Total Cost Management Framework, An Integrated Approach to Portfolio, Program, and Project Management

Total cost management (TCM) is the effective application of professional and technical expertise to plan and control resources, costs, profitability and risk. Simply stated, TCM is a systematic approach to managing costs throughout the life cycle of any enterprise, program, facility, project, product or service. The TCM Framework is a representation of that ‘systematic approach.” The TCM Framework is a structured, annotated process map that for the first time explains each practice area of the cost engineering field in the content of its relationship to the other practice areas including allied professions. As the book subtitled says, it is a process for applying the skills and knowledge of cost engineering. A key feature of the TCM Framework is that it highlights and differentiates the main cost management application areas: project control and strategic asset management. The TCM Framework is a significant, original contribution to the cost management profession applicable to all industries. It is an AACE International cornerstone technical document that joins the current body of knowledge literature for related fields such as project management, operations management, and management accounting. It is also consistent with the latest organizational and portfolio thinking which ties all practices and processes back to overall business strategies and objectives. As a “framework,” this document is not a “how-to” instructional guide, but a conceptual representation that provides a structured, integrated overview of cost engineering.