The best information system does not result in good control. Control requires the project manager to use information to steer the project through rough waters. Control and Gantt charts are useful vehicles for monitoring time performance. The cost/schedule system allows the manager to have a positive influence on cost and schedule in a timely manner. The ability to influence cost decreases with time; therefore, timely reports identifying adverse cost trends can greatly assist the project manager in getting back on budget and schedule. The integrated cost/schedule model provides the project manager and other stakeholders with a snapshot of the current and future status of the project. The benefits of the cost/schedule model are as follows:

• Measures accomplishments against plan and deliverables.
• Provides a method for tracking directly to a problem work package and organization unit responsible.
• Alerts all stakeholders to early identification of problems, and allows for quick, proactive corrective action.
• Improves communication because all stakeholders are using the same database.
• Keeps customer informed of progress, and encourages customer confidence that the money spent is resulting in the expected progress.
• Provides for accountability over individual portions of the overall budget for each organizational unit.