Measuring and evaluation is an important step in the project management process. It involves evaluating the key performance indicators to establish the extent to which the project has achieved each key performance indicator (Bryde, Lettice & Wickes, 2008). The measurement process is important to the project management process for various reasons. First, it enhances the cost-effectiveness of the project by ensuring that it is consistently executed within the set budget and time. Through the step, the manager can notice any discrepancy in cost and therefore institute corrective measures to rectify the situation and maintain the project within budget. Secondly, measuring performance ensures that the project is completed within the scheduled time. Evaluating the achievements of scheduled milestones is important in ensuring that each step is accomplished at the right time, which guarantees the completion of the project within the timeline set. Besides, the process provides the much-needed feasibility that supports efficient budgeting decisions and overall process control. Lastly, it enables the manager to establish priorities in process improvements (Bryde, Lettice & Wickes, 2008). The manager can identify areas that need immediate improvement in so that the schedules and timelines remain uninterrupted.
Project performance can be measured using various parameters. The measurement is carried out by establishing the key performance indicators and the target for each key performance indicator. The most common key performance indicators used include schedules and budgets (Bryde, Lettice & Wickes, 2008). The use of schedules involves determining the extent to which project execution has been conducted within the scheduled timelines. It further involves establishing the extent to which each milestone in the execution of the project has been carried out within the set timelines. On the other hand, the measurement of the budget involves establishing the extent to which the execution has confined itself to the provided funds at each stage (Bryde, Lettice & Wickes, 2008). Other indicators include quality deliverables and the speed of resolving emerging issues during execution.
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The schedule is a great determinant of the entire cost of the project. The alignment is a significant way of managing the entire cost and upholding the desired quality. First, the budget must be linked with the schedule so that funds are released sequentially and wastages minimized. The cost of completing each milestone within the schedule is estimated and stipulated within the project budget. Therefore, confining within the schedule enables the manager to be confined to the budget. Secondly, the cost of executing considers both the variable as well as the fixed cost. While the fixed costs are not often affected when a project is not aligned to the scheduled, failing to confine within the set schedule may greatly affect the variable costs of executing that project (Faregh, Ketabi & Ghandehari, 2014). For instance, the cost of labor as a variable cost within the execution framework is likely to increase tremendously should the budget be extended beyond the scheduled time. Therefore, confining within the schedule enables the management of cost as estimated within budgeting.
Merging scheduled activities within project management is another way in which adherence to schedule affects the overall cost of the project. In some cases, the manager may see the need to merge different scheduled activities in the venture resulting in a reduction of cost and time. Merging is often done when the manager perceives that a given step in the project management process has been greatly delayed beyond schedule. Therefore, merging demonstrates the relationship between adherence to schedule and the cost of the entire project (Faregh, Ketabi & Ghandehari, 2014). It shows that execution within the stipulated schedule enables the project manager to confine himself or herself to the stipulated budget. As such, adherence to the project has a close correlation with the management of cost in implementation and overall management.
The scope of a project outlines the exact deliverables that need to be achieved for it to be considered complete. The scope covers project goals, features, deliverables, deadlines, tasks, functions, and overall cost that will guarantee the proper function and success of the venture (Madhuri, 2017). It is important for the manager to confine the execution within the scope set or the permissible extremes considering possible inflation or unforeseen interruptions. Any deviation from the deliverables is referred to as scope creep. The danger of scope creep is that it takes the project out of the stipulated budget and time schedules (Madhuri, 2017). As such, the leader should endeavor to minimize scope creep.
The project managers can avoid scope creep in several ways. First, they can do so by clarifying the goals and missions to all stakeholders. The strategy is useful in ensuring that all team members are aware of the roles and duties and are equally empowered with relevant skills and training where necessary. Scope creep normally occurs when the scope is unclear, or some stakeholders are unaware of their roles or unprepared to execute their duties. Sometimes, other stakeholders may demand what is beyond the project scope. Similarly, the lack of a clear understanding of the scope makes the manager susceptible to unwarranted demands from other stakeholders resulting in deviation and subsequent creep (Madhuri, 2017). Therefore, clarifying the scope of the project is an important step in avoiding scope creep.
Secondly, understanding project requirements are critical in avoiding scope creep in project management. From the onset, the manager must be clear on the specific deliverables required for it to be completed. These deliverables must be broken down to specific tasks and each task scheduled within a specific timeline. This understanding of deliverables and the subsequent breakdown into tasks will enable the manager to confine the execution within the scope and budget (Madhuri, 2017). Moreover, the manager must include the process of changing the scope within the established management framework. The process must outline the circumstances under which scope change can be requested and the people authorized to request it. It should also limit the number of people authorized to request a change in scope as well as the number of people authorized to approve the requested changes in scope. These approaches among others will enable the manager to confine within the scope of a given project and hence avoid the tendencies of scope creep.
Quality in project management refers to the ability of the project to meet the requirements of the customer. The manager must ensure that the venture meets the specifications outlined by the customer and generally fit for the intended purpose (Basu, 2014). Several factors could compromise the quality of a project. However, the major factor relates to the quality of the material supplied and used in the implementation process. The manager must premise his/her budget on quality materials and skilled labor to be used.
In the event the material supplied do not meet the quality requirements of the project, several steps should be taken to assure quality while working with the supplier. First, it is important to provide the supplier with the required material specifications. At the planning stage, all the materials required for the implementation are outlined and their costs estimated. Moreover, it is important for the project manager to outline the specifications of the materials. In cases where the supplied material does not meet the standards, the manager must share with the supplier detailed specifications of the material to be supplied (Basu, 2014). This will enable the supplier to reassess their materials and hence provide the required specifications for the material.
Secondly, the manager should develop a quality assurance material checklist. This checklist should contain the various requirements that need to be inspected by both the implementation team as well as the supplier. The supplier can use this checklist to countercheck the specifications as well as other quality parameters of the material being supplied for the project implementation (Basu, 2014). Moreover, the checklist should be used by the project execution team to countercheck the adherence to specifications and other quality parameters in the material supplied to be used in the project. Therefore, this quality assurance checklist will be critical in working with the suppliers to uphold the quality of the project. Lastly, the manager can suggest specific tests to be conducted on the material by the supplier before supply and inclusion of the certificate of conformance on these specific tests (Basu, 2014). This requirement will equally task the supplier to ensure that the material they supply pass specific quality checks that are of importance to the specific project in question. Overall, the three methods described above will be instrumental in ensuring that suppliers only supply quality material that upholds the overall quality of the project.
References
Basu, R. (2014). Managing quality in projects: An empirical study. International Journal of Project Management, 32 (1), 178-187.
Bryde, D., Lettice, F., & Wickes, M. (2008). Managing and Measuring Project Performance. Performance Management, 6 (4), 107-119.
Faregh, N., Ketabi, S., & Ghandehari, M. (2014). Project scheduling by FGP to time-cost-quality trade-off: Construction case study. Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management,4 (3), 53-59.
Madhuri, K. (2017). Introduction of scope creep lifecycle for effective scope creep management in software industries. International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering,27 (4), 557-567.
