Project Monitoring and Evaluation

Whilst the Project Team is physically producing each deliverable, the Project Manager implements a series of management processes to monitor and control the activities being undertaken. An overview of each management process follows.

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Time Management

The previous module covered the scheduling of time and its centrality in project planning. Once the implementation starts, time management becomes the process within which the time spent by staff undertaking project tasks is recorded against the project. As time is a scarce resource on projects, it is important to record the time spent by each member of the team on a Timesheet to enable the Project Manager to control the level of resource allocated to a particular activity. A Timesheet Register provides a summary of the time currently spent on the project and enables the Project Plan to be kept fully up to date.

Cost Management

Managing costs rests on the foundation of financial planning and is the process by which costs (or expenses) incurred on the project are formally identified, approved and paid. Expense Forms are completed for each set of related project expenses such as labour, equipment and materials costs. Expense Forms are approved by the Project Manager and recorded in an Expense Register for audit purposes.

Quality Management

Quality is defined as “the level of conformance of the final deliverable to the customer’s requirements”. Quality Management is the process by which the quality of the deliverables is assured and controlled for the project, using Quality Assurance and Quality Control techniques. Quality reviews are frequently undertaken, and the results are recorded in a Quality Register.

Change Management

Change Management is the process by which changes to the project’s scope, deliverables, time scales or resources are formally defined, evaluated and approved prior to implementation. A core aspect of the Project Manager’s role is to manage change within the project successfully. This is achieved by understanding the business and system drivers requiring the change, documenting the benefits and costs of adopting the change and formulating a structured plan for implementing the change. To formally request a change, it is often necessary to complete a Change Form. The change requests details, which may then be recorded in a Change Register.

Risk Management

Managing risk involves anticipating risks during the planning phase and identifying risks which emerge during the project. It includes the process by which risks to the project (e.g. to the scope, deliverables, time scales or resources) are formally identified, quantified and managed during the project. A project risk may be identified at any stage of the project by completing a Risk Form and recording the relevant risk details in the Risk Register.

Risks are generally classified according to their probability and severity ratings.

Communications Management

Communications Management is the process by which formal communication messages are identified, created, reviewed and communicated within a project. The most common method of communicating the status of the project is via Project Status Report. Each communication item released to the project stakeholders is captured in a Communications Register.

Procurement Management

Procurement Management is the process by which a product is sourced from an external supplier. To request the delivery of the product, from a supplier, a Purchase Order must be approved by the Project Manager and sent to the supplier for confirmation. The status of the purchase is then tracked, using a Procurement Register until the product has been delivered and accepted by the project team.

Issue Management

Issue Management is the method by which issues currently affecting the ability of the project to produce the required deliverable are formally managed. After completion of an Issue Form (and logging the details in the Issue Register), each issue is evaluated by the Project Manager and a set of actions are undertaken to resolve the issue at hand.

Acceptance Management

Acceptance Management is the process by which deliverables produced by the project are reviewed and accepted by the customer as meeting his/her specific requirements. To request the acceptance of a deliverable by the customer, an Acceptance Form is completed. The Acceptance Form describes the criteria from which the deliverable has been produced and the level of satisfaction of each criterion listed.