A project management control system (PMCS) provides numerous benefits including increased consistency, control, and flexibility. It allows for embedding best practices, improved risk management through documentation, and convenience through centralized access to project information. The ROI analysis found that a PMCS results in over $400,000 in annual net savings through factors like reduced research time, standardized training, and lower storage and distribution costs.

1. Benefits of a Project Management Control System (PMCS)
Page 1 of 2
The first order of business when evaluating a PMCS is to develop your return on our investment (ROI).
This critical undertaking will not only provide you with a general budget for your PMCS, but will also help
prioritize the wants and needs of the system. The ROI is summarized below and resulted in a net savings
to the company of over $400,000 per year.
1. Consistency: because of the fundamental uniformity and database functionality within a PMCS,
essential project information is entered faster, more consistently and produces a more reliable
product. Increasing the speed project information is gathered, reducing repetitive data entry
and eliminating duplication of information.
2. Best practices: you can embed your company’s best practices (e.g. procurement, scope, quality,
safety, etc.) into the structured documentation aspects of a PMCS resulting in a more purposeful
system.
3. Control: with the appropriate reports, you can augment the capabilities of your senior
management resources by reviewing crucial project metrics. This will provide improve
forecasting capabilities, earlier decision making and improved course correction.
4. Risk management: one aspect of risk management is claims avoidance. Consistent and
complete project recordkeeping is the solution to successfully asserting and/or defending a
claim. The principal feature of a PMCS is meaningful documentation. The more documentation
available, the better our reduction in risk. Given the above, you will reduce risk on all projects
utilizing the PMCS.
5. Warranty: when called back to address “re‐work” issues, the ability to obtain specific
information from a project that was managed within a PMCS reduces research time and effort
with the added benefit of increased accuracy and detail.
6. Convenience: detailed project information is available anywhere, anytime. You will have access
to most aspects of a project’s information. In addition, a PMCS will allow you to collect the
majority of project data in ONE location vs. hard copy correspondence, shop drawings, e‐mail
etc. scattered in variety different locations.
7. Flexibility: you will find it much easier to move personnel (e.g. project managers, assistant
project managers, interns, etc.) between Markets if you are corporately utilizing the same
PMCS. No longer will capable personnel have “down time” learning a new set of systems (e.g. ‐
submittal logs, RFI logs, change order logs, etc.) to be productive.
8. Reengineering: there is a possibility to re‐visit work assignments and consider some degree of
reappointment of tasks. A higher degree of efficiency from the PMCS standardization.
Opportunities for load leveling between Project Administrators, Assistant Project Managers and
Project Managers will become apparent. A move to knowledge management vs. task
management.

2. Benefits of a Project Management Control System (PMCS)
Page 2 of 2
9. Indoctrination: a standardized PMCS makes the process of indoctrinating newly hired or
promoted project managers (as well as interns, assistant project managers, etc.) easier and
more effective.
10. Disaster Recovery: with a PMCS, the majority of operational information will be encrypted and
housed at a secure remote location, accessible to our users, regardless of your current situation.
11. Surety/Risk Mgmt: understand that contractors’ who utilize a PMCS receive a higher rating from
many sureties. They consider use of a PMCS a “best practice.”
12. Electronic documentation: a plan to move toward paperless projects lowers filing costs and
reduces long term storage needs. Both cost and convenience savings from internal and external
distribution, filing and archiving. Utilizing electronic capabilities of faxes and e‐mail capabilities
will reduce postage costs. Electronic storage reduces costs associated with paper supplies, files,
filing (and associated materials), copier, etc.
13. Marketing/Differentiation‐ a PMCS can provide us with a higher degree of competency and
professionalism. In turn, this may open a few doors or provide us with a competitive advantage
in certain markets and situations.