For those involved in delivering capital construction projects, there are few critical decisions that the basis for why they were taken need to be documented so they can be reviewed and audited when needed. Examples of those critical decisions include approving the selection of a project, approving the exit of a stage, approving the selection of a vendor, approving an online bid technical and financial submission, approving a deliverable document, approving the project organization chart and approving the project resource requirement.
The decision made by the stakeholder will depend on the analysis and evaluation done by the individuals assigned to do so. The analysis and evaluation done by those individuals need to be captured against a predefined list of variables that summarizes what are the items that matters for making the decision. Those items are not equally important when it comes for assessing the overall findings needed to make the decision. Accordingly, each will be set a weight value to enable having a single weighted score that can help the stakeholder or stakeholders to make the decision.
In addition, the stakeholder might be interested in knowing what his/her peers think of this weighted scoring to support the decision to made. This subjective rating will be usually based on a scale of “5” where “1” means “Do Not Agree at All” and “5” for “Full Agreement”. It is also recommended to request the stakeholder who provided the rating to explain the reason for his/her rating. The stakeholder who needs to make the decision can decide on what ratings to consider or not.
Using a Project Management Information System (PMIS) like PMWeb, the objective scoring and subjective rating for critical decisions can be enforced. PMWeb Scoring module allows defining unlimited number of scoring templates that can be specific to a PMWeb module, specific program of projects or all programs, and/or a specific project or all projects managed in PMWeb.
For each scoring template, PMWeb allows adding unlimited items to score a transaction of the selected PMWeb record type. For each item, PMWeb allows defining grouping for the scoring items for which it will from a predefined list of values defined by each organization. In addition, there will be fields for the scoring question number and an abbreviation of the question description.
To enable having a meaningful and comprehensive scoring template, PMWeb allows having different types for the scoring questions. Those include Text, List of Values, Selection Radio Buttons, Documents to be Provided and Attached, Contract or any Document Clauses or Subclauses, an Integer Number, a Double Number (two decimal points), a Date and Time, a Quantity Value, a Currency Amount or a “Yes/No” or other selections Checkbox.
For each one of those scoring types, a self-explanatory question needs to be added. Depending on the Question type, options to select scoring values from can be also added.
In addition, the table has a field for Score which will be filled after evaluating the answer given to the scoring item. Although it is highly recommended to fix the number of scoring points available for each question, usually at “5” or “10”, PMWeb gives the option to have different scoring point available for each question. Each scoring question should have a weight value in in relation to all of the other questions.
It is highly recommended that total sum value of those weight values be 100. The Weighted Score field is for the number is calculated by PMWeb based on the score and the weight values given to each item. Finally, there is the option to add note to each scoring item.
For the PMWeb business process that has been assigned with the scoring template, this template will become available to capture the Answers and Scores given to each scoring item. This will automatically create the overall weighted score of the assessment for which the stakeholder can use to support his/her decision.
For those PMWeb business processes that allows assigning a scoring matrix to them, a rating will be also available. This tab allows capturing the subjective rating of each individual on a scale of “5” points where “1” means “Do Not Agree at All” and “5” for “Full Agreement”. The subjective score can be given as Full or Half Point, that is for example “1.5” or “2.0”. It is highly recommended to request the reviewer to provide the basis for the given subjective rating. If some of those subjective rating not to be considered, then the “Use” can be deactivated. PMWeb will automatically average the value of the subjective ratings that will be used.
About the Author
Bassam Samman, PMP, PSP, EVP, GPM is a Senior Project Management Consultant with 40-year service record providing project management, project controls services and project management information system to over than 200 projects with a total value in excess of US $100 Billion. Those projects included Commercial, Residential, Education and Healthcare Buildings and Infrastructure, Entertainment, Hospitality and shopping malls, Oil and Gas Plants and Refineries, Telecommunication and Information Technology projects. He is thoroughly experienced in complete project management including project management control systems, computerized project control software, claims analysis/prevention, risk analysis/management (contingency planning), design, supervision, training and business development.
Bassam is a frequent speaker in topics relating to Project Management, Strategic Project Management and Project Management Personal Skills. Over the past 40 years he has lectured at more than 350 events and courses at different locations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and South America. He has written more than 500 articles on project management and project management information systems that were featured in international and regional magazines and newspapers. He is a co-founder of the Project Management Institute- Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) and has served on its board of directors for more than 6 years. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), a certified Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP) and Earned Value Professional (EVP) from the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) and Green Project Management (GPM).
Bassam holds a Masters in Engineering Administration (Construction Management) with Faculty Commendation, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA, Bachelor in Civil Engineering – Kuwait University, Kuwait and has attended many executive management programs at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA and London Business School, London, UK.