SOME ASPECTS OF COST CONTROL IN LARGE R & D PROJECTS.

Certain aspects relating to cost control in large research and development projects are discussed. The ideas presented will be of special interest to scientists and engineers working as project leaders or project managers. Certain typical characteristics of an R & D project make the conventional cost control techniques like the variance analysis quite inappropriate during the initial phase of the project. As the project work progresses, new budgets, incorporating finer details of the activities, should be prepared which become more functional for the control purposes. A considerable saving in cost can be effected by determining an optimum cost-time relationship and the pattern of expenditure. Certain behavioral aspects which are considered to be of importance for the success of any control system are discussed.