Monthly Project Monitoring

Step-by-Step Guide Video

The video below provides a guide on the Monthly Project Monitoring process. It is taken from a recording of an online training session held on 28/01/2025. Apologies for the random start and finish as we only saved the best bits!

Purpose

Each month, there is an expectation that the Reporting Officer (this may be a Project Engineer or Principal Engineer) and an Approving Officer (in most cases the Provincial Works Manager) produce a Monthly Project Report.

Using the AWM System, this report will be published automatically, once the user correctly updates / edits and approves the appropriate Project Monitoring record in the AWM System.

Setting Up for this Work

Relevant Data Layers

To support this process, the user should add the following data layers to the system.

These layers are as follows:

How to update a Project Monitoring and Contract Monitoring record 

How do I know what information to enter?

Description of fields and lookup table values can be found at the end of this document in the Appendix. When using the table, you can also hover your mouse over the field to see a brief description of the field (see below example).

You should also pay attention to the type of data that can be entered as described in Field Description table (data entry column), for example – do not use commas (,) when entering the financial information.

There is also an instruction video titled ‘How to add a Project’ which runs through a complete example. This can be found in the HOW TO - Add Project and Contract Records into the System article.

Accessing the Project and Contract Monitoring records

1. In the System, go to the Menu and search for ‘DOWH Projects’

2. To see the list of projects as a data table, click on the layer and select ‘Show Grid’.

3. You can then adjust the table to more clearly show the list of projects by making the column widths wider or tighter and re-ordering the columns. 

4. You can use the ‘Filter’ option to only show the projects that you are interested in. For example, you might want to only see projects in your Region, Province or that are on a specific road. 

Filtered table only showing East New Britain Province projects:

5. With the Project highlighted in the Grid and the Details panel showing on the right, you should also see the ‘Hierarchy’ button in the middle. Click on this to expand this panel to see the Project Monitoring record. 

6. As shown above, in the Hierarchy view you should be able to see the Project Monitoring record. When you click on the grey arrow ► next to it, you should also see:

1. The Contract Monitoring record available here (if a Contract exists and should be reported on). 
2. The Monitoring Actions record. 

7. By clicking on the Project Monitoring record you should see the Monitoring record in the Details panel.

Approving the Project and Contract Monitoring records – Approving Officer

1. The Approving Officer is the person responsible for signing off on the report to state that the information is accurate to the best of their knowledge. In most cases, this will be the PWM, but they may delegate this role to a PCE for example. If the project is at a Planning and Investigation or Design stage, then this may differ.
2. Once the Monitoring Officer has turned the ‘Monitoring Completed’ option to Yes in the Monitoring Actions record, this will trigger an email to be sent to the Approving Officer overnight. This email includes an attachment of the data in Draft Report format which they will use to perform their review.
3. The Approving Officer should read the report and make sure that the financial data, % completed information (for example, the Scope of Works Items on the Contract record) and commentary is all accurate. If they would like to make changes, then they need to request that the Monitoring Officer makes these changes on their behalf, or they update the data in the Project Monitoring and/or Contract Monitoring records themselves. 
4. Once the Approving Officer is satisfied that all the information is accurate, then they need to go to the Monitoring Actions record, update the ‘Monitoring Approved’ button to Yes and select Save.
5. This will trigger the final approved report to be sent to the RWM via email with the Approving Officer also cc’d in the email. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to fill out every single field? 

It is best to provide as much detail as possible about the project and contract. However, if you do not know the right answer, and cannot confirm it with your colleague, then you can leave it blank. 

Fields with the blue triangle in the corner indicate this is a ‘required field’ and you will not be able to submit the form without entering a value. 

What if there are no updates from the previous month?

If there is a significant stoppage to the project, then you could change the Project Status to ‘On hold’ on the Project record. If it likely that the project will start up again in the following month then it may be easier to keep the Project Status as ‘Physical Works’ and just write in the commentary that there has been no progress and state a reason why. 

What if there is no Contract attached to my Project?

You can still create a report but there will be no Contract information. If there is a Contract but there is just no record in the system, then you need  to add a Contract record - see the HOW TO - Add Project and Contract Records into the System guide. 

What if I have sent the Draft report but I need to re-send it?

In this case, you should communicate with the Approving Officer which updates you need to make and make sure that these flow through into the final report. But if you do need the draft report to be run again - you can make your changes, then go to the Monitoring Actions record, and update Monitoring Updated from Yes to No and then back to Yes (you should see the Date below update) and then select Save. This will send the draft report again. 

