Eskom Procurement Book 2015

PURCHASING ANALYSIS TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

• Identify areas where other projects (current or future) should be managed differently. • Keep client(s) informed of project status. This can also help ensure that the completed project will meet the needs of the client. • Reaffirm the organisation’s commitment to the project for the benefit of project team members. The who/what/when status provides a good/simple means of communicating small projects/concerns/issues on a day-to-day scale. It is also used to pull out certain tasks from MS Project to summarise for a high-level meeting where MS Project might be in too great a detail or confusing. An example of the who/ what/when status is the Master DOT system used by General Motors. It shows whether or not a task will be completed on the due date. The following gives the description of the letters used: • Green (G) signifies will be completed by the due date. • Yellow (Y*)* signifies it may not be completed by the due date or will not be completed on time but does not delay the project completion (not on Critical Path). • Red (R)* is not expected to be completed by the due date and will delay the project. Corrective action investigation should take place on any task that is Yellow or Red. An extremely useful and simple tool for maintaining project control is the daily project log. This takes the form of a blank notebook or a word document on a computer. The purpose of the log is to keep a daily record of key decisions made, key issues that need to be resolved and suggested action plans, action items, key problems that need to be resolved, dates for resolution, responsibilities, etc. An issue can be defined as a matter of debate (or sometimes a point of contention). It can also be a matter for resolution. An issue can adversely affect the duration, cost, quality and outcome of a project. An activity on the other hand is an element of work performed during the course of a project to further the completion of a project. An activity can become an issue if the activity is not carried out according to plan and threatens to cause a delay to the completion of the project or which may result in additional costs and/or time. An ‘Issues Log’ should be used when the project manager receives information from a member of the project team or customer identifying a programme issue. It is the responsibility of the project manager to ensure that all critical issues are recorded in an Issues Log, having received the information from a programme member, customer or having identified it him/herself. In consultation with the

8.7.3 PROJECT STATUS AND THE DAILY LOG

8.7.4 ISSUES MANAGEMENT

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