Project Status Reporting

Revision as of 11:26, 14 February 2021

Project Status Reporting involves the process of iteratively reporting the current status and progress of a project to relevant stakeholders. The reporting is conducted by the members of a project team by addressing accomplishments and whether or not the determined targets are being achieved.^[1][2]

Summary

Project Status Reporting is supporting the monitoring and controlling functions within project management with the focus to manage uncertainties. Project reporting involves the procedure of collecting and distributing project information and updates to relevant stakeholders.^[3] The status reporting takes place on regularly basis and is an essential pillar of project communication.^[4][2] A project manager is spending the majority of the time on communicating with its project team and relevant stakeholders. Therefore, it is of high importance to maintain effective communication in order to conduct and deliver successful project management.^[2][3] Project Status Reporting helps improving the communication flow by providing necessary project updates to relevant internal and external stakeholders. ^[4] In terms of monitoring project risk, project reporting has a big role in identifying potential risks and ineffectiveness in relation to the project plan. By regularly following progress within the project, it enhances the possibilities to quicker discover deviating trends and formulate risk responses.^[5]

More specifically, it consist of a formal report which is updated consistently along the project lifecycle. The frequency and specifications can vary, based on factors such as; project timeline, project size, complexity.^[2] Regularly, reports are being presented on a weekly basis, but daily and monthly spans are not uncommon. The report is conducted by a member of a project team, either the project manager or any other team member. The finalised reports are being provided to relevant stakeholder as a support for decision-making.^[1][4]

Big idea

There are four general principles related to Status Reporting, namely:

• Materiality
• Timeliness
• Consistency
• Accuracy

Main objectives/purpose

How to write a Project Status Report

Elements of a project status report

• in detail what's included in the report

The process of conducting a Status Report includes the following (activities/steps):

• Summary
• Activities and progress
• Outputs and deliverables
• Evaluation

Application

Best practices

Application areas

• Provide documented history of the project
• more

Example application

• Show step by step how it can be applied
• Insert a picture of an example-template

Limitations

Challenges in applying the tool

• how it should/shouldn't be used
• when to use/not to use

Relate to standards/literature

• Project reporting is in standard, but not specifically Project status reporting (extending)

Annotated Bibliography

Hayes Munson, K. A. (2012). How do you know the status of your project?: Project monitoring and controlling. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2012—North America, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006) "Project Status Reporting" https://www2.cdc.gov/cdcup/library/practices_guides/CDC_UP_Project_Status_Reporting_Practices_Guide.pdf

Project Management Institute (2017) A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide). 6th ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Swanson, S. A. (2014). Anatomy of an effective status report. PM Network, 28(6), 52–61.

Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). (2019). Standard for Risk Management in Portfolios, Programs, and Projects. Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). Retrieved from https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpSRMPPP01/standard-risk-management/standard-risk-management

Keil, M., Smith, H.J., Iacovou, C.L. & Thompson, R.L. 2014, "The Pitfalls of Project Status Reporting", MIT Sloan Management Review, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 57-64.

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Hayes Munson, K. A. (2012). How do you know the status of your project?: Project monitoring and controlling. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2012—North America, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006) Project Status Reporting https://www2.cdc.gov/cdcup/library/practices_guides/CDC_UP_Project_Status_Reporting_Practices_Guide.pdf
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Project Management Institute (2017) A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide). 6th ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Swanson, S. A. (2014). Anatomy of an effective status report. PM Network, 28(6), 52–61.
5. ↑ Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). (2019). Standard for Risk Management in Portfolios, Programs, and Projects. Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). Retrieved from https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpSRMPPP01/standard-risk-management/standard-risk-management