Anticlue

Monitoring and Controlling processes

Monitoring and Controlling a project touches every facet of the project lifecycle. Changes can occur that impact project scope, time, cost, and quality. These changes need to be managed to assure there are no downstream impacts. While engaged in a project it is necessary to be aware of the impacts and affects of too little or too much resources and communications.

Within the Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups there are ten processes utilized. Five processes address scope, time, cost, and quality including the change herewith in the project lifecycle. The other five processes are overseeing the resources, communications, risk, and procurement processes.

The five process that address changes to scope, time, cost, and quality are as follows:

• Scope Verification – Scope verification is the process to obtain official acceptance of the completed project scope. A project scope that has not been officially reviewed and signed off on won't be beneficial as the project progresses.
• Scope Control – Scope Control engages in managing changes to the Project Scope. The Project Scope encompasses any identified work that will produce a product, service, or result.
• Schedule Control – Schedule Control is the process of managing changes to the Project Schedule. The Project Schedule outlines the timeline for various deliverables.
• Cost Control – Cost Control is the process of directing the cost factors that create variances, and controlling budget changes. Since the budget identifies agreed-upon expenditures for every line item, it has to be supervised closely.
• Perform Quality Control – Perform Quality Control involves monitoring the specific results of a project to assess whether those results are consistent with relevant quality standards. It also identifies ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance.

This Process Group also has the role of monitoring resources, communications, risk, and procurement. These variables must be contained as well to keep a project on track.

• Manage Project Team - The Manage Project Team process tracks team performance, giving feedback, handling issues, and coordinating changes to improve project performance. The goal is to improve overall performance through assessment, guidance, and problem solving.
• Performance Reporting – Performance reporting involves collecting and disseminating information about performance. This includes status reporting, progress measurement, and forecasting. This process is about measuring, documenting, and forecasting project performance.
• Manage Stakeholders – Managing Stakeholders is the process of managing communications with project stakeholders to satisfy their requirements and resolve their issues. This process involves diplomacy, tact, and a willingness to facilitate a two-way conversation.
• Risk Monitoring and Control – Risk monitoring and control involves assessing identified and residual risks, identifying new risks, executing risk response plans, and assessing the responses plan’s effect on the project.
• Contract Administration - Contract Administration is the process with deals with contracts and contract changes. Contract Administration manages the relationship between the buyer and the seller, and is the foundation for future vendor/business relationships.

With twelve processes in total, the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group is comprised of processes spreading across all nine Knowledge Areas. Remember iteration and constant vigilance is key when engaged in project management the processes of the monitoring and controlling process group will be a key tool in measuring project performance.