Effective Implementation of a Project Control System

Handling and managing a complicated system is so involved that the system tends to become a goal rather than a means. No matter how good a system is, it will fail, unless effectively, implemented. Too often, the management reporting system ends up as a history book of past records. This record keeping, accurate and useful as it may be for future projects, is not the total objective. The prime function of the system is to help get the job done on schedule and within budget. Unless this prime function is performed to an acceptable and measurable degree of satisfaction, true implementation of the system has not taken place. Obviously, there is no magic in the concept of project management and control. By itself, the system cannot guarantee the successful completion of a project. In final analyses, it is the people and the interaction of these people, who, with the aid of a project control system, get the job done on schedule and within budget. This article will examine some of the elements which contribute to the success or the failure of a project control system. The emphasis in this discussion is on the human element involved in implementing a project control system rather than on the system itself.