Project managers who regard hall monitors and drill sergeants as role models need to spend some time with Essentials of Project Control. This book civilizes and humanizes the conventional view of control. No longer the bad boy in a manager’s plan-organize- direct-control job description, modern control envelops us like the wise advice of a country doctor. We readily comply with the doctor’s sensible prescription because it is good for us, and it works.

Essentials of Project Control contains 13 articles published between 1985 and 1998 in the Project Management Journal® and PM Network®. Chosen and organized by Pinto and Trailer, the two-to-ten page selections are best read consecutively. There is a thoughtful integration of ideas, and the articles flow and build nicely upon each other. This is the second book in Project Management Institute’s (PMI®) Editors’ Choice Series, a reprint series designed to supplement the Project Management Body of Knowledge.

No book about project controls would be complete without a chapter on controlling scope creep, which is the topic of Chapter 1. However, this article has a unique perspective that shows how it's "Not Necessarily a Bad Thing". The next two chapters provide broad views of project controls, with a collection of best practices for technology projects in Chapter 2, and a bottom-up approach in Chapter 3. Rework cycles are covered in chapters 4 and 5. The inclusion of these chapters adds much to this book because rework is not a mainstream topic, yet it has everything to do with controlling cost, quality and schedule. I like the succinct treatment of critical success factors across the life cycle that is provided in Chapter 6.

The remainder of the book addresses earned value project management and related controls. The articles that cover earned value project management are thorough and complete. Each should be carefully read. I was delighted to see Stephen Devaux's "When the DIPP* Dips: A P&L Index for Project Decisions" in this collection. DIPP is [Devaux's] Index of Project Performance. This index is aimed at project selection and prioritization techniques, and is particularly useful in product-based projects because it computes the cost of lost opportunity and the impact of being late to market. For internal projects it provides a clear link to business imperatives, which can bridge the gap between IT and the business. As an aside not related to this book, Devaux has found flaws in the way earned value's schedule performance index can mislead.

Chapters 10-13 wrap up the book with articles on planning for crises, avoiding large-scale IS project failures, an analysis of cost overruns on defense acquisition contracts and project monitoring for early termination.

This carefully selected collection of articles covers all of the major issues, challenges and techniques associated with project control. If you want to master the complexities of earned value project management I recommend "Earned Value Project Management (2nd edition) by Quentin W. Fleming and Joel M. Koppelman. I also strongly recommend reading "Total Project Control: A Manager's Guide to Integrated Project Planning, Measuring, and Tracking" by Stephen A. Devaux, which will provide a complete and comprehensive approach to controlling projects, including portfolios of projects at the program management office level.