The Role
of the project controls specialistDuring a project you are expected to forecast the end point accurately.
When a project deviates from plan action must be taken immediately to avoid cost and schedule overruns. Project controls specialists fulfil a vital role in identifying the causes of deviation early on. Changes to the project scope must be controlled and the impacts assessed immediately. Expenditure needs to be controlled at the time of commitment, long before the invoices are received. Accounting systems are typically not designed to control and forecast costs in line with work breakdown structures and project schedules – you need specialised tools.
Analysis
and reportingProject controls specialists need to be skilled in analysing large amounts of data.
- Much of the data collected on a project is not needed to make good decisions.
- Not all of the information on a typical project is structured the way you need.
- Some data overlaps, is combined or is aggregated making detailed analysis difficult.
- Some data is often received too late to take corrective action.
You need to produce simple reports that everyone can understand that shows exactly what has been committed so far and where the project will end up.
Good Process
and flexible toolsTo control and forecast projects effectively you need good processes and suitable software tools.
- At a stretch very small projects can be managed on spreadsheets. This can be a frustrating exercise.
- Medium size projects definitely need some form of database and data analysis tools.
- You cannot manage a large or global scale mega-project without specialised software designed for this purpose.
- There are several tools on the market. At the foundation, Costrac is by far the most flexible and adaptable solution. Combined with ePimms, Prosys and Epicentre the PACE suite covers all aspects of project management and cost engineering.
Know
where you're goingStay ahead of the game
With PACE software you can expect to be more proactive in controlling your projects. All without frustrating days and nights assembling cost reports from manual systems and badly designed spreadsheets. With this comes decision clarity and your projects are delivered on time and on budget.
Understand
the problemPACE and our partners understand project controls and cost engineering
Our first products were developed over 20 years ago and have been enhanced ever since. We have developed the software to support best practice processes that have been proven over and over again. Our customers include the most successful energy, mining, petrochemical, construction and manufacturing companies, who have all contributed their experience to enhancing the products.
Find out more
We can help you with your decision as to what tool is right for you.
- You will find a lot of information on this website and our team of experts are available to help you.
- We can give you access to our Costrac demo system that will allow you to run many scenarios right now. Our demo system is hosted in the cloud and you can use your web browser anywhere you have an internet connection.
- We can help you with the business case to motivate the purchase.