Ensuring staffing excellence at every construction project phase is essential for success. Taking steps to control the process ensures efficiency and quality from start to finish.
Understanding the roles and functions of both controlling and control supports project management. Effectively moving the project forward and correcting course enhance project management, optimize resource utilization, and elevate project success.
Controlling
Controlling involves planning, monitoring, and analyzing all aspects to meet the construction project’s objectives. This process includes setting standards, measuring performance, and taking preventative or corrective actions to minimize potential problems before they impact the project. These activities are proactive because they prevent issues from occurring.
Control
Control involves monitoring construction project activities to ensure they are executed as planned. This process includes measuring the progress against the project objectives, identifying the variances, and implementing corrective actions. These activities are reactive because they respond to issues after they occur.
Three Types of Control
Implementing preliminary, concurrent, and final control during relevant project phases increases the odds of success:
Preliminary control
Preliminary control involves setting the standards and guidelines during the early project phases. Evaluating plans, budgets, and project objectives ensures they are realistic and attainable. For instance, a feasibility study might take the form of market research, financial analysis, and resource availability assessment.
Concurrent control
Concurrent control involves monitoring project activities during the execution phase to ensure they conform to the project standards, schedules, and budgets. This process requires regular project meetings, continuous monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs), and adjustments to the project plan. The project manager can address issues before they escalate to minimize the impact.
Final control
Final control involves evaluating the outcomes after completion to evaluate whether the project attained its objectives, delivered value, and met stakeholder expectations. This process lets the project manager identify lessons for future projects. The assessment might include post-project reviews, stakeholder feedback sessions, and performance reporting.
Three Levels of Control
Foundational, intermediate, and advanced control within an organization contribute to a construction project’s success:
Foundational level
The foundational level of control establishes the standards, processes, and procedures on which other controls are built. Control at this level includes routine checks and balances, adherence to operational procedures, and ensuring actions align with the organization’s policies.
Intermediate level
The intermediate level of control aligns departmental activities with organizational goals to ensure the strategic objectives translate into actionable plans. This level includes complex monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, such as performance metrics for teams, budget adherence for departments, and project milestone reviews.
Advanced level
The advanced level of control includes high-level decision-making processes, innovation management, and alignment of activities with external threats and opportunities. These processes include strategic planning sessions, risk management frameworks, and scenario planning. Anticipating changes in the market or industry lets the organization strategize, seize opportunities, and mitigate risks.
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