Once stakeholders have
approved the project plan, the execution phase begins. At this point, project
monitoring, tracking and reporting become the core responsibilities of project
manager. But everyone on the team must also be aware of monitoring and
tracking, so if issues arise, they are addressed. Project reporting documents
show how things are progressing.
Effective project reporting requires clear, simple and concise
communication. This communication flows in two directions. Not only top-down,
from project sponsors and external stakeholders to team members, but also in
the opposite direction.
Many types of project
reports are created during the execution phase in order to track the progress
of a project. Project status reports act
not only as important communication tools during project execution but also as
important historical documents that inform the development of future projects.
This makes estimating the scope of future projects less of a shot-in-the-dark,
and more of an educated guess.
Project status reports
have a few key objectives, including:
1. Making
communication across the organization seamless
2. Simplifying
the communication process
3. Keeping
stakeholders informed as the project moves forward
4. Delivering
the right information, to the right stakeholders, at the right time
5. Enhancing
organizational support for everyone involved
Project monitoring,
tracking and reporting are a highly-collaborative process. Without monitoring
and tracking the progress of a project, the reporting is not accurate.
Therefore, teams must collaborate when creating reports, so communications are
clear. This collaboration and communication is facilitated by the right project
management tools.
Using tools that help
with collaboration when monitoring and tracking makes evaluating a project
easier. Projectmanagementcompanion.com has a
visual, timeline-driven Gantt charts, drag-and-drop Kanban boards and
interactive task lists to help teams collaborate on tasks in the way that works
best for them. These three views empower teams to collaborate and execute
effectively.
There are six elements
to a project report, as the execution phase progresses, it’s important to
report on progress so the schedule doesn’t go astray.
Project Information
Start with the basics.
What is the project’s name? Who will be managing the project? What are the
available resources? Effective tracking requires detailed information. It’s an
unsafe bet to assume stakeholders share a projects familiarity. Instead, provide
information known, even if it seems like overkill. This helps things run
smoothly, and also sets groundwork for the project to be referenced as a
precedent when future projects are being planned.
Status Information
Report dates are the
most important status information, and should always be front-and-centre. Also,
data separating status reports from other reports crossing stakeholders’ desks
should be visible to grab attention.
Milestone Review
Milestones are major
touchpoints for your project. They serve as a guidepost for remaining work, and
the timeline for it to get done. Conducting a milestone review lets
stakeholders see actual progress versus what was estimated in the project
proposal.
Project Summary
The project summary
includes a projected completion date, as well as resources and costs expended.
Inclusion of issues causing delays is an important summary component. There
should be a clear explanation of how these issues could affect budget and
timeline, and work being done to ensure things are corrected to get the project
back on track.
Issues and Risks
This section is
straightforward. List issues and risks encountered and note how these are being
resolved. Finally, outline how resolutions are positively impacting project
execution.
Project Metrics
Back up statements with
hard numbers and data points. Project planning details should have outlined
these metrics. Show how data illustrates the success of your project to date,
or, highlight needs for immediate improvement.
With
these elements in mind, there are some project reporting best practices to
consider:
·
Communication is the cornerstone: Status
reports are a key element of your communications plan. However, these reports
don’t have to cover everything, and be all things to all people. Writing reports
in a way that delivers the right information to the right people, at the right
time, should be the overarching goal.
·
Be consistent: Consistency is key. Find
a format and distribution method that works for stakeholders, and stick with
it. They’ll appreciate the predictability of the information they receive.
·
Set targets and measure against them: Establishing
metrics is an important part of project reporting and monitoring. Accordingly,
these metrics should be how the project progress is measured against goals
throughout its life-cycle.
·
Keep things simple: Keep reports
simple to ensure effectiveness. Don’t pull in details unrelated to the issue on
which is being reported.
·
Always verify what is being reported: It’s a bad idea to
assume information is correct without doing due diligence to ensure it is.
·
Have some standards: Reporting
simplification is made easier through creation of standards defining report
structure, and how information is presented. Given this, building templates to
make the work easier is a great first step.
Throughout
any project, it’s important to evaluate reporting to avoid scope creep. As
project teams start to work, and silos of activity develop, it’s vital to keep
everyone aligned. This ensures project scope doesn’t creep.
There
are five ways to avoid scope creep:
1.
Document all project requirements
2.
Establish
change control processes: If scope creep happens, it’s important to
have change control processes in place to bring things back on track.
3.
Create a clear project schedule: A thorough project
schedule outlines project goals. It outlines tasks to be done to reach those
goals. This schedule is referenced against the project plan’s requirements
document to make sure everything is moving forward. If not, the schedule sets
the course for tweaks or changes.
4.
Verify scope with stakeholders: It’s
worthwhile during a project’s lifecycle to review scope with all stakeholders.
Reviewing the schedule together, and making sure all tasks stakeholders are
expecting to be done on a given timeline is also a good idea.
5.
Engage the project team: Make sure the
project team is happy with how things are going throughout the project. As the
change control process starts to take hold, let the team know how it will
affect them. Weekly 1:1 meetings or team meetings to review tasks, and also
overall project progress is a great way to keep the team engaged.
Project
reporting can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Taking
things step-by-step can help ease anxieties among everyone involved, and ensure
a winning result.
Project reporting can be tough, but also efficient
with the right tools. Projectmanagementcompanion.com offers tools that make collaboration and development of project
reports less time-consuming and more intuitive. Check out the selection of
reporting capability in action by taking a free 30-day trial.
Comments
Post a Comment