Project Controls Team Learning and Development Program

1.1 Project Controls Core Competencies

The project controls team is the part of a project management team that is responsible for keeping a project within the stipulated schedule and budget while meeting the performance parameters. Project control begins as early as the planning phase and ends with the successful handing over of the project to the client. It is essential for keeping a project on track throughout the project life cycle. Decisions made by the project controls team at every stage have a direct impact on the project schedule, budget and performance. Since these three factors are inter-related, a balance must be struck. This requires a well-trained and experienced project controls team because appropriate decisions made at the right time can increase a project’s success. Communication between the project controls team and other departments is crucial for the successful execution of a project, since poor performance of one department gets carried over and affects the performance of the others. The collection of all project control competencies is known as the project controls and Management System (PCMS).

Project controls core competencies consist of: estimating, planning, scheduling, cost control, change management, progressing, and forecasting.