Status reporting requires a mutual relationship
Status reporting requires a mutual relationship between management and the individuals that are reporting on the status. Management must listen to what the individuals who will report status are capable of doing in terms of providing information. I recommend negotiating on the information that you need and defining a time frame and frequency on how often the report is provided to you (management). Depending on the situation, the individuals who are reporting may already have the information you need and may already be tracking certain details. Management needs to understand what is available. If by chance the information is not available then management should work with the individuals to help them obtain and track the information that is needed to report on. Management may create templates for tracking or coordinate a meeting once a week, or however often it is needed, to obtain this information.
Begin by creating a template for the individuals who are reporting. The template should contain the details that you need to know, however not too much information that the reporting process is too over whelming.
I have a few free project management templates, a weekly status report and a detailed status report, that you may use to begin your efforts. Consider customizing these templates for your needs. Begin with something and as starting point and modify it as you need. Set a time frame for when you need the status report returned to you. Send a gentle reminder two days prior to when you need the report. Give the individual till noon and send a reminder if you have not received anything on the day you requested.
Status should be based on the known work for what is in scope that has been documented in the project schedule. If the known work is delayed a short statement as to the reason for the delay should be provided. Any issue or action item should be documented and tracked (followed up on) so that the project will continue to move forward on schedule. Basic communication efforts like these will provide you (management) control and mitigate risks that may impact the project’s scheduled date of completion.
In general, status reporting will help a manager maintain control and facilitate the necessary communication that will reveal unknowns that exists. A lack of this type of control will make your project an easy target for failure. If you ensure that the proper communication processes are in place then you are more likely to succeed.
~Dora
Begin by creating a template for the individuals who are reporting. The template should contain the details that you need to know, however not too much information that the reporting process is too over whelming.
I have a few free project management templates, a weekly status report and a detailed status report, that you may use to begin your efforts. Consider customizing these templates for your needs. Begin with something and as starting point and modify it as you need. Set a time frame for when you need the status report returned to you. Send a gentle reminder two days prior to when you need the report. Give the individual till noon and send a reminder if you have not received anything on the day you requested.
Status should be based on the known work for what is in scope that has been documented in the project schedule. If the known work is delayed a short statement as to the reason for the delay should be provided. Any issue or action item should be documented and tracked (followed up on) so that the project will continue to move forward on schedule. Basic communication efforts like these will provide you (management) control and mitigate risks that may impact the project’s scheduled date of completion.
In general, status reporting will help a manager maintain control and facilitate the necessary communication that will reveal unknowns that exists. A lack of this type of control will make your project an easy target for failure. If you ensure that the proper communication processes are in place then you are more likely to succeed.
~Dora
posted by ePM @ 3:48 PM
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