Personnel changes are a fact of life. In project controls, this can sometimes mean being thrown into the middle of a major project. Understandably there will be a lot of questions: What are the priorities? Who knows what? What is the timeline? How are we doing on the budget?
Such questions need answered while taking care of the immediate needs of the project. Here's how to deal with immediate pressures while gradually gaining enough understanding to take the project through to completion.
1.) Ask, Look, and Learn
When you enter a large project that is already in progress, there are so many details involved. Naturally, there will be lots of questions. Don’t assume anything. You don’t know what you don’t know. You may have been given a short summary by the project manager (PM) or an executive. But who is to say how accurate it really is? It may have been weeks since a Project Controls Specialist was on duty and the last one may have left under bad circumstances.
Your first duty is to find out everything you can about the project as quickly as possible. That can only be done by asking lots of questions, by looking at the project in the real world to see if what you are being told matches reality and learning all you can.
As a part of this, become acquainted with the scope and any contracts currently executed. These documents will give you an understanding of the exact scope, deliverables, key dates, and major stakeholders.
2.) Focus on the Schedule, the Budget, and Personnel
Beyond what the project is and its overall goal, there are three core areas that rank above all others:
Schedule
The project will have a timeline. Are you ahead of schedule overall or behind? What are the time expectancies for the next sections of the project? Is there anything such as slow delivery of components, equipment, or manpower that might cause delays? Are there any immediate bottlenecks or issues that are slowing things down?
A big part of your job is to guide the project through to completion with due regard to time expectancy. After all, there may be bonuses for early completion or penalties for being late. Review and analyze the current schedule to get an understanding on how everything flows and if there may be any opportunities for adjustments.
Budget
Every project has a budget. In longer projects, there may be more leeway on costs. Nevertheless, project controls has as a primary task of keeping tight reins on costs and informing stakeholders about unforeseen expenses, expected or needed increases in the budget, and anything else that might have financial repercussions.
Personnel
There may be hundreds or even thousands of people working on any given project. Establishing proper communication protocol is crucial, and as a main contributor to the project it’s essential to get to know the key contacts. This will include making the PM the primary contact.
Know that there will also be supervisors over the different aspects of the project (i.e., Development, Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Start-up & Commissioning, etc.) that are integral to project success. Each resource should be able to support your understanding of the current progress on their scope and communicate any challenges they may be facing.
3.) Address Immediate Challenges
On a large project, it can take months to become familiar with the scope. Before trying to dive in without first gaining an understand of where everything stands, it is best to focus on critical action items that require immediate attention.
Every project has its obstacles, some more serious than others. In project controls, we must be able to prioritize action items and address challenges appropriately. If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority.
When attempting to prioritize your list of action items, keep the method simple: What is the task? When is it needed? How long will it take? Who does it impact? Who else is responsible?
Everything in project controls revolves around the little things (details). Treat the daily tasks as part of the learning process, but don’t forget to spend time getting a grip of the big picture. Otherwise, you may spend a week overanalyzing an issue that is nowhere near the critical path.
4.) Working with a Veteran Hands-On Project Manager
Some PMs are highly experienced and have spent their career working in the many different aspects of major projects. They intimately know the technical details of the work being performed and can distinguish between real delays and excuses.
Such a PM should be able to set you on the right track from day one. They’ll know the immediate priorities, the information they are lacking, and who to contact. Spend as much time as you can with this person, but don’t slow them down by pestering them all day long - they don’t have the time. Instead, find out what they need, deliver that to them promptly, and the learning process will greatly accelerate.
Also keep the PM well informed of your activities. Many will want to be cc’d on any correspondence you generate related to the project. That said, some prefer fewer emails as their inboxes are inundated. Stay agile and adjust to their specific needs. Watch, listen, and learn.
5.) Working with a New or Less Hands-On PM
Not all PM styles are the same. Some PM’s are green (no experience) and don’t yet have a firm grip on the responsibilities or techniques utilized for managing projects.
Others may have experience but prefer a more administrative role that sticks to basic coordination, has less of a hand on the schedule, and moves along on budget without delving into the nitty gritty. They like to stay high-level or birds-eye view.
Unlike a hands-on PM, they are less interested in granular details like how many welds are done per day or how many linear feet of pipe went into the ground. In this case, it is up to you to learn the fine points of engineering and construction inside out so you can provide recommendations on how to adjust things, determine how changes might impact the schedule and the financials, and facilitate coordination to resolve problems. This kind of PM will look to their Project Controls Specialist for guidance, and you need to be prepared.
From development all the way to construction and closeout, a Project Controls Specialist must understand every facet of the project, its various processes, who to engage to properly manage each area, and be a viable resource for items related to the schedule and/or cost.
Become indispensable to the PM by being the most resourceful Project Controls Specialist you can be.
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