Project Management And Contract Management: Key Readings

Mandatory Readings

·         Smith Chapters 8, 9, & 10

·         QLD Dept. Transport and Main Roads. 2017. Project cost estimating manual

·         AS 4915-2002 Project management – General conditions

Optional Readings

Following Websites

·         Australian Commonwealth Government Procurement Rules

·         Victorian Government Procurement Rules

·         WA Government Procurement Rules

·         NSW Government Procurement Rules

·         QLD Government Procurement Transformation

Planning is one of the most important tasks in the timeline of a project. The resources, such as programmers must be active throughout the project life cycle. These programmers have a significant role and importance in the contractual stages and phases of a project along with the determination of feasibility. 

The information on the project costs and the variance levels can be obtained with the aid of influence curve. Influence is made up of the revisions done in a project along with the uncertainties; time lost, specific handling of the issues, and further costs. Gap analysis techniques, such as Earned Value Analysis is carried out to identify the areas not performing well and the ones that may need management intervention.

Ahimbisibwe, A., Muhwezi, M., & Nangoli, S. (2012). Outsourced contracts, buyer-supplier trust, supplier opportunistic behavior and supplier performance in ugandan public procuring and disposing entities (PDEs). Journal Of Public Procurement, 12(4), 435-470. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jopp-12-04-2012-b001

Budgeting is one of the primary activities and shall be controlled since the initial stages. It shall be performed with the aid of bar graphs and other charts. The network analysis may be done through precedence diagram or arrow diagrams. Change management can be efficiently carried out through the use of precedence diagrams.

Control reports must be prepared to keep track of the project deviations and standards. The level of adherence to the customer specifications and business case shall be included in these reports along with the other terms of agreement.

Girth, A. (2014). Strengthening Contract Management Capacity to Ensure Accountability. Journal Of Public Administration Research And Theory, 24(3), 795-799. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mut055

Resources engaged with the project shall be tracked and updated at a regular basis. Precedence networking shall be used in the process of resource allocation and balancing. The network must be constantly tracked and updated with the latest resourcing details.

Change management in the projects and in the business organizations can be carried out through the automated systems and applications that have been specifically designed for this purpose.

Mamavi, O., Meier, O., & Zerbib, R. (2017). How do strategic networks influence awarding contract? Evidence from French public procurement. International Journal Of Public Sector Management, 30(4), 357-369. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijpsm-05-2016-0091

Project controlling activities shall be based on the estimated project values that are calculated during initial planning stages. The main resource that shall be responsible and accountable for controlling the project shall be the Project Manager.

There is a specific process that has been defined for change management in the projects. Different project management methodologies have different mechanisms for this process. The usual approach comprises of certain phases in a linear sequential order for the management of the changes. These include planning, management & control, and closure.

The difference in the actual and estimated values may be obtained through variance analysis on the aspects of cost, scope, and schedule. The performance indexes in these three areas may also be used and calculated to understand the level of variance.

Effective communication and risk management are also the approaches that assist the business organizations to effectively handle the changes. It is because the organizations are aware and prepared of the circumstances in advance. The managers and resources have the readiness to accept the changes that may come up and also have the set of adequate guidelines that may be used for the purpose of managing the changes and modifications. There shall also be change requests with a fixed template that shall be used for change initiation and its tracking.

Rasheli, G. (2016). Procurement contract management in the local government authorities (LGAs) in Tanzania. International Journal Of Public Sector Management, 29(6), 545-564. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijpsm-10-2015-0173