Performance Reporting

Project reporting is all the set of activities aimed to monitor the progress of a project. The state of each activity is defined by the evaluation of data representing the metrics chosen for the report. The actual data occurring in the advancement of the project are compared with the estimated data, set as target before the beginning of the project. The main outcome of a correct reporting system is to provide information about the state of a project. These information should be available in a time range that allows the project manager to eventually take effective corrective actions. In a longer prospective, the purpose of reporting is to register how different decision making process and practices led to failure or success. This insight should then be used to future improvement by replicating good practices and avoiding mistakes.

Scope of Control

Different knowledge areas are involved as in planning, also in the control activities, these are:

Area	Role	Reporting documents
Scope (or Configuration) Management	The scope of work defines what the project is producing or delivering. Reports will take track of scope variation during the implementation.	Project Communication Impact statements Variations and Modifications Change requests Concessions Closeout report
Technical Support	Technical experts keeps track of their results to interpret clients need and addressing it respecting regulation and adopting good practices.	Configuration control Impact statements Commissioning As build drawings
Time Management	Outlines the sequence and timing of the scope of work through control documents as Progress report	Progress report (actual vs planned) Gantt chart Revised barchart Earned Value Trend documents
Procurement Management	The procurement function classifies all the purchased items. These are procured to specification, time schedule and budget	Purchase Order Gantt chart Expediting status report Revised procurement schedule and budget
Resource Management	Resource management is in charge to integrate the resource estimate with time management to produce resource forecast. Used resourced are closely linked to manpower requirements.	Time sheets Revised manpower histogram
Cost Management	Cost Management allocates budgets and cash-flows to the work packages	Expenditures report (actual vs planned) Committed cost and cost-to-compete Revised budgets Earned value
Change Control	Set of documents that tracks and revise the progress of the scope of work.	Project Communication Impact statements Non Conformance Reports (NCR) Change request and Concessions Drawing revisions Modification and Variation Orders (VO) Extras to contract Specification and Configuration revisions
Quality Management	State how the company plans to meet the requirements	Inspection reports Non conformance Reports (NCR) Concessions As-built drawings Data books and operation manuals Commissioning
Communication Management	The communication functions share information and instruction to the responsible parties.	Transmittals Minutes of meeting
Human Resource Management	The HR function sets frameworks for the persons employed in the project.	Time sheets Performance evaluations
Environmental Management	Takes in account all the external issues that may effect the project.	Environmental report

Data acquisition

Metrics

Data capture is the activity of reporting information to the project manager on periodical basis. This allow the project management to be aware if the project's progress and status. The accuracy of the reporting system is just as accurate as the data captured are. The data collected originate from the chosen metrics. The purpose of the metrics is to provide the management with the current situation overview and possible future scenarios. Typically the information that are expressed by the data are related to:

• Activity duration and completion status
• Resource usage rate
• Actual cost of resources and activities

Those measures are then compared with the expected duration, usage and costs defined before the activity execution. When projected and actual data are available is then possible to make a comparison and identify possible deviations. If some deviation manifests, in the schedule, resource consumption and expenditure it is possible to locate the problem. The report should be capable to explicate causes and responsibilities for overrun. Additionally the report should indicate the forecast for cost overrun in case of midway overrun occurs.

Maintenance

Once the metrics are defined is necessary to define:

• Who should be responsible to gather and elaborate the data. It could be a project team, contractors, cost engineers or data could come from the company's ERP
• When the data will be assembled and communicated and which is going to be the reporting period (day, week, months, quarter...

Application

Setting a Baseline Plan

As first action to implement progress and performance reporting is to set a baseline. The development of a project baseline is properly a part of planning process. However since it constitute the main input for the comparison with the measured date there cannot be reporting without it. The baseline is an written document that represent commitment to the achievement of some cost and schedule performance. The reference value are acquired from the work breakdown structure. The WBS provides discrete work packages tied to deliverables and organization unit. Furthermore, each work package defines the work, duration and budget. Next the project network schedule time-phase all work, resources and budget into a baseline plan.

Measuring Progress and Performance

The measured performance can be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative measures can be performed by on-site-inspection. Quantitative measures regards mainly time and budget performance. Relevant measurement are made on the early or late actualization of the critical path. The slack of of near-critical path can be measured in relation with the arise of new critical activities. Economical measurement keeps track on the expenditure performance to compare it with the budget values. However, in order to realistically estimate the performance agains time phased budget we have to consider earned value as well. Earned value is defined as budgeted cost of the work performed.

Comparing Plan against Actual

As the plans rarely manifest exactly as estimated, it is a priority to detect deviation in useful time. The management must be able take corrective actions as soon the deviation manifests. For this reason is imperative to measure periodically the status of the project to compare the actual toward the expected plans. Consequently, the timing of the status must have a frequency that allows early detection and correction of deviations. A good indication is to generate a status report every one to four weeks to be useful and allow to take proactive actions.

The project manager should train and communicate the importance of maintaining reporting system to the project members.