Project Control

Control, the act of reducing differences between plan and actuality, is the final element in the planning-monitoring-controlling cycle. Monitoring and comparing activities with plan, and reporting these findings is to no avail if actions are not taken when reality devi­ates significantly from what was planned. In fact, the simple act of noting and reporting

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Designing the Project Control System

When designing the control system, there are certain helpful guidelines to keep in mind. For instance, the primary purpose of the control system is to correct error, not to identify and punish the guilty. Managers must realize that the past cannot be changed, no matter how loudly they yell. Moreover, investment in the control

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Project Evaluation

The term “evaluate” means to set the value of or appraise. A project evaluation appraises the progress and performance relative to the project’s initial or revised plan. The evalu­ation also appraises the project against the goals and objectives set for it during the selec­tion process—amended, of course, by any changes in the goals and

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Scope Creep and Project Change Control

If midcourse changes in the project specifications are not controlled, the following are typical results: a newspaper front-page headline reading “Stadium costs soaring;” an article on an inner page stating that “Change orders . . . are one of the most common sources of waste and fraud during projects, experts say;” and a quote

Project Auditing

A very special type of evaluation is the formal audit. The project audit is a thorough exami­nation of the management of a project, its methodology and procedures, its records, proper­ties, inventories, budgets, expenditures, progress, and so on. The project audit is not a financial audit, but is far broader in scope and may deal

Project Closure

Eventually the project is closed, either quickly or slowly, but the manner in which it is closed out will have a major impact on the quality of life in the organization. PMBOK refers to this as “project closure” which is covered in PMBOK’s Chapter 4 on Integration. Occasionally, the way project closure is managed

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Evolution of the PMI Model

PMI was founded in 1969 by a group of industry professionals who believed that a professional focus on project management processes was the right strategic answer for improving the manage­ment of projects. That view was further defined in 1975 with their goal statement to foster recognition of the need for professionalism in project management;

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Ancillary Standards and Certifications

PMI continues to provide knowledge and leadership in the standards and certification of project management principles. Beyond the PMP certification these are various other focus areas and certifications sponsored by PMI and all are internationally recognized. Details on these initia­tives can be found at www.pmi.org. Each of the professional certification initiatives impinge on some

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Structure of the PMBOK® Guide Model

Figure 3.2 shows a high-level view of the five major life cycle process groups defined by the PMBOK® Guide. The high-level groupings are as follows: Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and controlling Closing The flow arrows in Figure 3.2 imply that the five major phases are executed somewhat serially; however, the actual workflow is more

Logistics Defined

The word logistics traces its origin to the Greek word logistikos and the Latin word logisticus, mean­ing the science of computing and calculating. In ancient times, the term was frequently used in connection with the art of moving armies and supplies of food and armaments to the war front. The use of this word

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Scope of Logistics

As against the old concept, which was restricted to the army, logistics has gained recognition in business organizations as an important business function and as a tool for developing competi­tiveness. To an organization how it delivers products and services to the customers—whether the product may be tangible or intangible—is of critical importance. The effective

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Logistics – A System Concept

In a manufacturing enterprise, the business process starts with the flow of material from the sup­pliers to the manufacturing plant and then to the customer through the distribution channel. Traditionally, in the functional organization, the business process consists of discrete activities such as procurement, manufacturing, and distribution under the control of the respective depart­ments.

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Customer Value Chain from Logistics

In recent years, the following three forces have changed the perspectives on logistics: Globalization Focus on supply chain management Outsourcing of non-core-competency functional areas The entire world has become a global village for the marketers because of the liberalization of economies of countries and the emergence of World Trade Organization (WTO), which is forcing

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Logistics Functions

Logistics is a process of movement of goods across the supply chain of a company. However, this pro­cess consists of various functions that have to be properly managed to bring effectiveness and efficiency to the supply chain of the organization. The major logistical functions are shown in Figure 1.2. 1. Order Processing It is

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Logistics for Business Excellence

Logistics is an information-based process of material movement from a supplier to the manufacturer and to the customers. Hence, for business excellence, logistics operations need to be integrated on the following two fronts: Integration of logistics into the business Integration of components of logistics Any business process consists of a set of activities that

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Objectives of Logistics Management

The primary objective of a logistics system is to move the inventory in a supply chain effectively and efficiently to extend the desired level of customer service at the least cost. To achieve this, the following subsets of the above broader objective need to be achieved: 1. Inventory Reduction Inventory is the biggest culprit

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Logistics Solution

Traditionally, manufacturing organizations used to have their in-house logistics departments taking care of all aspects of logistics from the source of raw materials to the delivery of finished products to the customer. But logistics is not the area of core competency of manufacturing or trading organi­zations. Hence, this job needs to be handed over

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Logistics Future

Today corporations are looking for a sustainable competitive advantage not for growth alone for but also for survival. The killing competition is compelling corporations to review their business processes to deliver the products and services to the customers, who are more demanding and looking for the value for money they are spending. Today competition

Customer Service for Competitiveness

Customer service is a set of activities and programs designed and implemented by a business firm to make the buying experience more rewarding. These activities enhance the value of a product or service the customer gets from the seller. Customer service is the most important dimension of product/service offerings to the customer. Value-added customer

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Customer Service Phases

Customer service is the measure of how logistics is creating the time and place utility for a product. The meaning of customer service varies with the organization, the product it is marketing, and the transaction phase it is undergoing. The buyer looks for value for the money he is spending, while the seller, in

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