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6.4System audit and governance
Covers project audit (independent evaluation and corrective recommendations) that assesses a project's management status from an independent standpoint, PMO (Project Management Office), which standardizes, supports, and controls projects across an organization, and IT governance, which steers IT investment direction for the organization as a whole—together, the perspective of running a project properly under organizational control.
A project team's own self-assessment that "things are going well" is not necessarily objective. Organizations offset the blind spots and biases of individual PMs' judgment by having an audit mechanism that inspects management status from a position independent of the project team, and a PMO that maintains standards across multiple projects. A PM is expected to treat audits and the PMO not as "a nuisance that watches over you" but as a mechanism that safeguards the project's health.
6.4.1Project audit and corrective recommendations
- Project audit is the activity where an auditor independent of the project team inspects the project's planning, execution, and control status, evaluating compliance with regulations/standards and the adequacy of risk management. Unlike self-review by the PM or team itself, its value lies in evaluating objectively from the viewpoint of a disinterested third party.
- Audit results are compiled as corrective recommendations, and for each finding (e.g., incomplete change-management records, a stalled risk register), an improvement plan with a clear owner and deadline is required. An audit is not a one-off event; it only becomes effective when it includes a follow-up on whether the corrective actions were actually implemented and are working.
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