--- title: "Monitoring and quality, cost, schedule control" subject: "Project Engineering" chapter: 4 key: "semester_7/project_engineering:monitoring-quality-cost-schedule-control" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/project_engineering/monitoring-quality-cost-schedule-control site: BCT Engineering --- # Monitoring and quality, cost, schedule control Project Engineering · Chapter 4: Project Implementation and Controlling - Asked in: 2066 Bhadra (old course), 4+6 marks - Video: [4.5 Monitor and Control Project Work | PMBOK Video Course](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co1s8b0VFsM) — David McLachlan - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/project_engineering/monitoring-quality-cost-schedule-control - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/project_engineering/chapter-4 ## Question Define monitoring, evaluation and control. Explain briefly quality control, cost control and schedule control in the project. ## Short answer Monitoring is continuous tracking; evaluation is periodic results assessment; control compares actuals to plan and takes action. Quality control tests materials and work to meet specs; cost control uses earned value to manage budget; schedule control compares progress to baseline, analyzes critical path, and applies crashing or fast-tracking to correct delays. ## Answer #### Definitions **Project monitoring** is the continuous collection, recording and reporting of information on the actual progress of a project (physical work, time, cost, quality, resource use) during implementation, and its comparison with the plan, so that deviations are known. **Project evaluation** is the periodic, systematic assessment of a project (during, at the end, or after completion) to judge its relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability against the objectives, and to draw lessons for decisions and for future projects. **Project control** is the process of comparing actual performance with the plan, analysing the variances and taking corrective action (or revising the plan) so that the project is completed within the planned time, cost and quality. #### Quality control Quality control checks that materials and work meet the specifications and standards. This is done through inspection, sampling and testing (cube test, density test), the use of control charts and Pareto/fishbone analysis, and by correcting or rejecting defective work. It is carried out by a quality engineer with a test plan and records. #### Cost control Cost control keeps the actual cost within the approved budget. The budget is set by WBS/cost codes, the actual cost is recorded, the variance is found (actual against budget, or by earned value: CV and CPI), the final cost is forecast (EAC) and corrective action is taken (reduce wastage, improve productivity, control variations and procurement). #### Schedule control Schedule control keeps the work on the planned timetable. Actual progress is compared with the baseline (bar chart, S-curve, SV and SPI); the cause of any delay and its effect on the critical path are found; corrective action is taken (more resources, overtime, re-sequencing, fast-tracking, crashing) and the schedule is updated. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. Project evaluation is best described as... A. Testing concrete cubes B. Periodic systematic assessment of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability, with lessons C. Taking corrective action on variance D. Continuous recording of daily progress Answer: B. Evaluation judges the project against objectives and draws lessons. (Key point: Evaluation definition) 2. Which is part of cost control? A. Fishbone analysis only B. Cube testing C. Bar chart of float only D. Finding CV and CPI, forecasting EAC and reducing wastage Answer: D. Cost control compares actual with budget and forecasts final cost. (Key point: Cost control) 3. Which actions are used in schedule control to recover delay? A. Raise the budget only B. Reduce workforce C. Add resources, overtime, re-sequencing, fast-tracking, crashing D. Stop reporting Answer: C. Schedule recovery uses resources, overtime, re-sequencing, fast-tracking and crashing. (Key point: Schedule control) 4. Quality control in a project mainly involves... A. Preparing S-curves B. Choosing the critical path C. Setting the cost codes D. Inspection, sampling and testing against specifications, and correcting or rejecting defective work Answer: D. QC checks materials and work against standards. (Key point: Quality control) ## Related in Project Engineering - [Monitoring vs evaluation; quality control tools](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Amonitoring-vs-evaluation-quality-tools) — Project Engineering, chapter 4 - [Monitoring, evaluation, control; control cycle](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Adefine-monitoring-evaluation-control-cycle) — Project Engineering, chapter 4, asked 4× - [Monitoring, evaluation, control must; PMIS](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Amonitoring-evaluation-control-must-pmis) — Project Engineering, chapter 4 - [Monitoring, evaluation, controlling and life cycle](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Amonitoring-evaluation-controlling-life-cycle) — Project Engineering, chapter 1 - [Short note: Monitoring, evaluation, controlling](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Amonitoring-evaluation-controlling-note) — Project Engineering, chapter 4 - [Closed and open control; quality cost](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fproject_engineering%3Aclosed-open-control-quality-cost) — Project Engineering, chapter 4 ## Related in other subjects - [TCTO numerical: lowest cost schedule, Rs 400/week](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Atcto-2075-bhadra) — Construction Management, chapter 2 - [TCTO numerical: least cost schedule, Rs 2000/week](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Atcto-2068-bhadra) — Construction Management, chapter 2 - [How CM helps with delay, quality and cost](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Acm-course-delay-cost) — Construction Management, chapter 1 - [Cost of quality](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Acost-of-quality) — ICT Project Management, chapter 10