Project Management For Dummies, 4th Edition

Chapter 12

Tracking Progress and Maintaining Control

In This Chapter

Keeping track of how the project plan compares to actual performance

Using information systems to track scheduling, work effort, and expenditures

Implementing your control process and taking corrective actions

Managing changes responsibly

A sad reality for many projects is that although they’re born accompanied by high hopes and expectations, they die amid frustration and disappointment. Your project plans represent visions that you believe will work; however, those plans don’t implement themselves automatically, and they can’t predict the future with certainty.

Successful projects require continued care and management to ensure that they follow their plans correctly and, in turn, produce the desired results. When unexpected situations occur, you, as the project manager, must react promptly to adjust your efforts and keep your project on track.

This chapter discusses the steps in the project control process and focuses on the systems and techniques you can use to collect, analyze, and report on schedule performance, ...