When companies implement project controls or project control systems, they typically focus on mega and large projects—those over $50 million. But here’s what often gets overlooked: not all companies execute mega projects, yet the sum of all their small and medium projects (under $50 million) can easily equal or exceed one large or mega project in total value.

The challenge? Mega and large projects typically have dedicated project offices staffed with project managers, construction managers, planners, schedulers, cost controllers, and contract management teams. Small projects don’t have budgets to support dedicated offices, so one team must execute multiple small projects simultaneously to remain cost-effective. This leads to understaffed project offices and a shift from true project management to basic project reporting.

According to PMI, a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result with a defined beginning, end, specific goals, and constraints like budget, time, and resources. A project must always be controlled based on standard processes and procedures—irrespective of size.

The reality on small projects is that budgets are managed at the project level while forecasting and progress are tracked at more granular levels. Most software systems require users to capture all data at the same level of detail, creating unnecessary work just to maintain the system. This is why many small projects end up managed in Excel, with results transferred to ERP systems for reporting. Another issue is that most project management systems require creating separate projects on a one-to-one basis, forcing users to open 35-50 projects individually—consuming more time than actually capturing data on changes, commitments, actuals, progress, and forecasts.

What if there’s a better way? What if you could treat a group of small projects as one program, where each project equals one cost code? Imagine managing budgets and changes at the project level, capturing actuals and commitments at purchase order and contract level, tracking progress at scope item level, forecasting at any required detail level, running full earned value management at the project level, and comparing project forecasts against annual financial budgets. While ERP systems allow some of this functionality, critical functions like progressing, detailed forecasting, and loading potential and pending changes aren’t available—hence the reliance on Excel.

This session explores how to move beyond spreadsheets and implement robust project controls for small projects without creating excessive overhead. You’ll discover practical strategies for structuring efficient small project offices, applying consistent control processes, and leveraging technology that works the way you actually manage projects—not the other way around.

Here’s what you’ll gain by attending this session:

• Understand why the collective value of small and medium projects often equals or exceeds mega projects—and why they deserve proper controls.
• Learn the ideal staff composition for cost-effectively managing multiple small projects simultaneously.
• Discover why traditional software systems create unnecessary work and drive teams to manage small projects in Excel instead.
• Explore strategies for treating groups of small projects as one program while managing budgets, commitments, and progress at appropriate levels of detail.
• Learn about software solutions that enable consistent management and reporting for small projects without the overhead of traditional systems.

Presentation Category: Project/Program Management

Competency Level: Intermediate