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What is project control in project-based industries?
Project control is the discipline of measuring cost, time, quality, risk and resources against one shared structure of the work, so that management sees deviations while they can still be corrected. In construction, shipbuilding, marine and offshore, mining and project-based manufacturing, this structure is the Bill of Quantities (BoQ), the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and the cost codes. This knowledge base explains each concept that project control depends on, for the directors who make decisions with it.
How do these concepts connect?
Each concept answers a different management question. They produce control only when they share the same data structure.
| Concept | Management question | Typical failure when it is isolated |
|---|---|---|
| Project-based business | How does the company earn money from temporary, unique projects? | Company KPIs that hide project-level losses |
| Industry-specific ERP | Does the system model the work the way the industry does? | Generic modules held together by spreadsheets |
| Project cost control | Where will the final cost land, and why? | Reports that explain the past, not the forecast |
| Project time management | Is the schedule linked to cost and progress? | A schedule updated separately from cost |
| Project quality management | Is the delivered work certified against the specification? | Rework and non-conformities found too late |
| Risk management in capital projects | Which uncertainties threaten margin and dates? | Risk registers not linked to budgets |
| Asset and resource management | Are materials, plant, labour and subcontractors used as planned? | Idle plant and unplanned purchases |
| Stakeholder collaboration | Do owner, consultant, contractor and subcontractors work from the same data? | Disputes over quantities and variations |
| Digital transformation in the build world | Does new technology fix the process or only digitise it? | Tools that add data entry but not control |
Why does the BoQ ↔ WBS ↔ Cost Codes link matter?
The BoQ defines what the client pays for. The WBS defines how the work is executed. The cost codes define how the company records cost. When the three structures are linked item by item, every quantity, activity and cost entry traces to the others. Earned value, cost-to-complete forecasts and variation claims then come from one source instead of three reconciled spreadsheets. ProjectVIEW ERP is built on this trilateral link — see the Cost Control module.
Which industries does this knowledge base cover?
The concepts apply to every company that delivers unique, contract-based work:
- Construction — contractors, owners/developers and consultants
- Shipbuilding and ship repair
- Marine and offshore construction
- Mining and quarrying
- Project-based manufacturing
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between project cost control and cost accounting?
Cost accounting records what was spent, by account. Project cost control compares committed and actual cost with the budget and earned value of each work item, and forecasts the final cost. Accounting looks back; cost control looks forward.
Why does a generic ERP struggle to control capital projects?
A generic ERP is structured around departments and accounts. Capital projects are structured around contracts, quantities and activities. Without a native BoQ and WBS, project data lives outside the ERP and control depends on manual reconciliation.
Which discipline should a company fix first?
Start with cost control. It is the point where quantities, schedule, procurement and subcontracts meet, so weaknesses in the other disciplines become visible there first.
How long does it take to implement ProjectVIEW ERP?
A typical implementation takes 5 to 7 months, depending on the modules, the number of entities and the data migration.
See the BoQ ↔ WBS ↔ Cost Codes framework applied to your type of project.