Introduction :

The overall aim of this assignment is to give students an opportunity to identify the key features of a range of project control systems and their effectiveness in controlling projects. Familiarise themselves with the different practices that may enhance the control process through the project lifecycle. Through this assignment students should be able to appreciate the impor- tance of project control to the success of the project.

Requirements :

For this assignment you are required to focus on a project that would be project based practice is common for many organisations in different industrial sectors, from an oil company developing an exploration site, to an investment bank installing a new IT sy stem; from a technology company developing and launching a new type of mobile phone to a marketing consulting company helping a retailer with the launch of a new marketing campaign. In these and other industries, which mainly deal with one-off unique projects, the influence of uncertainties and the chances of errors are more prevalent, necessitating the need for effective project management control systems which is an essen- tial part of managing projects.

The literature contains a large volume of research on the importance of project control and its requirements and has also identified a large number of project control systems each with its own characteristics, limitations, and application. Despite this plethora of information there is evidence that a large number of projects lacked effective project control, for example of design changes and poor change control, clarity of scope, financing and payment issues, inaccurate estimates of cost and/or duration, planning opti mism and deficiency and many others factors, which have led to project abandonment, difficulties, conflicts, claims, delays, and cost overruns.

In your work, identify 4 systems of project control within your industry, organisation, or project and evaluate and assess their effectiveness and shortcomings in achieving their intended outcome. Your discussion should also recommend a number of practices that would enhance the project control process for example within the project areas of planning, monitoring, report- ing, analysing and controlling and/or eliminate the short comings identified above.