Project control – Establishment of Project Management Offices (PMO)

Monitoring project progress and timely control of measures

Large-scale projects with long lead times, such as the construction of a new factory or logistics center or relocation to another site, represent enormous challenges for many companies. Due to the large number of internal and external project partners involved over many weeks and months, large-scale projects usually do not proceed strictly according to plan. Due to incorrect planning, lack of coordination, or overloaded bottleneck resources, for example, deviations in service delivery occur time and again, leading to delays or other costly consequences. However, the top priority is to achieve the project goals within the specified time frame and budget.

Since many unexpected events may occur during the course of a project, careful project planning is essential, but good project management is even more important. ebp-consulting supports many customers with a Project Management Office (PMO) as the central planning and control authority for a project within the company. The PMO's task is to plan the project workflow, monitor project progress, identify deviations from the plan at an early stage, and respond with appropriate measures. In the Project Management Office, our consultants and project managers support the company's project team in both an advisory and operational capacity.

Our services in Project management

Complete project management as well as coordination and monitoring of contract fulfillment by all parties involved in the project
Integration of various specialist disciplines by certified project managers
Establishment and management of the project organization (deputy function for the client)
Project structuring and definition of work packages
Creation of a detailed project plan for the various phases in coordination with the sub-projects construction, logistics, IT, and the technology provider
Integrated project control and monitoring (Plan-Do-Check-Act) of deadlines, costs, and quality
Professional project communication, documentation, and moderation
Project controlling to ensure compliance with budget and quality targets
Assessment of the effort and feasibility of measures
Process definition and determination of roles/responsibilities
Representation of the project in higher-level committees

Your advantage from using a PMO from ebp-consulting

Optimal planning and ideal implementation of a project
Contribution of technical expertise to the project
Relief in project implementation
Efficient project realization
Adherence to deadlines, budgets, and quality targets
Early detection of deviations and implementation of measures
Sustainable support for project managers

Leading investment projects to success within budget and on schedule with a project management office

Relocating production sites and building new factories and logistics centers are investment projects that are often of existential importance, especially for medium-sized companies. For project management, tasks of this high complexity are not only a multifaceted challenge, but also involve a high level of responsibility. Only when all company divisions, suppliers, and project participants work closely together for months on end is it possible to commission the new production or logistics facility within the planned cost and time frame.

This is exactly where the services of our project managers come in. We support our customers in all project phases with a project management office during the implementation of investment projects, from project planning to the commissioning of the new plant. Through efficient interface management, we strictly adhere to deadlines and defined quality gates in the project structure plan. Our risk management and consistent project controlling give customers the necessary decision-making security and significantly minimize the risk associated with investments.

Project planning creates optimal conditions, project management ensures ideal implementation

Our goal is the technically optimal planning and ideal implementation of a project. Especially in the early stages, important decisions can be made regarding organization, structure, risks, and opportunities. That is why we think projects through, put complex tasks in order, and develop a common understanding of the project among all participants right from the start. Furthermore, we manage projects from the PMO in such a way that we always keep an eye on the three decisive success factors—deadlines, costs, and quality—and strike an optimal balance between them. For project management, we use tools such as milestone trend analysis, budget tracking, quality gate concepts, and earned value analysis. Thanks to consistent application in the PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act), deviations from the plan can be detected at an early stage. Countermeasures and escalation management are then our tasks.

Our goal: to implement projects within the specified time and budget

In addition to the technical and methodological expertise we contribute, our project management offices also relieve the project management team within the company in terms of capacity. Our certified project managers and consultants drive the overall project and all necessary measures. We synchronize all sub-projects and coordinate the specialist departments within the company as well as all external partners (interface management), define responsibilities and milestones, and ensure that the multitude of planning tasks are carried out cooperatively within the time and budget plan.

ebp-consulting supports companies in the relocation of production sites and the construction of new factories and logistics centers, among other things. The success of these investment projects depends on excellent project management. Only when all trades and project participants work hand in hand over a period of months is it possible to commission the new production facility within the planned cost and time frame.

This is precisely where our consultants come in. We support companies in all phases of investment projects, from project planning to commissioning of the new plant. Through efficient interface management, we help our clients meet deadlines and specified quality gates in the project structure plan. Our risk management and consistent project controlling give companies decision-making security and minimize their investment risk.

Plan and implement projects optimally with ebp-consulting

Modern project management is much more than just cost and schedule control. The focus is rather on managing problem-solving processes and more efficient workflows—usually against a backdrop of scarce resources. Effective communication plays a key role here.

For ebp-consulting, implementing projects means understanding all projects as a process chain that we manage according to the principle of efficiency. When defining the objectives and planning the project, we determine the content, objectives, success criteria, milestones, and cost and feasibility assessments. In project controlling, we manage deadlines and ensure effective interface management.

In addition to communication and documentation management, the scope of services includes controlling financial resources and quality targets until project completion with documentation and acceptance for both small and large projects.

Asserting claims and protecting yourself against claims

An essential part of ebp-consulting's project management is claim management, which is always necessary when deviations from agreed deadlines, guaranteed characteristics (quality), and costs occur during the project period. Changes and service disruptions occurring after the conclusion of a contract or the placement of an order lead to permanent deadline and cost overruns, obstructions, defect rectification, and change requests (addenda). This is particularly often the case with long-term investment projects. In addition, some contracts contain ambiguous wording that is interpreted differently by both parties. In such situations, ebp-consulting supports companies in identifying and asserting their own claims and protecting themselves against claims from other parties with the help of professional claim management. ebp-consulting brings projects to a successful conclusion without delay and with maximum returns.

Risk management as the basis for project success

With professional risk management, ebp-consulting helps companies to manage project risks in a controlled manner. After all, complex projects cannot be planned 100% for companies: Delivery delays, obstacles, defects, and addenda in cooperation with suppliers, insufficient staff qualifications, and changes in the market are risks that arise during the course of a project and require adjustments to the existing schedule and budget planning. Unplanned events trigger project deviations in terms of schedule, costs, and quality. Since many such unforeseeable events (risks) cannot be ruled out or actively influenced, they should at least be controlled and proactively managed. Risk management is particularly important in large-scale projects with high investment volumes: on the one hand, long project durations increase the number of risks and their probability of occurrence, and on the other hand, the investments made must be secured.