Overview
What Project Controls Are—and Why They Matter
Project controls provide the structure, data, and insight needed to manage cost, schedule, and risk throughout a project’s lifecycle.
- The What?
What Is Project Controls?
Project Controls is the discipline of planning, tracking, analyzing, and forecasting cost, schedule, scope, and risk throughout the entire project lifecycle. It ensures that decision-makers have accurate, timely information so they can keep projects predictable, aligned, and financially stable.
In simple terms:
Project Controls gives you visibility. Visibility gives you control. Control delivers successful projects.
Through structured processes, data-driven insights, and proactive management, Project Controls helps teams prevent overruns, anticipate delays, and make informed decisions long before issues escalate.
- The Who?
Who Is Project Controls For?
Project Controls is essential for organizations managing complex, large-scale, or multi-phase projects where cost, schedule, and risk must be tightly controlled.
- The Why and Where?
Why is project controls necessary and where do we come in?
Our studies have shown that most Cost and Time Overruns occur due to Quality Issues. Why is this so? Well poor quality reworking whcih means more time and money are required to correct. Even if quality is ignored, when the next part of the work happens, this issue becomes inflated leading to more time and money later.
So, we delved into why are there Quality Issues?
We found the answer. Project Managers are overloaded. They cannot focus on the site work and spend more than 40% of their time on reporting and analysis instead of decision making and qualicty checking.
Yes, a client once challenged us and asked: but I can always hire more Project Managers. Well…
This is apart from the fact that a Project Manager costs anywhere from $100K to $150K a year while we provide the service for much less and a full team with dedicated personnel at that. Even hiring a Project Controls Specialist has a salary upwards of $125K a year.
- Benefits of Project Controls
Strong Project Controls do more than monitor performance — they actively protect your project’s success.
- Cost Predictability
Accurate tracking and forecasting ensure budgets stay aligned and overruns are caught early.
- Schedule Reliability
Critical path monitoring, look-aheads, and forecasting help teams prevent delays before they occur.
- Risk Reduction
Early identification and mitigation prevent small risks from becoming major disruptions.
- Data-Driven Decision Making
Executives, PMs, and stakeholders receive clear information — not assumptions — allowing them to act confidently.
- Improved Accountability
Standardized reporting and KPIs create transparency across teams, vendors, and leadership.
- Consistent Communication
Clear dashboards and updates ensure everyone is aligned on performance and priorities.
- Higher Project Success Rates
Fewer surprises, fewer disputes, fewer delays — and stronger financial results.
- Enhanced Stakeholder Confidence
Professional reporting builds trust with boards, investors, and clients.
- Get In Touch
See How Project Controls Add Value
Learn how project controls benefit owners, contractors, and leadership teams across complex project environments.
