Is your glass really full?
Who doesn’t know them. The motivational story of the glass with the pebbles, the sand and the water. The large stones are filled into the jar until it is full. Following this, you are asked whether the glass is now full. Yes, it is. Now small pebbles are added to it. Is the glass full now? Yes, isn’t it? Stop! There’s still something there. Now sand is filled, it slides through the stones and fills all the gaps. But it’s full now, isn’t it? No. Water is emptied into the glass in a vivid manner. What do we learn from this? The order of filling is crucial. If you fill small pebbles to the brim first, no more large stones will fit.
Converted to project life, it might mean that there is still some space between the big orders – the big stones – and the small orders – the small stones, and 
by clever and foresighted planning and layering, the glass can still be filled.
Project controlling is therefore more than “juggling numbers”. It is a successful support of the project managers in the project execution.
Identify needs
But everything from the very beginning. In order to layer our “glass” in the best way possible, we naturally also need someone in our company who can keep an eye on the project. As an important and essential building block for project management along the corporate strategy and as support for the project manager, it is imperative for us. Especially as CONENGA Group in the diverse project work in the areas of management consulting, technical consulting, process and control engineering solutions as well as plant (re)construction, it was necessary to strengthen ourselves in project controlling in order to optimally fill the now quite large glass.
Wie finden?
For recruiting, we relied on DIY recruiting and a personalized job ad, as we had for past job postings. The joy was immense, because this time it worked again faster than expected through “informal” channels! The recommendation of a colleague was a stroke of luck and we were able to welcome Anja Trnka to our team. “War for Talent” won!
Project controlling – achieving results with consistency and communication
As a mom of 2 kids and a lot of experience in the legal field, I know that planning, structuring, and staying “on top of things” are key.
This helps me to manage my main tasks of keeping an economic overview of the projects and reporting to the management at regular intervals. Are you a customer or partner of ours? Then maybe we have heard, or read about each other?! I am happy to be able to act as an interface between project managers and customers and thus contribute to good cooperation and sustainable satisfaction.
In my view, the importance of project controlling is reflected in the following topics:
Project controlling – short and crisp
Even before the actual start of the project, project controlling comes into effect with various tasks
- Are the targets and framework realistic? Targets can then be adjusted as needed
- Identify potential problems at an early stage and make them visible
- Optimized process planning
When it’s on and afterwards
During the project, the focus is on:
- Meeting deadlines and budget
- Control
- Condensation of the results and recording of deviations from the target status
- Accompanying reporting and project closure
What’s it like for you?
Who is responsible for tasks such as budgeting projects, ensuring that all project goals are met, supporting bid costing, performance tracking, or customer-side billing? Do you have anyone responsible for managing both contractor and delivery requirements, analyzing and, if necessary, modifying measure planning and controlling measures, etc.?
If not, remember the jar of stones! :-) Project controlling is multifaceted and more than just “monitoring or controlling” a project.