Status Report Guidelines

Transcription

1 Values - Goals.doc 1 of 8 10/27/2010

2 Values - Goals Table of Contents 1 Status Report Overview Status Report Type Instructions Monthly Instructions Weekly... 6.doc 2 of 8 10/27/2010

3 Values - Goals 1 Status Report Overview This document provides guidance on determining the most appropriate status report template for a project. There are three official templates: Dashboard, Monthly Status Report and Weekly Status Report. The specific report required is contingent upon: funding type, complexity level 1 and/or management discretion. The recommended status report types below are guidelines that can be adjusted by the management team and/or sponsor. 1.1 Status Report Type Dashboards are required for all Capital projects. At this time, the dashboards are created by the project advisors with data and assistance from the project managers who run the actual Capital projects. Non-Capital projects with a Complexity Level of 2 or 3 should complete the Monthly Status Report. Level 2 or 3 projects have the option to create a Dashboard in place of the monthly status. Projects with a Complexity Level of 1 should complete the Weekly Status Report. Some sponsors and management may request that Level 1 projects complete a monthly status report. The following sections will provide assistance on creating the Monthly & Weekly Status Reports. Dashboard creation is covered in a separate guide. It is important to note that, for the most part, the data needed to complete the status report templates requires rigorous adherence to the project management methodology. The initial sections in the weekly and monthly templates are similar. The two templates differ significantly in the latter sections. Note: the headers in the Instructions Sections (Monthly & Weekly) correspond to headers in templates; the numbering schemes are not related. 1 Complexity Level is determined by completing the Complexity Matrix in the Origination Stage of the Project Lifecycle.doc 3 of 8 10/27/2010

4 Values - Goals 1.2 Instructions Monthly This section describes how to complete the Monthly Status Report Template 1. General Information. Complete project descriptive data: a. Title b. Sponsor c. Project Manager d. Reporting Period i. Week-ending date (weekly) ii. Month and year (monthly) e. Current Stage: Origination, Initiation, Planning, Execution & Control or Closure 2. Project Health Indicator: In order to provide senior management with a snapshot of the overall health of a project, a tri-color coding scheme was developed. Review the guidelines below and set the Project Health Indicator to the color that most accurately reflects the project health and level of executive attention required. This indicator is set as follows: a. Enter a checkmark in the appropriate box to indicate project s health..doc 4 of 8 10/27/2010

5 Values - Goals 3. Schedule Information: This information is extracted from the project plan, preferably MS Project or a comparable scheduling tool. It is essential that the project schedule be kept current for the life of the project a. Project Start Date: specify the project start date from your scheduling tool b. Baseline Completion Date: specify the original baseline completion date c. Revised Completion Date: this date reflects changes to the baseline date and is extracted from your scheduling tool. This date changes when the original schedule must be modified to reflect changes to task estimates and/or new tasks. 4. Project Synopsis: This section provides an executive summary of the project. Include goals, objectives and business benefits in business terms. This information can be extracted from the Charter, Scope Statement or System Development Life Cycle document (SDLC) (e.g. business requirements). This description should not change during the life of the project unless there is a major change to scope. 5. Escalation Items: This section is devoted to flagging major issues and risks for senior management intervention. If the project health indicator is yellow or red, there should be escalation items in this section that describe the reasons for the growing troubles on the project. Escalation items should remain in the status report until they are satisfactorily resolved. Some managers may ask that escalation items be maintained in the status for the life of the project. This is a project specific decision. a. Escalation Item: carefully describe the issue or risk including impacts to the project b. Owner: name of person who needs to assist with issue c. Date Identified: record the date the item surfaced. The format is: mm/dd/yyyy. d. Recommended Assistance / Update: provide management with recommendations on how the issue or risk can be managed. Describe the type of assistance needed. Provide a detailed update on the progress made to date. e. Status: succinctly describe the status of each item (e.g. attention required, corrective action in-process or resolved). f. Date Resolved: identify the date the issue or risk was resolved. 6. Status & Plan Update: Highlight major deliverables/milestones in business terms. Specify: target end date, current status (planned-no activity, on-schedule, early, late, complete) and any comments 7. Scope Status: This section describes any changes to scope and the impact of each change on the schedule, budget or quality of the project. Information for this section of the report will come from the change request process and templates. Changes should be tracked until they are formally addressed in some fashion (e.g. approved, rejected or deferred). Some managers may.doc 5 of 8 10/27/2010

