Project Audit Flashcards
What are the factors with key drivers such as time, cost, quality and risk?
Time – time certainty, speed
Cost – cost certainty, minimal costs, value/whole life costing
Quality – value, control of quality
Risk – client assigned vs contractor assigned risk
Give examples of external impacts that could affect a project?
Political/economic – Brexit, inflation, war
Legal – change in building regulations
What can be the reasons for client change during a project?
Strategic
Change of requirement
Economic
Unclear brief from the start
What are common causes of project failure?
HUMAN FAILURES
- Lack of clear methodology (no PEP)
- Lack of clear business objectives
- Changes to brief
- Lack of understanding scope (tenderers!)
- Lack of whole life perspective – short sighted on delivery only
Lack of leadership
- No team structure
- unrealistic timeframes
- lack of resource
- poor financial planning
Poor communication
What can be the key to a successful job?
- Clear objectives and goals
- Clear outline of roles and responsibility
- Clear PEP and communication plan
- Collaboration and motivation
How do you know if a project was a success?
It can be a success if it achieves the objectives within an agreed timescale and budget
What can success be measured on?
Cost, time, quality, safety
Benefits, satisfaction
Cost reductions (greater efficiencies), value
Environmental, political
What is involved in lessons learnt workshops? How is this information recorded? Is there a guidance note on this?
Clear agenda
Should be reviews built into programme (not just after!)
Key to do workshop whilst still fresh/team together
If lessons learnt – make sure you include in risk management
RICS lessons learnt
What is included in a project close out/final completion report?
Review of objectives vs what happened
Overview of feedback
How could this be improved?
Key lessons learnt
Have you done any CPD on this?
Learning lessons from project failures and successes RICS CPD
What is economic upheaval?
Change in the economy – can cause instability e.g. Brexit, interest rates, exchange rate etc.
Why are lessons learnt workshops often not held?
No time, move on to the next job, People don’t like admitting mistakes
Focus only on things done well
What are ERs?
Typically used on D&B projects or on traditional contracts where the contractor is to design a discrete part of the works (contractor design portion?).
They provide a description of the client’s requirements, including the spec for the building, the scope of services required from the contractor and allocation of risk for unknown items.
Defines the success of the project.
How do these compare to CPs?
CPs are prepared in response to the ERs. These present the contractor’s suggested approach for designing and constructing the building along with their price.
Once the CPs are received, there will be a period of negotiation to address any inconsistencies between the CP and ERs until there is an agreement.
What are the drivers of a project?
Time, Cost, Quality, Sustainability, H&S
What are lessons learnt?
A chance to identify strengths and weaknesses of project delivery process, new or revised procedures, changes to project structure, improvements to quality and timing of information, new ideas/ innovation, closure.
When should you review lessons learnt?
Project process should be reviewed throughout the project at key milestones. For example, you might review the project process at each Riba Stage. Taking any lessons learnt to the next period of the project. A lessons learnt meeting can be undertaken any time, but it is always useful to sit down with the project team at the end of the project to review the project as a whole to understand what improvements you can take forwards on to next projects.
What are critical success factors?
PM needs to manage expectations as the teams CSF’s may differ.
- Remember T, Q, C triangle
- Safety and environmental record needs to be maintained and sustainability objectives achieved.
- Stakeholder engagement, communication and conflict.
What can cause project failure?
- Project initiation and planning
- Governance (lack of ownership, leadership, procedural issues, avoidance)
- People (behaviours, relationships, changes, teamwork, communication, motivation, attitudes)
- Technical (brief, resource, finance and procurement)
How is success defined?
Everyone involved I the planning and development of a project from the core team through to the broad range of stakeholders will likely have their own view on what constitutes a successful project. The standard definition is the achievement of project objectives.
On time, on budget, to quality – Did it meet these parameters? However these aren’t the only parameters to judge a project on.
Can you give me an example when you have carried out a review during a project?
to be answered.
What does the RICS lessons learnt guidance note say?
to be answered.
what changes did you make to the original process of the change management?
To be answered.
What is scope?
- The totality of the outputs, outcomes and benefits and the work required to produce them. It is the scope of work that is the deciding factor as to whether it will be managed as a project, programme or portfolio.
