Budgeting and cost control

Articles

Articles remain the copyright of the original authors and publishers. They are not covered by the Creative Commons licence.

Title	Author(s)	Notes	Provided by
The cost of managing risk	Hillson	As we seek to manage risk effectively, questions of cost also arise since risk management is not free. There is no “zero-cost option” for risk management.	Risk Doctor
Lessons from the Great Escape	Kozak-Holland	In The Great Escape cost was measured in labour but without a monetary value. One of the assets of the escape project was the availability of human labour and the prisoners’ willingness to work.	Project Manager Today magazine
Cost estimating - top ten tips	Pritchard	Different organizations have different expectations for cost estimates. Some see them as flexible glances into a crystal ball of what might be. Others see them as the future, carved immutably in mystic runes in ancient granite unchanged and unchanging.	Project Manager Today magazine

 

Back to top

 

Documents

All documents are provided by Praxis unless otherwise stated.

Title	Notes	Provided by
Capability checklist	An infographic showing some of the key steps at capability levels 1 to 3

Back to top

 

External resources

These links are correct at time of publication. Please let us know via the comments button at the top of this page if resources are no longer available. Our library pages are updated regularly - if you would like to recommend additional free resources please use the 'contact us' tab or the comment button.

Title	Source	Format and length	Notes
Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide	GAO1	PDF; 440 pages	An extensive guide to 'best practice' in cost estimating and control. Also includes material on earned value, sensitivity analysis and the use of work breakdown structures.
Estimate the project costs and agree the project budget	UKNOS2	PDF; 6 pages	Two sample competency definitions from the UK National Occupational Standards (NOS). For more examples search for 'project cost budget' here
Prepare budgets for control purposes through Project Control, Estimating, Planning & Cost Engineering activities		PDF; 5 pages
Managing the project budget	FME3	PDF; 57 pages	An guide to developing and controlling a budget. Also includes chapters on contract management and payment methods.
Approach to Anticipated Final Cost	20124	PDF; 2 pages	An overview of how final cost forecasts were managed for the London Olympics

 

1. U.S. Government Accountability Office
2. UK National Occupational Standards
3. Free management books
4. Learning legacy - lessons learned from London 2012

Back to top