6 Values - Goals ask that changes remain in the status report for the life of the project. This is a project specific decision. a. Change Summary: carefully describe the requested change b. Synopsis of Impact: summarize how the proposed change will impact the projects scope, budget and/or quality. c. Status: Approved, Rejected, In-Process, Deferred 8. Financial Status: This section should reflect the budget summary and is extracted directly from the budget spreadsheet. It is a project specific decision regarding whether to include both the summary budget and/or the budget graphic. When pasting charts, tables or diagrams into the status report template, it is recommended that it be done using paste special in the enhanced meta file EMF format for ease and clarity of scaling. 9. Accomplishments: Create a bulleted list of major accomplishments for the month. Consider progress against project milestones and deliverables. This information should come from the project plan and will be updated monthly. 10. Plans for Next Month: Create a bulleted list of major plans for the following month. Consider reflecting the start or completion of major deliverables and/or the planned attainment of a milestone. This information should come from the project plan and will be updated monthly. 1.3 Instructions Weekly This section describes how to complete the Weekly Status Report Template 1. General Information: Complete project descriptive data: a. Title b. Sponsor c. Project Manager d. Week-ending date (format: mm/dd/yy) e. Current Stage: Origination, Initiation, Planning, Execution & Control or Closure 2. Project Health Indicator: In order to provide senior management with a snapshot of the overall health of a project, a tri-color coding scheme was developed. Review the guidelines below and set the Project Health Indicator to the color that most accurately reflects the project health and level of executive attention required. This indicator is set as follows: a. Enter a checkmark in the appropriate box to indicate project s health..doc 6 of 8 10/27/2010

7 Values - Goals 3. Schedule Information & Budget Information: This information is extracted from the project plan (preferably MS Project or a comparable scheduling tool) and the budget and actuals template It is essential that the schedule and budget be kept current for the life of the project a. Project Start Date: specify the project start date from your scheduling tool b. Baseline Completion Date: specify the original baseline completion date c. Revised Completion Date: this date reflects changes to the baseline date and is extracted from your scheduling tool. This date changes when the original schedule must be modified to reflect changes to task estimates and/or new tasks. d. Original baseline budget: this number represents the original approved project budget at the start of the project. e. Cumulative adjustments: this figure represents any authorized increases or decreases from the budget. This is extracted from the Adjustment sheet in the budget. Adjustments must be maintained throughout the life of the project. f. Revised budget = Original baseline budget plus or minus authorized adjustments 4. Project Synopsis: This section provides an executive summary of the project. Include goals, objectives and business benefits in business terms. This information can be extracted from the Charter, Scope Statement or System Development Life Cycle document (SDLC) (e.g. business.doc 7 of 8 10/27/2010

8 Values - Goals requirements). This description should not change during the life of the project unless there is a major change to scope. 5. Escalation Items: This section is devoted to flagging major issues and risks for senior management. If the project health indicator is yellow or red, there should be escalation items in this section that describe the reasons for the growing troubles on the project. Escalation items should remain in the status report until they are satisfactorily resolved. Some managers may ask that escalation items be maintained in the status for the life of the project. This is a project specific decision. g. Escalation Item: carefully describe the issue or risk including impacts to the project a. Owner: name of person who needs to assist with issue h. Date Identified: record the date the item surfaced. The format is: mm/dd/yyyy. i. Recommended Assistance / Update: provide management with recommendations on how the issue or risk can be managed. Describe the type of assistance needed. Provide a detailed update on the progress made to date. j. Status: succinctly describe the status of each item (e.g., attention required, corrective action in-process or resolved). k. Date Resolved: identify the date the issue or risk was resolved. 6. Accomplishments: Create a bulleted list of major accomplishments for the week. Consider progress against project milestones and deliverables. This information should come from the project plan and will be updated weekly. 7. Plans for Next Week: Create a bulleted list of major plans for the following week. Consider reflecting the start or completion of major deliverables and/or the planned attainment of a milestone. This information should come from the project plan and will be updated weekly..doc 8 of 8 10/27/2010