While projects and their corresponding contractual relationships have become more complex over the past several decades, so have the “seamless” project controls software platforms promising “a cure all” for the typical aliments of a struggling project. Over my past 20 years in the construction industry, I have made an interesting, albeit sad, observation. The root cause of schedule delays and cost overruns still is the same: ineffective project controls. Just because the graphics are prettier and the reports are bigger does not mean projects are being managed better, in fact, quite the contrary. This presentation hopes to bring the focus back to the basics of good old-fashioned project controls. Using as a case study a project that I was personally responsible for implementing, I will take the audience through the fundamental requirements of effective project controls and why these elements are instrumental to a project’s successful outcome.