why have formalized techniques?

The control techniques shown above clearly require extensive study and experience to effectively implement. These techniques also require considerable discipline on the part of the project team. All this extra work adds costs to projects. So a question that could be asked is “why do we need to increase project overhead with these expensive processes?”

There are many reasons why to have formalized control techniques on our projects. These include:

  • clearly communicate the plan with all team members
  • identification of jobs that control project completion
  • decrease the chance that significant work elements will be forgotten
  • justify construction cost and financing
  • provide an economical timetable for construction operations
  • make the most economical selection of crews and equipment
  • evaluate alternative technologies, crews, equipments, and/or sequence
  • evaluate the impact of project delays
  • determine the project status, compared to the original plan

One of the key themes of this tutorial is that time and cost are intrinsically linked to the construction method selected by the prime- and sub-contractors. Often novice project managers consider that cost control is a measure left only for procurement officers as they find the least costly material and equipment suppliers. The fact is, however, that labor typically makes up at least one-half of the total project cost. As a result, selecting the right crew for the job and ensuring that no-one is standing around waiting for materials or for other crews is a critical aspect of time and cost control.