Demystifying the Role of Project Controls Specialist

For industry veterans, it can be easy to forget that those who are just getting their feet wet may not fully comprehend the variety of roles that drive a project from start to finish. As experts, we’re moving a million miles a minute and it can be hard to slow down and ensure you’re setting teams up for success. But it’s important to pause, reflect and carefully assess how new employees are doing, and to remember that the first year can feel like you’re drinking out of a firehose as you’re learning all the ins and outs and acronyms. We veterans have lots of historical perspective and knowledge swirling in our heads just waiting to be shared.  

One of the biggest misconceptions revolves around the role a project controls specialist plays in a project’s success. At Manta Ray Consulting, we often find parallels between our industry and the ocean. Project controls has a symbiotic relationship with project management, like the one remoras have with manta rays. Remoras hold on to the manta ray’s body for protection, easy transportation, and access to food (manta rays are messy eaters); in return, remoras continually clean a manta ray’s skin of parasites and bacteria. The overall health of a project is dependent on the continuous assessments, data-driven insights and recommendations of a project controls specialist. One can’t survive without the other.  

Here is a primer to help demystify the role of a project controls specialist.  

While project management is a part of nearly any industry, project controls is a new term for many. You may have a project controls specialist on your team, but do you know what they do?  

If the all-up project is the manta ray, think of the project controls specialist as the remora that is carefully monitoring the idiosyncrasies of the manta ray’s health. Without the remora continually assessing and tending to its well-being, the manta ray would be less efficient as it would need to stop more often at cleaning stations (large coral patches) to rely on scavengers like shrimps and small fish to clean its skin to maintain health.  

A project controls specialist is well-versed in project management tools and techniques to assess, track and manage potential saboteurs to cost, scope and time that could impact a project’s success. The project controls specialist plays a crucial role by informing various members in real-time of any inherent risks and offer their data-driven insights to help their teammates make micro-adjustments and informed decisions, and pivot when needed. Like a remora, without a project controls specialist continually assessing and managing the health of a project, it risks inefficiency and even delays. 

We hope you found this overview useful. Forward it on to new team members and mentees to help them get a better understanding of this vital role and how it contributes to the health and success of a project.