--- title: TOP Thinking on | Project Controls description: Project Controls | For more than three decades, we have been challenging the orthodox thinking about strategy and project execution in our TOP Thinking blog. --- [![Totally Optimized Projects](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TOPLogos/TOP%20Header%20logo2020.png?width=338&height=93&name=TOP%20Header%20logo2020.png "Totally Optimized Projects")](https://www.totallyoptimizedprojects.com) ![B0020 Blogs on the table 2 1170](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/hs-fs/hubfs/B0020%20Blogs%20on%20the%20table%202%201170.jpg?width=1170&name=B0020%20Blogs%20on%20the%20table%202%201170.jpg "B0020 Blogs on the table 2 1170") # TOP Thinking on #### [Why You Should Not Aim To Deliver Your Project ‘On Budget’](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/why-you-should-not-aim-to-deliver-your-project-on-budget) Being 'on budget' is not a primary measure of success. Delivering the optimum net value is success. The TOP Value Equation makes optimization possible #### [Don't 'Align' Your Projects To Your Strategy](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/dont-align-projects-strategy) How to powerfully, usefully and effectively measure each projects' strategic contribution. #### [Taking On Projects Beyond Your Capability To Deliver](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/taking-projects-beyond-capability-deliver) Invisible driver of excessive costs Your organization has a range of capabilities - areas where it is particularly strong and effective that deliver the organization’s services and determine its competitiveness. #### [When Do You Need A Project Portfolio Management Office?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/when-do-you-need-a-portfolio-management-office) To understand project portfolio management you need to understand when you need a Portfolio Office #### [How To Improve Project Results Through Increased Project Control](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-improve-project-results-through-increased-project-control) With this 'black hole' you can lose control of your project and what you're trying to achieve. Yet the TOP Value Equation can fill this hole. #### [Project Prioritization Is Simple](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/project-prioritization-simple) Many organizations struggle with how to prioritize their projects - how to objectively select the highest priority projects that are strategically relevant, worthwhile, doable and which are required to be done now. Yet project prioritisation is really quite simple. #### [Simple, Practical, Project Governance](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/simple-practical-accessible-project-governance) Research has shown that more projects fail due to poor project governance than poor project management. #### [The Dangers Of "Unknown Unknowns"](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/dangers-unknown-unknowns) What you don't know can be high risk and high cost to you personally and to your organization. #### [Think Different Worlds](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/think-different-worlds) In operational day-to-day management we discourage thinking. We have repeatable processes and extensive automation to predefine how things are done. #### [How Does TOP Improve Project Performance?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/top-improve-project-performance) TOP equips the business to define its true needs and then govern the project to successfully deliver the business value #### [What Are "Critical Success Factors"?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/critical-success-factors) Critical Success Factors are prerequisites to the success of the project, not the most important measures of success. #### [The Project Versus Value Delivery Perspectives](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/project-versus-value-delivery-perspectives) If you see value delivery as an extension of project delivery you will severely compromise the business value delivered, as we explain #### [Business Outcomes — The Holy Grail For Projects](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/business-outcomes-the-holy-grail) The definition of your desired business outcomes is the 'holy grail 'of projects that every manager needs to understand. #### [Simplified Value-Focused Scope And Portfolio Management](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/simplified-value-focused-scope-and-portfolio-management) Your benefits' value is controlled by your scope and portfolio management processes #### [The Pre-Requisites To Strategic Growth](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-strategic-growth-challenge) Strategic growth is too often undermined by a lack of value delivery processes. Five in particular that can be easily put in place. #### [The Cost Of Capital Mis-Management](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/28-ways-to-lose-1-million-a-day) Here are "28 ways to lose $1 million a day”, lose value and destroy capital — check how many are in your organization #### [What Type Of 'Health Check' Do You Need?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/what-type-of-health-check-do-you-need) You need to ensure your project health check actually diagnoses your project's health. Most don't, they only conduct a superficial 'check-up' #### [The Need To Challenge Orthodox Project Thinking](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-need-to-challenge-orthodox-project-thinking) Few are "joining the dots" to understand that the orthodox way we approach and deliver projects is incomplete. Some of the "dots" are missing, some are not working, and some are actually destroying value. #### [The Importance Of Knowing Your Current State In Detail](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/importance-of-knowing-your-current-state) You must document your organization's current state in detail as everything you do today has to be either eliminated or accommodated in the future. #### [Join The Revolution In Project Governance](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/join-the-revolution-in-project-governance) Project Governance has been neglected yet a governance team can destroy more value in five minutes than a project team can destroy in five weeks. Poorly understood, poorly supported and poorly executed it is not surprising that more projects fail due to poor project governance than poor project management. Yet while we invest millions in project management we invest next to nothing in project governance. #### [When Do You Call Out A Failing Project?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/when-do-you-call-it-out-a-failing-project) When should you call out a failing project to ensure you don't waste time, effort and money? #### [How To Determine Your Desired Quality Dimensions](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-determine-your-desired-quality-dimensions) How to manage the trade-offs between different quality and cost dimensions on projects #### [The Dangers Of 'Sliders' As Quality Controls](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-dangers-of-sliders-as-quality-controls) The use of 'sliders' as quality controls can cause projects to be compromised at the outset - which is totally unnecessary and very wasteful. #### [Projects Don’t Deliver Outcomes Or Benefits Only Outputs | Myth 6](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/projects-dont-deliver-outcomes-or-benefits-only-outputs-myth-6) The idea of projects not being responsible for benefits is false and needs to be rejected. #### [Projects Exist To Solve Problems | Myth 5](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/projects-exist-to-solve-problems-myth-5) Projects do not just exist to solve problems, they are commissioned to deliver the business benefits and value. #### [You Can Only Have Two Out Of The Three Elements Of The Iron Triangle | Myth 4](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/you-can-only-have-two-out-of-three-elements-of-iron-triangle-myth-4) Managing the 'iron triangle' is not the key control, you need to manage scope and value to get the benefits you expect. #### [TOP's Four Lens Perspective On Projects 5 - Four Lenses Are Required For Success](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-four-lens-approach-to-project-delivery-part-5) The focus of project delivery is cost, of business owners is value, and executive management is ROI, but they all must work together to succeed. #### [Why Do Project Costs Increase?