Project Controls Manager interview questions needed

Dieter,



I understand your point BUT in your company the PCM is doing something wrong when he spends most of his time in scheduling.



Sometimes the PCM creates so complicated way of scheduling and reporting that not ONLY the planners, BUT He waste all the time in feeding the schedule and processing.



Where is the time for: analysis, assessing What-If scenarios and communicating the date forecast to the people that can take an action to change the future.



OLIVER is trying to point out that PCM can not be all the time scheduling.



Cheers

Hi Oliver,

the best basis for misunderstandings is no clear definitions of the terms. In the company I work for, a PCM among others creates and maintains schedules, and provides the required reporting inclusive performance measurement. In addition he may represent the PM and has a right for veto if there are not realistic scope of work, dates or budgets. This is quite powerful and requires some managerial behaviour. It’s much more than a scheduler, but he has to work with Primavera as well. It is not the team leader.

In other companies it may be different.

It depends on your team’s size and how it is staffed, if you only schedule the workload of your team or you have to work as a planner as well.

Regards

Dieter

Dieter,



The schedule is the right tool for project controls, but the PCM should manage the workload and procedures that planners work to.



The only thing a PCM needs to schedule is the workload of his team.



Regards,



Oliver

It all boils down to what he knows about:

1. Role of a PCM?

2. His knowledge of Integrated Cost & Schedule Control

3. Earned Value Analysis (as Clive has said)

4. Problem solving approach

5. Work attitude as part of a Team



R. Catalan

Oliver



I guess that is a pitfall of a Planning manager.. that he gets too much involved in creating schedules rather than managing his planners..

Oliver

It’s a question of title I assume. PCM is not necessary the Head of Department, but as his position is very important and is staffed with some power inside the project, we have this title.

What should be the tool for project controls if not the schedule?

Regards

Dieter

Dieter,



What do the planners do if the planning manager is planning?



Regards,



Oliver

Hi Daniel

With this wording I agree. Sorry for misunderstanding - it’s the difference between native and foreign language.



Hi Oliver

In the company I work for, a Project Controls Manager has to create and maintain schedules. We have P3e/P6 as a mainline - with some projects in P3 and MSP due to customer’s wish as well. So P3e or P3 is a requirement and I test it.

Regards

Dieter

Tis but a stones throw.

Also, I don’t think it is neceassary for a planning manager to know how to plan on P5.



A nice to have, but not a requirement.

Dieter,



I think you have taken the question very literally, every body knows that nobody can predict the future, let me re-phrase it. I think the essence of the question is what will you do (measures you need to do)as a Project Controls Manager to complete the project on time and on budget.



Cheers mate

Daniel

Oliver



GOOD LUCK!



Dieter

I would sit him at a PC, open a real project in Primavera and let him evaluate this project. He would be informed, this is the test database and so no risk to destroy anything.

By this I can see:

- Aquainted to use Primavera

- Which aspects are important for him

- How is his strategy in unknown projects.

- Does he realize strengths and weaknesses.

It would be some discussion on those items --> How does he react - or she, of course.



To Daniel:

"guarantee fulfillment of work schedule and complete the project within budget". A candidate who would say so, would not be hired. CntrlsMgr has to indicate, were are deviations, risks and to show ways out of the dilemma, but he isn’t able to guarantee for the future.

Regards

Dieter

I’m moving to a new job at Oxford next week, but i have noticed that my profile has changed from Chesire to Merseyside?



Don’t know why?

Good questions would be to ask them,



’How he/she would ensure that they provided the available project control resources to dispatch the tender and contract project requirements?’



’Whether or not they feel enterprise level planning software is required to meet the demands of modern day project driven organisations?’



’Do they believe a functional/weak/strong matrix management practice is better for controlling their project controllers, planners and estiamtors?’



’Do they prefer Back to the Future 1, 2 or 3?’

An ideal and appropriate question i have in mind would be:



As a Project Controls Manager, What measures would you do or undertake to guarantee fulfillment of work schedule and complete the project within budget?

What are the early warning signs you look for when reviewing progress against the schedule, both on a project by project and at an enterprise level?