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Cost Overruns

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Cost Overruns
Delicia Brice
PM3320
Professor Johnson
September 16, 2014 Abstract
Project management is to forecast and track costs to avoid cost overruns. Poor management leads to rising cost. Effective project management identifies such possible sources of cost overruns early and mitigates their effect. This paper explains the underlying causes of project cost overruns and provides some cost estimating methods used to avoid the overruns in the project.
Cost Overruns
Cost can be described as one of the most important issues of a project success. A cost overrun is the amount by which the actual cost exceeds the budgeted, estimated, original, or target cost. Society sees cost overruns as the norm. They are a built-in part of …show more content…

Specifications changes often voids the initial cost estimates. The project progresses according to a plan that assigns durations to project tasks. The Sponsor makes small changes in the plan that necessitates other changes which lead to still more changes ... and so on. Because estimates are predictions of future costs, there is always the potential for error, and cost overruns are more the norm than the exception. Consequently, additional allowances are needed to act as a buffer, so that the funds actually allocated to the project will be sufficient. This allowance is known as contingency
Lack of Scope leads to the creation of projects that have no clear purpose. Changes in the scope of supply within a project frequently cause cost overruns. These changes result from new requirements that the owners introduce and fixes for functions that don't work as specified. As project manager, you must confirm a comprehensive project plan is in place; all activities and their sequence required for project completion have been identified, and all major purchase orders have been submitted based on known prices and availabilities of materials and equipment. Given that definitive estimates are developed further down the project life cycle with more accurate information and fewer project uncertainties, these estimates provide a much more accurate expected cost of the project at completion, with a ±5 percent margin of error.

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