What is a Project Audit?

A project audit is an assessment of a project’s status against predefined success criteria and helps uncover issues and opportunities for existing and future projects. It is commonly performed for complex projects involving building & construction, engineering & design, IT & software development and organizational restructuring. It is performed by project managers or external auditors and often involves extensive interviews with project team members and stakeholders.

Main Types of Interviews to Conduct During a Project Audit

The key to performing an effective project audit is to conduct targeted interviews with the right people. Here are three main types of interviews typically conducted during a project audit:

1. With sponsors and project managers Sponsors and project managers both play huge roles in defining realistic project objectives and success criteria. Extensive interviews should aim to discuss:

   • Budget and cost estimates

   • Project charter , scope, and other required planning

   • Project timeline and team schedules

   • Quality and risk management

   • Reporting and monitoring processes

   • Communication process with clients, vendors, and stakeholders

   • Proper documentation and record keeping

2. Project team members are on the ground, responsible for day-to-day activities and delivery of the project. Interviews should focus on their areas of concern, execution challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Discuss the following:

   • Their understanding of the overall and individual project objectives

   • Communication between project team members

   • Equipment supplies

   • Safety practices

   • Reporting and monitoring processes

   • General concerns about project delivery

   • Challenges with achieving set tasks

   • Opportunities for improvement

3. Project stakeholders include individuals, groups, or organizations who would affect or be affected by the progress and/ or the completion of the project. Stakeholders provide expertise, increase project success, and most importantly, grant acceptance for the project. Interviews with project stakeholders is vital to recognize and discuss:

   • General issues to be addressed

   • Organizational goals to be reached

   • Expected job outcome

   • Stakeholder group members that will be involved

   • Roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders

   • Timeline and next steps of the process

Elements of a Good Project Audit Interview Questionnaire

A good project audit interview questionnaire should delve into areas critical to the project’s compliance, efficacy and success. It should help project management teams gauge adjustments they need to take or processes they need to calibrate. Here are some examples questions to ask in a project audit questionnaire:

• Is the budget enough for the entire duration of the project?

• How are the objectives of the project determined?

• How are employees trained to meet the project goals/ objectives?

• What processes/ tools are in place to help achieve objectives?

• How is progress against objectives communicated to the organization? How is progress measured?

• How do we track progress against compliance?

• How do we identify a non-compliant process or product? How do we address relevant teams for non-compliance?

• How are issues with processes, quality, internal/ external groups of the project prevented? If there are existing issues, how are they addressed?

• How do we measure project maturity?

• How are proper documents and other records kept?