About us

PROCON8 CONSULTING SA provides project control and contract management expertise to the engineering / construction and manufacturing industries. We are able to draw from the vast experience of our specialist resource base.

Our employees have considerable experience gained from direct involvement on numerous large scale international projects. These projects include civil, building, infrastructure and defence with particular focus on the rail and aviation transportation sectors. Our employees possess the practical experience necessary to implement world class Project Control / Project Management systems and processes. Each of our employees have a minimum of 15 years relevant experience. Once deployed to support a specific project, we are able to work with the project team to define the Project Control and Contract Management requirements, establish the plan for implementation and drive the setup through to completion. We follow the (D)efine, (M)easure, (A)nalyse, (I)mplement and (C)ontrol (DMAIC) process and ensure our customers are involved in the development at all times. At PROCON8 CONSULTING SA we believe our contribution is best realised during the early stages of a project when the opportunity to influence the outcome of the project is still very high. We work with our customers to ensure our systems and processes are embedded within the day-to-day activities of the project. By doing this we ensure they become "used and meaningful" tools by which the project team is able to make informed management decisions based on reliable and accurate information. Our systems and processes have been tried and tested on numerous projects world-wide and are based on best practice.

Overview

Our Project Control System (PCS) is based on the establishment of an approved project baseline. The baseline is developed within a reasonable period of time (typically three months) post Notice to Proceed (NTP) and reflects the contractual commitments made during the bid phase. This baseline establishes the scope, cost and schedule commitments necessary to realise the "as sold" project commitments. At PROCON8 CONSULTING SA we believe the establishment of this initial baseline is crucial to the success of all projects both in terms of achieving the obligations under the contract as well as meeting the shareholders' expectations. Once implemented, the baseline is used as a reference tool to measure deviation / variance on a monthly basis. This constant validation process reduces surprises to the project team as well as the customer. It allows decisions to be made in a timely manner to develop effective mitigation measures to return the project to a desired outcome. The initial baseline does not change except to include subsequent approved changes (current baseline). In order for the PCS to work effectively we ensure integration between the various disciplines within Project Controls. Scope control, cost control, schedule control, change control and risk management are all integrated through the use of a common Work Breakdown System (WBS) to ensure an holistic approach to measuring project progress and performance.

Our Contract Management System (CMS) recognises that all projects are subject to change and that changes are an accepted part of the contracting process. Ideally these changes are handled in a non-adversarial manner but sometimes, unfortunately conflicts may arise. The project team must be able to continue functioning without being distracted from their primary responsibility of delivering the project. The CMS emphasis ensures that all project team members are familiar with the contractual obligations under both the prime (upstream) and sub / supplier (downstream) contracts. The CMS is closely aligned with the PCS to ensure these contracts are baselined by identifying the contract requirements. Once established the CMS ensures the day-to-day execution of the project is carried out in accordance with these requirements. This approach promotes a transparent, open and honest relationship between all contracting parties.

Specialist Services

Tender Preparation

PROCON8 CONSULTING SA will review the Request for Proposal (RFP) and extract the salient deliverables (technical and commercial) to develop a table of contents for the response. We will assist the proposal team to prepare the RFP response by developing management plans for all project functions and disciplines as well as writing and proof reading the technical submission documents to ensure a consistent and professional approach. Our support will include the development of the Bid Schedule and associated Project Control deliverables.

Engineering Earned Value

The greatest opportunity to positively or negatively affect the outcome of a project, both in terms of schedule and budget, is during the Engineering phase (this is well depicted in the "Influence vs Time" curve). Due to the difficulties associated with measuring progress and performance of design deliverables, this is an area that is often poorly managed. Many project teams struggle to assess their status during this critical phase of a project resulting in failure before the first component has been manufactured or installed. Nowadays design deliverables are electronic in format and it is only when various layers of a drawing are combined together and plotted that the team realises whether the deliverable was completed on schedule and budget.

Engineering EVM is based on the identification of design deliverables, assigning planned start and finish dates and intermediate control points. Each control point has a clear definition and is monitored bi-weekly to assess progress against plan. The resulting Schedule Performance Index (SPI) allows the project team to make decisions to improve progress such as the re-allocation of resources. The project time keeping system may also be linked to these deliverables (at a summarised level), using the work breakdown structure, to provide a Cost Performance Index (CPI). If used correctly the SPI and CPI metrics become powerful tools by which the project team is able to manage this critical phase effectively. EVM is often referred to as "management with the lights on".

PROCON8 CONSULTING SA will assist your project to implement EVM during the Engineering phase and if desired through subsequent project phases. Our employees are trained in EVM and have successfully implemented the system on numerous projects.

S-Curve Reporting

S-Curves are a powerful means of depicting work volume against time. These curves allow the project team to visualise the schedule to understand whether it is achievable and to determine periods of high resource demands. Schedules are easily manipulated by reducing durations and changing activity relationships to produce a "desired" outcome, however S-Curves always measure delay to progress as well as delay to completion. Delay to progress shows the team where they should be today regardless of what has been done to future activities in the schedule. This variance reporting allows the team to understand how far behind schedule they really are and whether the recovery schedules are realistic.

Critical Issues Reporting

Critical issues are defined as issues currently affecting the project critical path or if left unattended to have the potential to affect the critical path in the future. Critical issues are identified during schedule updates and mitigation actions assigned with due by dates. These critical issues are monitored closely and status reported at the project team weekly meetings.

Management Schedules

On large scale projects many schedules end up with thousands of activities due to the complexity of the project. These schedules are vital to control and direct activities but are difficult for the project team to interpret due to the significant amounts of data contained in them. Management Schedules are developed at a summary level depicting progress against the contractual commitments. These schedules are derived from the detailed working schedules but allow the project team to review the status of the project at a glance. The Management Schedule is usually a static picture based on the project baseline with a vertical status bar showing if the project is ahead or behind schedule.

Six Sigma

PROCON8 CONSULTING SA believes that to successfully implement systems and tools, processes and procedures on projects usually require employees to change their behaviour. In other words these initiatives are only really effectively implemented through effective change management. We are strong advocates of the Six Sigma and Lean methodologies and base our analysis on facts rather than anecdotal evidence. By doing this we ensure our results are factually correct thereby creating the desired pressure to cause people to change their behaviour.

Coaching / Mentoring / Training

We are able to provide coaching, mentoring and training to existing staff members. We have a structured approach to up-skilling a company's existing employees in the use of Project Control and Contract Management systems and processes. Our approach is based on hands-on involvement with the employees being trained. We are able to transfer our knowledge to these employees through 'one on one' consultation as well as group workshop training courses. Our aim is to facilitate the learning process to enable employees to gain exposure to advanced methods of Project Control and Contract Management thereby enabling them to add maximum benefit to the project.