Chapter 10

Information Requirements
for the Project

Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Introduction

 Monitoring - Collecting, recording, and

reporting information concerning any and all
aspects of project performance
 Controlling - Uses the data supplied by
monitoring to bring actual performance into
compliance with the plan
 Evaluation - Judgments regarding the
quality and effectiveness of project
performance
Planning–Monitoring–Controlling
Cycle

 Must decide what is important enough to

monitor
 We mainly want to monitor:
– Project performance
– Budget
– Time
 Must be operationalized
– Some may be monitored continuously
– Others may be checked only at milestones
Designing the Monitoring System

1. Identify key factors to be controlled

– Performance
– Cost
– Time
2. Information to be collected must be
identified
Designing the Monitoring System
Continued

 Want to avoid collecting necessary data

because it is hard to get
 Do not want to collect too much data
 The next step is to design a reporting
system that gets the data to the proper
people in a timely and understandable
manner
Data Collection

 Once we know the data we want, we

need to decide how to collect it
 Should the data be collected after some
event?
 Should it be collected on a regular
basis?
 Are any special forms needed for data
collection?
Much Data Involves

1. Frequency counts
2. Raw numbers
3. Subjective numeric ratings
4. Indicators
5. Verbal measures
Information Needs and Reporting

 Project reports need to correspond to the

schedule
 As work packages are finished, reports on
those packages are no longer needed
 New work packages generate the need for
new reports
 Thus, the nature of project reports changes
over time
Information Needs and Reporting
Continued

 Reports should address each level

 Not at same depth for every level
– Lower levels need detailed information
– Senior levels need overview reports
The Reporting Process

 Reports must contain relevant data

 Must be issued frequently
 Should be available in time for control
Report Types

1. Routine - Reports that are issued on a

regular basis or each time the project
reaches a milestone
2. Exception - Reports that are generated
when an usual condition occur or as an
informational vehicle when an unusual
decision is made
3. Special Analysis - Reports that result from
studies commissioned to look into
unexpected problems
Meetings

 Reports do not have to be written

 They can be delivered verbally in meetings
 Projects have too many meetings
 The trick is to keep them to as few as
possible
Meeting Rules

 Avoid regular status report meetings

 Start and end on time
 Have an agenda and stick to it
 Publish the agenda early
 Take minutes
Common Reporting Problems

 Too much detail

 Poor interface between the
data/procedures of the project and the
information system of the parent
company
 Poor connections between the planning
process and the monitoring process
Earned Value Analysis

 Earned value is an estimate of the

percentage of work completed thus far
 This can be a difficult for a project
 Why is that the case?
The Earned Value Calculations

 50-50 rule
 0-100 percent rule
 Critical input use rule
 The proportionality rule
The Earned Value Chart

Figure 10-6
Variances and Indices

 Variances and indices can help analyze

a project

 Will look at some of the more common

ones
Cost Variance (CV)

 CV = EV – AC

 Negative variance indicates a cost

overrun

 Magnitude depends on the costs

Schedule Variance (SV)

 SV = EV – PV

 Negative variance indicates you are

behind schedule

 Measured using costs

Time Variance (TV)

 TV = ST – AT

 Negative variance indicates you are

behind schedule
Indices

Cost Performance Index

EV
CPI 
AC
Schedule Performance Index
EV
SPI 
PV
Cost - Schedule Index
 EV   EV  EV 2
CSI   CPI    SPI     
 AC   PV   AC    PV 
“To complete” and “At
Completion”

 Project manager reviewing what is complete

and what remains
 Final cost and final completion date are
moving targets
 The project manager compiles these into a to
complete forecast
 Actual + forecast = final date and cost at
completion
Milestone Reporting

 Reports that are created when a project

reaches a major milestone
 They are designed to keep everyone
up-to-date on project status
 For executives and clients, these may
be the only reports they receive