CONCEPT CONTROL AND MONITORING IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Control is a trivial activity, which is part of the daily life of the human being, consciously or unconsciously. The basic purpose of control is to modify the behavior of the person or object being controlled. Consequently, when it comes to the creation of control systems, it is essential to ask, what type of modification should that bring about in the behavior of the person or object subject to control. In the case of administrative control, basically human behavior is looked at. The behavior of objects such as computers or other machinery belongs to the field of engineering.
Control is a function that is carried out through parameters that have been established prior to the occurrence of the controlled phenomenon, that is, the control mechanism is the result of planning and, therefore, points to the future. The control system is projected based on future forecasts and must be flexible enough to allow adaptations and adjustments that originate in discrepancies between the expected result and the one that occurred.
This means that control is a dynamic function, not only because it admits adjustments, but also because it is present in every human activity, renewing itself cycle after cycle.
CONTROL IN PROJECTS
There are cases in which the same situations are repeated over a relatively long period of time (permanent plans), in such a way that possible occurrences are known with a reasonable degree of certainty. In the case, for example, of repetitive, online production or on-demand operations, where the control parameters, once established, remain stable for a certain period of time, they are only modified when trying to make changes to the process of production, in the quality model, in stock levels, etc. In that case, it is possible to program the operation of the control system, that is, to establish rules so that it automatically responds to frequently occurring situations, informing us only of exceptional events. So,administrative action is present only in exceptional cases.
There are cases, however, in which a sequence of activities should be carried out only once, so that accumulated experience is not available to accurately identify all possible future situations. In this case, the projects are found. Planning is carried out with a higher level of uncertainty and naturally this is also reflected in the control parameters. In that case, the instituted control must be highly dynamic, so that it accompanies the execution stage, permanently and in all its phases, providing constant information on the real situation in the various variables, to allow the agent to evaluate and decide As for the seriousness of the errors and make the necessary decisions.
Taking into account that within the functions of the project manager is to direct and control the execution operations in such a way that the set of actions carried out comply (in time, cost and quality) with what is specified in the project, is of vital importance for the full development of any project, that the manager has the authority, capacity (leadership, adaptation), sense of balance, ingenuity (improvisation) and great ease of communication and speed to make decisions and control tasks, bearing in mind the difficulty that this implies in the case of projects.
CONTROL TYPES
Although always obeying the general conceptual scheme, the control mechanisms can be classified, depending on the moment in which the control action is carried out, as follows:
Directional control
The control mechanism works before the activity is completely concluded. In this case, the control is carried out continuously and not at certain points, so that each element of the action is the result of the almost instantaneous rectification of the previous action.
This is what happens, for example, with a car driver, by orienting his trajectory according to the obstacles that are on the road. The space of time between the perception of the new situation, the evaluation of the rectification to be made, the decision and the corrective action must be minimal, on pain of causing an accident.
In projects, this type of control can be carried out when a system is structured, which allows controlling the different factors continuously.
Control approved - failed
In this case, the control recipient undergoes an examination after certain activities have been completed. In case of approval, the following activity is allowed. If there is a rectification, the process is definitively interrupted or until the irregularities are rectified.
This is the typical case of quality control. A part of the production line is periodically inspected, which is carried out according to specifications established by the body in charge of the technical design of the product. Upon inspection, the part is released to undergo the next operation. Upon failure, he is directed to a recovery camp, if this is possible. When the latter does not occur, the piece is discarded.
In projects something similar happens, if this control is carried out and faults are detected in some of the activities, it is recommended to route it (s) correctly, so that later problems do not appear.
Post-operational control
The control mechanism only comes into operation after the end of the entire operation. The information for corrective action in this type of control will only be used in a future period (project) when planning for a new cycle of activities begins.
It occurs, for example, in the final evaluation of a training course, or when the coach of a soccer team evaluates the performance of his players after the game. This type of control is also used for the purpose of giving prizes and incentives to the agents who participated in the activity.
These controls can be carried out inside the project (internal control) or through firms, external to the project, specialized in control (external control).
It is worth mentioning that these three types of control are not mutually exclusive, but rather, they must be complementary. The decision to use an isolated type of control or a combination of the aforementioned types, depends on the nature of the system to be controlled and the level of complexity that is intended to be introduced into the control mechanisms. In some cases, contractors require that an external control be carried out on the project, to ensure its proper progress.
THE CONTROL PROCESS
The control and its results can be analyzed from different points of view. From an administrative point of view, control consists of the set of activities carried out by the agent so that the activities are carried out as close as possible to the initial plan. Those actions obey a certain sequence constituting the control process, the sequence of which can be seen in figure 1. The process is described below:
Definition of control parameters
The parameters (goals and objectives) are the elements that allow the control system to determine whether or not the actions are leading the receiver in the direction of the desired situation. The determination of these parameters occurs during the planning process, at the stage in which certain components of the control system are defined. At that time planning and control merge. The definition of the parameters must foresee a normality margin, something that the control system only acts when this margin is exceeded by any of its limits, lower or higher. The setting of these parameters represents a crucial problem for the proper functioning of the control system and, therefore, of the desired objective,for the definition of unrealistic objectives and goals can orient the recipient's behavior in a direction that completely contradicts the wishes of the administration.
