A project audit provides an opportunity to uncover issues, concerns and challenges encountered during the project lifecycle. Conducted midway through the project, an audit affords the project manager, project sponsor and project team an interim view of what has gone well, as well as what needs to be improved to successfully complete the project. If done at the close of a project, the audit can be used to develop success criteria for future projects by providing a forensic review. This review identifies which elements of the project were successfully managed and which ones presented challenges. As a result, the review will help the organization identify what it needs to do to avoid repeating the same mistakes on future projects.
Regardless of whether the project audit is conducted mid-term on a project or at its conclusion, the process is similar. It is generally recommended that an outside facilitator conduct the project audit. This ensures confidentiality, but also allows the team members and other stakeholders to be candid. They know that their input will be valued and the final report will not identify individual names, only facts. Often, individuals involved in a poorly managed project will find that speaking with an outside facilitator during a project audit allows them to openly express their emotions and feelings about their involvement in the project and/or the impact the project has had on them. This "venting" is an important part of the overall audit.
A successful project audit consists of three phases:
- Success Criteria, Questionnaire, and Audit Interview Development.
- In-depth Research.
- Report Development.
Phase 1: Success Criteria, Questionnaire, and Audit Interview Development
1. Success Criteria Development
Interview the core project sponsor and project manager to determine their "success criteria" for the project audit, find out what they expect to gain from the audit. This ensures that their individual and collective needs are met.
2. Questionnaire Development
Develop a questionnaire to be sent to each member of the core project team and to selected stakeholders. Often, individuals will complete the questionnaire in advance of an interview because it helps them to gather and focus their thoughts. The actual interview will give the facilitator the opportunity to gain deeper insights into the team member's comments. The questionnaire simply serves as a catalyst for helping team members and stakeholders reflect on the project's successes, failures, challenges and missed opportunities.
3. Audit Interview Questions
There are many questions that can be asked in an audit interview. It is most effective, however, to develop open-ended questions, i.e., questions that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." Develop interview questions that will help identify the major project successes; the major project issues, concerns and challenges; how the team worked together; how vendors were managed; how reporting and meetings were handled; how risk and change were managed, etc. Questionnaires can be used for team members and/or other stakeholders who are unable to attend an interview.
