Photo By William Farrow | All Huntsville Center-owned projects in PROMIS are now required to align with USACE...... read more read more
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – In an evolving and increasingly complex business environment, the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville (Huntsville Center), is taking a transformative step toward operational excellence by instituting a comprehensive Project Controls function to standardize, streamline, and strengthen how projects are managed and delivered.
Project Controls (PC), often considered the "backbone of successful project execution," are no longer just a back-office function—they are integrated into the core business strategy of Huntsville Center. This strategic shift ensures every project is not only initiated with clarity but also executed with accountability, transparency, and measurable performance.
With more than $2 billion in annual programs, Huntsville Center is responsible for some of the most technical and unique projects within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The sheer scale and complexity of these efforts demand an enterprise-wide system of checks and balances to ensure cost, schedule, scope, and quality are all rigorously managed.
“Project Control functions allow us to ask and answer six critical questions for every project: What work needs to be done? What’s been done? How are we performing against expectations? What remains? What trends are emerging? And are our corrective actions working?” said Dave Shockley, Huntsville Center Business Integration Office (BIO) chief.
“These questions form the core of disciplined, data-driven project management.”
Project Control functions, Shockley said, introduces a holistic framework with four key sections: general requirements, functional applications, communication, and implementation. It formalizes expectations for planning, performance measurement, risk management, and data quality, bringing greater predictability and consistency to program execution.
At its core, Huntsville Center mandates use of standard tools such as Program and Project Management Information System (PROMIS), Corps of Engineers Financial Management System (CEFMS), and other enterprise level applications. These platforms unify disparate data sources into a single, actionable view of project health—enabling a Project Development Team (PDT) to make informed decisions, reduce risk, and better serve stakeholders.
Shockley said a decade ago, data was “stove piped” into different systems with project managers relying on cross function “gate keepers” to provide them with data they needed.
“Now, the data is presented to the PMs in the dashboard,” Shockley said.
“This isn’t about bureaucracy; it’s about empowering our PMS and PDTs — it’s about having the right data at the right time to make the right decisions.”
Use of Project Control tools are not simply suggestions—it’s a directive. All Huntsville Center-owned projects in PROMIS are now required to align with USACE enterprise requirements. For existing projects, retroactive application is being guided on a program-by-program basis.
Delegated authority now allows the PDT to use project data to make decisions and take appropriate and timely corrective actions. The chain of command - Directors, division chiefs, branch chiefs, and program managers are responsible for ensuring compliance across their PDTs.
Projects with issues are identified and briefed to Huntsville Center leadership via the monthly Project Review Board.
“Our PDTs are empowered through processes, tools and training – all developed to meet their needs – enabling them to manage their work via data and dashboards, not spreadsheets and notebooks,” Shockley said.
Central to the function is a strong emphasis on data quality. Shockley said in the data world, data scientists were relied upon to clean up the data. However, Huntsville Center is putting the onus to provide quality data on the project managers.
The Center’s BIO launched a suite of Power Platform tools that guide project managers (PMs) through project initiation, milestone tracking, budget accuracy, and exception handling. These tools help identify and resolve data issues early—before they evolve into project risks.
“These tools allow us to see into multiple databases of record from one location – allows for fact-based data driven decisions,” Shockley said
Performance and data quality are no longer abstract concepts at Huntsville Center; they are now quantifiable, color-coded, and tracked in real time. Green, amber, and red ratings across cost, schedule, quality, and customer satisfaction guide leadership decisions and trigger interventions where necessary.
This shift toward a data-driven culture also supports broader USACE-wide metrics and anticipated future metrics like Schedule Quality Measurement and Project Maintenance.
Ultimately, PC functionality is reinforcing Huntsville Center’s mission of delivering vital engineering solutions by providing a scalable system to manage growing workloads, anticipate funding requirements, and protect the trust of military and government stakeholders.
“Institutionalizing project controls gives us the tools to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars and better partners to our customers,” said Arthur Martin III, Huntsville Center program manager. “It’s about delivering with precision and confidence—every time.”
As the world of data management matures, the BIO stands ready to support, train, and collaborate with teams across the Center. Programs Review Boards, Directors Management Reviews, and internal dashboards will reflect this new standard of accountability.
The implementation of the Project Control functions marks a pivotal moment in Huntsville Center’s ongoing journey to operational excellence. It aligns people, processes, and technology in service of the warfighter, the nation, and the future.
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.20.2025 11:44 |
| Story ID: | 546040 |
| Location: | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Instituting Project Controls provides critical step forward for operational excellence, by William Farrow, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
