About This Course
The Project Controller course focuses on the “control” side of project management – tracking progress, managing budgets, controlling changes and giving leaders the information they need to make decisions.
You will learn how to build and maintain project plans, monitor performance against baselines, manage risks and issues, and prepare clear status reports and dashboards. By the end, you’ll be able to support project managers and drive reliable delivery in IT, construction, operations or any project‑driven environment.
Syllabus Overview
Module 1
Project Foundations & Planning
- Project Life Cycle – initiation, planning, execution, closure
- Role of the Project Controller vs Project Manager vs PMO
- Scope Definition – requirements, WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)
- Schedule Basics – activities, dependencies, critical path (concepts)
- Cost & Budgeting – estimates, baselines, contingency
- Exercise: Build a simple project plan with scope, schedule & cost
Module 2
Monitoring, Control & Risk Management
- Tracking Progress – % complete, milestones, variance analysis
- Earned Value Concepts – schedule & cost performance indicators (intro)
- Change Control – managing scope creep & impact analysis
- Risk & Issue Management – registers, owners, action tracking
- Quality Control Basics – checks, acceptance criteria & sign‑offs
- Exercise: Analyse a sample project and highlight variances & risks
Module 3
Reporting, Stakeholders & Tooling
- Status Reporting – RAG status, summaries, action logs
- Stakeholder Communication – tailoring reports for different audiences
- Dashboards & Visuals – presenting schedule & cost information clearly
- Intro to PM Tools – MS Project / Jira / other tools (concepts & demos)
- Governance & PMO Standards – templates, checklists, audits
- Exercise: Create a one‑page status report from project data
*Tools and examples are adapted based on learners’ industries (IT, construction, operations, etc.).
Practice
Templates, Case Studies & Playbook
- Project plan, RAID log & status report templates
- Case study: controlling a slipping project and communicating recovery plan
- Creating your personal “Project Control Playbook”