—Cost Overruns](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/why-do-project-costs-increase-cost-overruns) Project cost overruns can cause projects to go over 100% over budget, thereby destroying value. Find out why #### [How To Reduce Project Costs - Reduce Project Rework](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-reduce-project-costs-reduce-project-rework) If you reduce the level of unnecessary project rework you can reduce the project delivery costs by 15%-20% #### [How To Reduce Project Costs - Reduce Project Failure](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-reduce-project-costs-reduce-project-failure) High project failure rates generate a 15% 'tax' on the total cost of projects #### [Where Does The Value Go On Projects - 7? Value Loss Through Project Delays](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/where-does-value-go-on-projects-7-value-loss-through-project-delays) Every day your project is delayed, you lose that day's value, permanently. Time is money. You need an active and effective value delivery approach. #### [Where Does The Value Go On Projects - 3? Up to 100% Lost From Scope Changes](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/where-does-value-go-on-projects-3-up-to-100-percent-lost-from-scope-changes) Value loss from poor scope management comes in two forms – missed value and destroyed value. When changing, project scope can eliminate some or all of the project's value, this needs to be carefully managed by the governance team. #### [Own Goals?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/own-goals) Own goals? On-time/on a budget are measures of project efficiency, not business value. Until we take a business perspective, we'll continue to disappoint our business partners. #### [Looking The Wrong Way](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/looking-the-wrong-way) Looking the wrong way #### [Frozen Out](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/frozen-out) The organization needs to vouch that their projects are not ‘frozen’ before they can be assured it will deliver real value to the business. #### [Are Project Managers A ‘Commodity’?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/are-project-managers-a-commodity) Are Project Managers a ‘commodity’? #### [Two Critical Questions To Ask Your Consultants](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/two-critical-questions-to-ask-your-consultants) Two critical questions to ask your consultants #### [A Disaster In Flight](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/a-disaster-in-flight) A disaster in flight #### [Deliver A Project Or Deliver The Business Outcomes, Benefits And Value](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/a-versus-b) Delivering a project does not ensure the delivery of the business outcomes #### [Critical Insights 11 - Project Scope Is A Lever Of Opportunity](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/critical-insights-11-project-scope-lever-of-opportunity) Critical Insights (11) If you mention the word “Scope” to most people around projects, the first word they think of is “control”. As a result too often projects are scoped too tightly from the outset as part of this ‘control’ mentality, missing large areas of real value because of how the scope is defined. [**](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-controls/page/2) ### TOPics - [Benefits Management (29)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/benefits-management) - [Business Case (24)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/business-case) - [Business Simplification (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/business-simplification) - [Capability Development (38)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/capability-development) - [Capital Investment (24)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/capital-investment) - [Change Management (17)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/change-management) - [Consultants (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/consultants) - [Costs and Waste (16)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/costs-and-waste) - [Engineered Thinking/Ideas/Innovation (8)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/engineered-thinking-ideas-innovation) - [Fifteen Critical Insights (15)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/fifteen-critical-insights) - [Idea / Project Initiation (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/idea-project-initiation) - [Mental Models, Beliefs and Myths (18)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/mental-models-beliefs-and-myths) - [Outcomes Thinking (10)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/outcomes-thinking) - [Path Dependency (10)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/path-dependency) - [Prioritization (13)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/prioritization) - [Process Management (11)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/process-management) - [Productivity Improvement (7)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/productivity-improvement) - [Program / Project delivery (40)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/program-project-delivery) - [Project Controls (52)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-controls) - [Project Governance (90)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-governance) - [Project Management (4)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-management) - [Project Success (46)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-success) - [Project Validation (2)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-validation) - [Risk Management (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/risk-management) - [Scope Management (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/scope-management) - [Standards/Frameworks/Methods (14)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/standards-frameworks-methods) - [Strategic Project Portfolio Management (16)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/strategic-project-portfolio-management) - [Strategy Execution (39)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/strategy-execution) - [The TOP Four Lenses (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/the-top-four-lenses) - [TOP compared to orthodox approaches (7)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/top-compared-to-orthodox-approaches) - [Value Delivery (83)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/value-delivery) - [Value Equation (60)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/value-equation) © TOTALLY OPTIMIZED PROJECTS 2026 [**](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-controls#)