Project Control for Engineering

Effective project control of the engineering effort can be attained. Modern techniques with supporting computer systems are available, but the industry has been slow in accepting them.

It takes organization and qualified people to manage and control complex engineering work. Various organizational forms are possible, but a task force organization is the most efficient for the larger projects. A strong matrix management approach is more practical for smaller projects.

The project control system must be designed to control both work and cost. The system must encompass planning, scheduling, monitoring, reporting and analysis, forecasting, and historical data collection. Subsystems within the total system must be available to track procurement activity and to generate and maintain equipment lists, instrument lists, and other summaries associated with design engineering work. The design of the system should be based on the principle of integrated project control, and be flexible enough to handle large and small projects while also responding to special client needs.

The entire professional staff of the engineering organization must be committed to and support project control and be trained in the operation of the company’s system. If properly designed and supported, such a system should provide the control needs of management and essential feedback to individual professional personnel.

Establishment of an effective project control system will require money and the establishment of a formal project controls organization. Approximately 8 percent or more of the costs budgeted for an engineering project should be allocated for project control to be effective. Eight percent may seem high, but the potential cost and time savings attributable to an effective project control system far outweigh the cost of establishing and maintaining that system.