1. The Monitoring Officer is the person responsible for collecting data for the project. In most cases this will be the Project Engineer who is also responsible for collating data for the fortnightly project report. If the project is at a Planning and Investigation or Design stage, then this may differ. 
2. When you first click on the record you should see a series of fields for which you need to enter data for. NB// To save you time, some of these values will be carried across from the previous month’s report and will need to be updated.
3. See the Field Descriptions Section for more details about what data should be entered for which field. When the data is entered select ‘Save’.
4. Add Photos – you should add photos that show the progress or issues that are discussed in the ‘Commentary on Progress’ and ‘Issues and Recommendations’ section. This will provide evidence of what is being stated in the report. See the Add Photos to Project Monitoring Records article for a guide on how to do this.
5. If there is a Contract Monitoring record (in most cases there is), then update this also and select Save.
6. Finally, you will need to open the Monitoring Actions record and, if you are happy with the information you have entered for both the Project and Contract Monitoring record, then turn the ‘Monitoring Completed’ button to Yes and select Save. 
7. This will trigger an email to be sent to the Approving Officer (most likely the PWM) with an attachment of the data in Draft Report format which they will use to perform their review. The Monitoring Officer will also be sent this email as a ‘cc’.  If the Approving Officer would like changes to be made, they may ask the Monitoring Officer to perform these or do these themselves. 

1. The Approving Officer is the person responsible for signing off on the report to state that the information is accurate to the best of their knowledge. In most cases, this will be the PWM, but they may delegate this role to a PCE for example. If the project is at a Planning and Investigation or Design stage, then this may differ.
2. Once the Monitoring Officer has turned the ‘Monitoring Completed’ option to Yes in the Monitoring Actions record, this will trigger an email to be sent to the Approving Officer overnight. This email includes an attachment of the data in Draft Report format which they will use to perform their review.
3. The Approving Officer should read the report and make sure that the financial data, % completed information (for example, the Scope of Works Items on the Contract record) and commentary is all accurate. If they would like to make changes, then they need to request that the Monitoring Officer makes these changes on their behalf, or they update the data in the Project Monitoring and/or Contract Monitoring records themselves. 
4. Once the Approving Officer is satisfied that all the information is accurate, then they need to go to the Monitoring Actions record, update the ‘Monitoring Approved’ button to Yes and select Save.
5. This will trigger the final approved report to be sent to the RWM via email with the Approving Officer also cc’d in the email. 

While we want to add progress and issues photos to the project and contract monitoring records, you might want to also add some photos to the Project and Contract records to show some significant before and after photos, and documents such as the actual Contract document. 

To add photos to the project, follow the steps below:

1. Open the project by searching for ‘DOWH Projects’ in the menu

2.  To see the list of projects as a data table, click on the layer and select ‘Show Grid’. 

3. Select the project you want to open, as well as the Project Monitoring contract. You may you need to click on the ‘Hierarchy’ button next to the details panel to expand this. With the Project and Contract highlighted, click the ‘Add’ button. 

4. This will result in a pop-up of your computer's filing system. Find the image you want to use and click open.

5. Click on the image to open further information on the image. Enter a description for the image and hit Save.

6. After saving the image description, close the image description tab. You should now see the description over the image.

Project Monitoring

Contract Monitoring

Monitoring Actions

Due to feedback provided from Department staff, we have made some changes to the Projects and Project Monitoring modules of the AWM System. 

This article provides more detail about these updates, including the updated field descriptions. We will use an example of a project with two contracts to demonstrate. 

Update to Project Monitoring Header

Now when you open the Project Monitoring record, you will see the report month and when it is due to be approved. 

Entering Financial Data on Project and Contract setup

We have set up the entry of financial data throughout the duration of the project to be entered on the Project and Contract Monitoring record but displayed as ‘view-only’ fields (in grey) on the DoWH Project and DoWH Contract records. This is so that a user can quickly see the most up-to-date financial data about the project. 

DoWH Projects

When you create a Project, you are only asked to input the ‘Original Allocated Funding’ for the project. 

Example: we know we have a budget of 1,200,000 kina so we would enter this in the Original Allocated Funding field. 

DoWH Contracts

When you create the Contract as part of that Project, you will be asked to input the ‘Awarded Contract Value’ and select the Contract Category. 

Contract 1:

Contract 2: 

Contract Monitoring

Now when you go to update the Contract Monitoring table you will have the ability to update the current contract value under the Contract Value section.

Contract 1:

Example: The Current Contract Value has been updated to 800,000 kina because of a variation in the contract.

Contract 2: 

The Contract Financial Status section is where you enter data relating to how the budget is being spent each month on the project.

Contract 1:

NOTE: The Financial Progress calculation is updated when the record is saved. 

In this example, Value of Works to Date = 100,000, Current Contract Value = 800,000.

Financial Progress = 100,000 / 800,000 = .125 (13%)

Contract 2:

Project Monitoring

Under the Project Monitoring record there is a Project Budget and Project Budget Status section. 

Example: Since we agreed to add a variation of an additional 100,000 kina for Contract 1,it is agreed that the allocated funding is increased from 1,200,000 to 1,300,000.

Example: Together, the two contracts 'Value of Works to Date' equals 150,000 (100000+50000), the updated 'Current Allocated Funding' equals 1,300,000.

Financial Progress = 150,000 / 1,300,000 = 11.5 (12%)

After Monitoring Updates

Once records are updated in the Monitoring records, you will see the DoWH Projects and Contracts records will be updated with the most up-to-date information. 

DoWH Projects

DoWH Contracts

Contract 1:

Contract 2: