PMMilestone Press
The Project Controls Field Handbook
Dr. Hassan Khames Eliwa, PhD · 2024
Book

The Project Controls Field Handbook

By Dr. Hassan Khames Eliwa, PhD · 2024

A practitioner-focused handbook covering the full project controls cycle — estimating, scheduling, cost engineering, risk, EVM, change, and forensic analysis — written for engineers working on capital programs in construction, power, and infrastructure.

Table of Contents

  1. Part I — Foundations of Project Controls
  2. Part II — Estimating and Cost Engineering
  3. Part III — Schedule Development and CPM
  4. Part IV — Earned Value Management in Practice
  5. Part V — Risk and Contingency Management
  6. Part VI — Change and Trend Management
  7. Part VII — Forensic Schedule Analysis
  8. Part VIII — Reporting and Stakeholder Communication
  9. Appendices — Templates, Checklists, DCMA 14-Point

Key Takeaways

  • A complete, field-tested project-controls operating model.
  • Worked numerical examples from real construction and power projects.
  • Ready-to-use templates for schedules, registers, and reports.
  • Forensic schedule analysis explained for engineers, not lawyers.

Target Audience

Planning engineers, cost engineers, project managers, EPC contractors and owner project controls teams.

Author

Dr. Hassan Khames Eliwa, PhD — see the author profile.

Reviews

"The most practical project controls reference I have used on site. Every chapter answers a question I have actually been asked."

Eng. M. Al-Otaibi, Project Director, Infrastructure

"Bridges the gap between the PMBOK and what really happens on EPC projects. I recommend it to my graduate students."

Dr. R. Mendez, Senior Lecturer, Construction Management

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is "The Project Controls Field Handbook" about?
    A practitioner-focused handbook covering the full project controls cycle — estimating, scheduling, cost engineering, risk, EVM, change, and forensic analysis — written for engineers working on capital programs in construction, power, and infrastructure.
  • Who should read "The Project Controls Field Handbook"?
    Planning engineers, cost engineers, project managers, EPC contractors and owner project controls teams.
  • Who is the author of "The Project Controls Field Handbook"?
    Dr. Hassan Khames Eliwa, PhD — Founder of PMMilestone.org and a senior planning and project controls engineer with 17+ years of international experience across construction, infrastructure, power generation and substations. Full profile and credentials are available on the author page.
  • When was "The Project Controls Field Handbook" published, and where can I buy it?
    Published by PMMilestone Press in 2024. The book is available through the PMMilestone.org books library — use the "Buy Book" or "Read More" links above to view formats and pricing.
  • Does "The Project Controls Field Handbook" include worked calculator examples?
    Yes. The book includes step-by-step worked examples for the EVM, SPI and CPI formulas, with downloadable companion workbooks on PMMilestone.org so readers can reproduce the calculations against their own project data.
  • What common misconception does "The Project Controls Field Handbook" correct?
    That project controls is reporting. The book reframes controls as an independent forecasting and decision-support function — the reporting line should run to a controls director, not to the project manager whose performance the controls team is measuring.