How to Quickly Assess Your Program Control Process
By Jen Emswiler | Harkcon’s Program Control Analyst
By monitoring and maintaining the program control process of your projects you are able to reduce risk, increase accuracy, track project progress, and prevent errors. The program control process provides support through planning, tracking, analysis and reporting throughout the lifecycle of a project. As Project Managers, we use measurements and data to detect if deviations exist. In the same respect, it is critical to evaluate if the program control process itself is functioning properly in order to ensure accuracy and control of all projects.
If the program control process is operating as planned, Project Managers are able take preventative action to reduce project risks, stay on track and under budget, while keeping all parties informed.
So, how can you easily assess your program control process? Here are four quick ways and questions to ask in evaluating the process to ensure it is running smoothly.
Review The Program Control Job Aid and Overall Process. What is the purpose of your program control process? Are you fulfilling this purpose every month? Is it improving your business, planning, reporting and accuracy? Do all parties have a clear understanding of the purpose, process and responsibilities?
Asses the Program Control Schedule. Is the schedule still working for everyone? Are all parties able to meet deadlines for planning, reporting and presenting project data?
Measure Program Control Performance of all parties involved in the process. Are Program/Project managers and departments delivering accurate reports on time? Are they using project data and reports to accurately project expenses? Are they meeting program control deadlines?
Evaluate Communication between key stakeholders, departments, upper management and program managers. Are all parties communicating effectively? Is the correct information being presented and disclosed? Are departments collaborating and working within their role?
Through consistent monitoring and evaluation of these factors you can quickly assess the program control process and be able to take the necessary actions such as notifying stakeholders of any deviations, update the Job Aid and communicate with your team and departments. As a business grows and changes, and as new projects are managed, you can expect changes that may cause the program control process to be reconstructed. By regularly evaluating the process, you can effectively plan and make changes ahead of time.
If you would like to contact the author of this blog, send an email to blog@harkcon.com and reference the title, "How to Quickly Assess Your Program Control Process."
