Project monitoring

Project monitoring

I am responding to Ms. Nila Ardhianie's article titled "WB
project monitoring needs revision" published on April 8.

I am responding in an official capacity as regional director
of advocacy for the U.S. based Project Management Institute
(PMI). PMI is a nonprofit global organization representing the
profession of project managers. A chapter of PMI was established
in Jakarta in 1996.

Responding to Ms. Ardhianie's call for a review, we agree and
respond with the following:

There is a method of monitoring projects that was developed by
the U.S. government in the early 1960s to track and monitor the
performance of large, government-funded projects such as those
funded by NASA, the Department of Defense, and the Department of
Energy. This is known as Cost/Schedule Control Systems Criteria,
which is more popularly known as Earned Value Management. What
this proven system does is to provide a transparent and
structured approach to evaluate rather simply and effectively,
"What did I get for my project expenditures?"

While originally developed by the U.S. government over 30
years ago for large projects, it remains in effect today as part
of the U.S. government Federal Acquisition Rules and is now being
used on all government funded projects. It was the Earned Value
Management system that enabled the U.S. government to uncover
fraudulent practices by contractors, such as charging US$300 for
a toilet seat, or $200 for a screwdriver. This system has not
only stood the test of time (30 years plus) but has also been
adopted by Britain, Sweden and most recently, the Australian
government.

The concept of Earned Value Management is not foreign to
Indonesia. It is taught at all major Indonesian universities,
including the Bandung Institute of Technology, Tarumanagara,
Gadjah Mada University and the University of Indonesia.
Furthermore, there is a sizable group of both Indonesian and
expatriate professional practitioners who have earned the
globally recognized and respected "Project Management
Professional" (PMP) certification. By earning the coveted PMP
designation, these individuals have demonstrated both a knowledge
of capability to effectively manage projects, of which the use of
Earned Value is considered an essential competency.

PAUL D. GIAMMALVO, CDT, PMP, CCE

Region 10 Director of Advocacy

Project Management Institute

Jakarta