Progress Measurement

2463 Words5 Pages

1. ABSTRACT The success of any project is accomplished when the success criteria of that project are met. Progress measurement is a technique used to measure the success of projects by comparing the actual status of the project against certain planned parameters, which are the cost, schedule, and scope or quality. It has been noticed that several projects fail because the absence of good practices in managing small projects in part of the petrochemical industry. This study analyzes and assesses the current practice and recommends other methods that could be followed to improve the progress measurement and reporting situation. 2. INTRODUCTION 2.1. Statement of the Problem There has been always a debate about the accuracy of the reports when the progress of small projects is presented. Those projects are mainly managed by non-structured project management teams like maintenance or operations personnel. Lack of use of basic project management principles throughout the project life cycle is the main cause of this problem. In several cases, project progress is not reported at all or reported inaccurately with no basis. As a result, project status becomes unclear causing the budget to overrun or schedule to suffer. In principle, project success is defined as the completion of an activity within the constraints of time, cost and performance. However, in the absence of proper progress measurement methodologies, there is no way to measure the success of projects. That is definitely a sort of deviation from the business strategic objectives that were set by the stakeholders for capital investment. 2.2. Study Objectives This study aims to improve the viability of the project outcomes by introducing a set of project progress meas... ... middle of paper ... ...s to delays in project closure which in turn makes the project status reports look unpleasant and project team appear unproductive. 2.6. Problem Root Cause Analysis Most of the problems are caused by different factors which vary in their impact on the project cost, schedule or scope. In the discussion of section 1.5, the root causes that affect the efficiency of projects can be concluded as follows: During Planning a. Clarity of scope b. Accuracy of cost estimates c. Absence of economic analysis d. Inexperienced project team e. Absence of project schedule f. Influence of senior management During Execution g. Lack of ownership by end users h. Lack of consistency in managing projects i. Absence of unified progress measurement system j. Low accuracy of status reporting During Closing k. Accountability of project team and end users in project close-out

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