Measurement of results
Every control system must have means to verify the result of each activity. This verification can be presented in a quantitative form, such as: number of hectares planted. When direct quantitative verification is not possible, attempts are made to carry it out in a subjective way. However, as this modality is subject to deformations introduced by the person doing the verification, its value is relative.
Evaluation of errors
The evaluation consists of comparing the results that were intended to be obtained and those that were actually obtained. Due to the inherent uncertainty of planning and how difficult it is to work on projects, what has been done is rarely carried out with what is scheduled. It is necessary, then, to determine the magnitude of the verified difference and its repercussions on the plan's execution process.
Definition of corrections
Once an error has been verified and its severity evaluated, it becomes necessary to analyze the possible existing solutions and select the one that seems most appropriate.
Execution of corrections
The solutions found must be translated into the appropriate language for the person in charge of executing them and with a higher degree of detail, taking into account the hierarchical level of the executing agent.
Project Control Process
FEEDBACK
Control is an administrative activity and, like the others, is carried out on the basis of information, which must not only be precise but also be available in good time. Inaccurate information, at the right time, is as useful as accurate information provided when it is no longer needed.
In the control cycle there are two characteristic flows of information, usually called feedback. The first flow performs the relationship in the direction of the receiver towards the agent and transmits the values corresponding to the measurements made. The agent, endowed with decision-making power, evaluates and decides regarding the corrections to be made. In order for them to be executed, it is necessary to take them to the executing agent locally. In other words, the second feedback flow has been set in motion, which works in the direction of the agent towards the receiver.
In order for these flows to function properly, it is necessary that, in the planning stage, appropriate channels have been provided for the circulation of this information. Considering that not only planning but also execution and control materialize through different hierarchical levels, these channels should be designed so that attention is paid to these various levels and that the information conducted through them is aggregated compatible with the hierarchical level of the agent that will use it.
Figure 2 illustrates the concept of feedback at the various hierarchical levels.
Feedback at various hierarchical levels
This aspect is very important within the projects, since if sufficient information flow is not presented in both directions (receiver-agent and agent-receiver), probably, the control will be left over, due to what was stated above about the need to have accurate information at the right time.
THE CONTROL MECHANISM (MONITORING)
The control mechanism aims to allow the monitoring of the execution of the Comprehensive Project and the introduction of the corrections that will result from the experience acquired throughout it. It includes: physical, financial, time, institutional, objective control.
It is a matter of designing a program or system that allows to develop not only an effective control of the physical progress of the project, as well as the financial progress and even more so that it allows to establish, at each moment, the time / cost or goal / cost relationship. It is also possible, in some cases, to achieve institutional control through the results achieved.
For the implementation of a perfect control system, there are limitations, such as the following:
- Personnel: Difficulty in having trained personnel, which often forces to avoid a greater degree of sophistication in the system that is designed. Facilities: Adequate facilities, such as a data processing office, are not always available. Time: A perfect control system requires time for its implementation, which is not always possible. In general, there is very little time to program the different phases of a project. Cost: The cost of the control is a limiting factor regarding the system to be designed. The cost tends to drop in large projects and with the use of increasingly efficient programs.
METHODOLOGY
- PHYSICAL CONTROL: The basic instrument of physical control is the network technique. Among them we have:
- Integrated PERT / CPM / ROY network: In case you have to do an integration (several areas, several subprojects, several projects, etc.) ROY (block network) is preferably used. Gantt Schedule: It will contain, in addition to the duration of the activities, the total and free play corresponding to each one of them.
The above are just some of the tools used for monitoring projects. Currently, there are different software packages to develop, control and manage projects more efficiently.
- FINANCIAL CONTROL: In it, aspects such as: investments, budget, payments, etc. must be taken into account. It is important to have a detailed monitoring of the project's finances, after all, the direct victim if negative deviations occur, in most cases, is the executor of the work. THE EVALUATION OF OBJECTIVES: It is done taking into account the short and long term, in this sense, the use of management indicators is used as a key tool, at a financial, technological and social level.
- INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL: In order to carry out the monitoring in institutional terms, in general, an external company is hired, so that it objectively rules and subjective evaluations are not presented. Institutional control basically consists of the formulation of measures that allow efficient and operational coordination between the various organizations, to achieve the final objective. The main measures followed are improvement of the basic manuals of rules and procedures, operations, service code, among others.
- THE BALANCE GOAL / COST OR TIME / COST: To develop this control, indicators must be designed that establish relationships between the time spent in achieving an activity (or the goals achieved) and the expenses actually incurred.
The Status Index is one of the most used in this control, it provides information about: time / cost ratio for a given date, time and cost for program completion, areas that present critical conditions, among others. Its mathematical expression is defined like this:
SI = (DR / DP) * (P / GR)
Where:
SI: Status Index; DR: actual duration; DP: programmed duration; P: budget; GR: actual expenditure.
If the index result is 1.00, the project is said to proceed according to plan and schedule; while, a result less than 1.00 will represent a delay and vice versa with a result greater than 1.00.
The fact of making a good control in the projects, leads to a better use and a better use of both physical and financial resources, including human resources. This indicates the importance that this part of management should have in any type of project, which is why the implementation of a structure aimed at improving monitoring and control should be sought, with a view to optimizing resources and minimizing losses.
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