The difference between a profitable project and one that is not usually lies in how often deviations are measured. We explain why weekly control works.
A pattern repeats itself: the project is controlled through monthly certificates, the deviation shows up in month three and it is already too late to correct it at no extra cost.
The problem with late control
A deviation detected after thirty days has thirty days of root cause behind it. If that root cause is labour productivity below forecast, carrying on with the same crew for another month doubles the problem.
Weekly control in practice
Every week we compare four things:
- Real physical progress by work item, measured on site
- Labour hours used against those planned
- Material consumption against the design quantity
- Active plant hire and its performance
Any deviation above 3% is analysed in that week's meeting, not at month end.
What is not cost control
Receiving the foreman's report and filing it is not controlling. Controlling means comparing, understanding the cause and making a decision: reassigning a crew, changing the method or correcting the price with the client if the change is one of scope.
Result
On the projects where we apply weekly control, the final deviation against budget stays below 2%. On those with monthly control it has historically been between 5% and 9%.