What does it mean to keep a project under control? How is a project controlled?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Throughout a project, effective project managers monitor the progress a project is making toward completion. Performance, cost, and time, the three aspects of a project, all need to be monitored and controlled in order to ensure project success. Project control and monitoring involves gathering and appraising information on how the project's activities compare with the project plan. Actual progress is tracked against the performance measures established in the project plan. These performance measures help a project manager assess how time, money, and other resources have been used to produce the expected outcomes. Costs can also get out of control when the project costs are not watched closely and corrective cost control was not exercised in time. By closely monitoring the performance measures associated with the project, an alert project manager can be prepared to respond quickly to deviations in order to keep the project on track and under control. Though very few projects have not had their goals and objectives modified in some way or another from their beginning to the end, careful project control enables a project manager to minimize the effects of these changes on the overall project.