We assist clients who wish to establish a formal project management system for the first time. There are certain basic principles to be followed and it's strongly preferable to establish these at the outset, which will provide a springboard for future success.

Procedure System

The procedure system is the most visible element of of the PM system. Poorly structured and badly presented procedures are a sure way to "turn off" the users.

We have a full set of procedures compliant the PMI PMBOK which may be used as the basis of developing bespoke procedures for our clients.

We will review or develop procedure systems for our Clients. Sitting with the users, we get to the bottom of what the fundamental processes are and document them in a clear and unambiguous manner. The presentation is accessible without being gimmicky (see example at right). It is strongly preferable that the procedure system should be held on line, and related procedures can be linked for ease of access.

Project Management Information System (PMIS)

The PMIS is the core of the management system.

Overwhelmingly the most popular systems are MS Office and MS Project, both of which we support. In its standard form MS Project isn't ideal since it isn't based on a proper database (in spite of what the authors might claim), and it's more akin to working with a spreadsheet in which the information is volatile. We have addressed this by programming a seamless interface in which the data is held securely in MS Access. Reporting is generally performed in Excel.

Cost control is complicated by the fact that there isn't a one-to-one relationship between the scheduling tasks (activities) and the elements used for cost estimating and control. Since MS Project lacks a true underlying database it is unsuitable for cost reporting on all but the simplest projects. We have developed a versatile cost control system called Project Cost Manager, interfaced seamlessly with MS Project, which meets the requirements encountered on most projects.

We have managed a number of our own projects using these systems and are able to use them as the basis of bespoke systems for our clients.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A fundamental requirement of any project management system is to break the work scope down into manageable elements via a WBS, which is used for both planning and cost control. Guidance on this subject is offered by the Project Management Institute, with examples for different types of project, but all organisations have their own particular requirements. The WBS should be used for all projects, so it needs to be established initially with future requirements in mind. The project cost control system interfaces with the company accounts system via a Code of Accounts.

Progress Measurement / Control

The basis for measurement of the resources required to execute a project and to track progress thereafter is a via an Earned Value Management System (EVMS). This approach has been used for some 30 years on major defence programmes but other sectors have only recently adopted the methodology. An early criticism was that the terminology (jargon) wasn't user-friendly, but this is now much improved.