans identify elements to control
Monitoring is collection, recording,
and reporting of information
Control uses monitored information to
align actual performance with the plan
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What, why and when
What: The central parts for any PM to
monitor are time, cost, and performance
Why: A PM’s main focus is to get a project
completed on time, within budget, and
delivering what the customer wants
When: Design control system before project
start and monitor throughout the project
lifecycle
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Monitor and control vs. Real work
One could make a case for that the
more you monitor and control the less
real work you perform
However, without these processes in
place how can you keep track of the
project
The Planning-monitoring-control (PMC)
process is central to a PM’s tasks
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The PMC process
Planning
Monitoring
Control
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How to do it?
How do we create this process
What must be considered
How to use it
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Designing the monitoring system
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Starting point
What do we need to monitor?
Performance
• Activities and project progression
Time
• Critical path
• Estimations
• Milestones
Cost
• Total project cost
• Activity costs
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Monitoring system creation
Start with the project action plan
Define measurements for cost, performance,
and time
Important to remember that you must include
all levels of activities
Furthermore, mechanisms for collecting the
data must also be in place
Avoid tendency to focus on easily collected
data
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Continued..
The monitoring system should also
include
Change tracking/control
Documentation processes
Telephone logs
Code storage
….
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Example of measurements
Performance
Activity completion (Subjective reports)
Code errors
Number of bugs
Number of changes
Cost
Different ratios
• Budgeted cost / Actual cost > 1
Time
Project member reporting (Important what
increments you use)
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Collecting data and reporting
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Types of data
Frequency counts
Raw numbers
Subjective numeric ratings
Indicators and surrogates
Verbal characterizations
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From where do we get the data
Among many
Economy systems
Project members
Change management systems
MS Project/Project server
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Analyzing data
Frequently some sort of post-processing
must be done in order to understand
the collected data
Budget breakdowns
Mathematical analysis
Etc.
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Example of data analysis
Core concepts of project management. Mantel et al, 2004
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Reporting
Reports
Project Status Reports
Time/Cost Reports
Variance Reports
Not all stakeholders need to receive
same information
Avoid periodic reports
All involved need to know their status
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Report types
Routine
Exception
Special Analysis
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Controlling the project
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Background
The purpose of project control is to
reduce the difference between the plan
and reality
Very difficult task
Humans are involved
Hard to identify the problem source
We must make sure we don’t remedy the
symptom
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Purpose
We are not trying to punish the ”guilty”
but to remedy problems
Two main purposes
Management of organizational assets
(Physical, human, and financial)
Obtaining the wanted result
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Designing a control system
Again primary purpose is to correct
errors
Control systems must be cost effective
Cost of control system
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PM mechanisms used for control
Process reviews
Evaluating and controlling the method of work
Personnel assignment
Identify top performers
Be careful, you do not want to create an elite
group
Resource allocation
Reassign resources between tasks
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The control system itself
Control object
Input
Process
Output
Control system
I
Sensor
P
o
I
o
Effector
O
P
Comparator
P
I
Adapted from Schoderbek et al. 1990, p.111
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Project evaluation
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We must perform
Project evaluation
Project audit
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Project evaluation
How did we do?
The project evaluation appraises the
progress and performance relative to
the plan
Should not be done only after project
completion
Purpose is to improve the process of
carrying out projects
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Evaluation criteria
Original criteria for selecting and
funding project
Success to date
Business/Direct Success
Future Potential
Contribution to Organization’s Goals
Contribution to Team Member
Objectives
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Project audit process
Timing depends on purpose
Three Levels
general audit
detailed audit
technical audit
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The audit report
Introduction
Current status
Future project status
Critical management issues
Risk analysis / management
Final comments
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Project termination
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When to terminate
Sunk cost approach
Goal fulfillment
Comparison to set failure/success
factors
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Termination types
Project Extinction
Termination-By-Addition
Termination-By-Integration
Termination-By-Starvation
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Termination process
Core concepts of project management. Mantel et al, 2004
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Project final report
Main purpose is to facilitate organizational
learning
Evaluate what worked and what did not
Should include:
Project performance
Adminstrative performance
Organizational structure
Project teamwork
Project management techniques
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Summary / Questions lecture 6
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