Project Management

The Project Manager (PM) is the primary customer contact for the project regarding scope, schedule and budget and insuring adherence to contractual terms and conditions. The PM will initiate and conduct effective project meetings including kickoffs, weekly status meetings (or more frequent as necessary and appropriate). The PM will measure effectiveness of the project and report weekly on project status to management and the client and ensure the completeness and accuracy of project invoices. Regular assessments of project risks will be provided by the PM including their mitigation risk assessments to include threats to quality, scope, schedule, budget, or overall project success.

Upon receipt of a Purchase Order an internal project kickoff meeting is held to assemble and organize the NAS project team. The Project Manager will coordinate with the site PM to schedule and conduct a kickoff meeting with the customer team members and designated members of the NAS Project Team. Experience has shown that that the attendance of key stakeholders at the customer project kickoff meeting and their active engagement throughout the project life cycle is critical to project success and avoidance of undesirable changes in project scope, schedule, and budget.

NAS utilizes a work breakdown structure (WBS) which assists the Project Manager and the Discipline Managers with assigning resources, allocating the project budget, and developing a project schedule. A Level 1 milestone schedule is typically established as part of the proposal and award process and serves as the basis for schedule discussion in the subsequent kickoff meetings. NAS utilizes Primavera P6 to schedule and track project activities.
Accurate and early identification of quantifiable cost and schedule variances from the execution plan allows a supervisor/manager to make corrections while there is still adequate time to implement them effectively. NAS uses an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) to measure the value of work accomplished for comparison to planned value (schedule) and actual cost (budget) to provide effective and early indications of project schedule and budget performance which is communicated in the weekly project status report.

Communication happens at all levels of the organization both within NAS and with the customer. All members of the project team understand their responsibilities regarding communication of project information and provide input into status reports and status meetings as required. NAS strives to communicate project information such as schedule and completion status of deliverables, action item responsibility and resolution, budget and billings to customers and vendors/sub-suppliers. The purpose is to keep everyone informed and to identify and resolve project issues in a timely manner.

Status reporting is accomplished through periodic written status reports and status meetings. The customer and NAS agree upon the method and frequency of reporting as part of the project kickoff. Key project action items are documented by the PM and tracked to completion. Action items are often included with the project status report for review and are reviewed during project status meetings to ensure that all personnel involved (including the Project Team, client, Senior Management) are informed of the project status, issues, open items, and decisions.

Scope control focuses on the proper management of outside influences that may lead to additional work and the corresponding potential impact on project schedule and budget. All Project Team members maintain constant vigilance to protect the defined project scope against changes and scope creep. If and when potential scope changes are identified, the Project Manager records the potential scope change in the project status report and it is identified to the client. Once the scope change is agreed to by the client, the Project Manager will prepare the contract change request for a formal change to the project's scope, schedule, and budget as appropriate. New scopes of work are not worked by the project team until appropriate authorization to proceed is obtained in response to the contract change request.