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By The Book
Dr. Andrew Makar is an IT program manager and is the author of the Microsoft Project Made Easy series. For more project management advice, visit the website TacticalProjectManagement.com.
The project control book is a simple, often overlooked tool that helps you keep track of critical project documents, status, issues and other action items. It can go a long way to improving stakeholder communications, be it a formal meeting or random encounter. Here’s how to set up and maintain a good one.
Have you seen the Capital One credit card television commercials that end with the tag line “What’s in Your Wallet.” A recent commercial features a barbarian horde pillaging consumer credit ratings only to be thwarted with the Capital One credit card. This visual often reminds me of project managers using a project control book to fend off project problems and overcome project barriers.
During project delivery, project managers are assaulted with a barrage of questions, concerns, issues and problems that require a prompt response. The project control book is an often overlooked and simple tool that helps the project manager keep track of critical project documents, status, key communications, decisions, and other project control documents. In its simplest form, the project control book is a three-ring binder with different tabs to separate key project documents and allow the project manager to quickly access project information.
The basic format for a project control book includes the following tabs or sections:
1. Project Scope
a. Project Charter …
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