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Status Reporting Plan

Author: Sophia

what's covered
In this lesson, we'll discuss the plan for status reporting:

Table of Contents

1. Status Report

Status reports are a common aspect of communication plans and are used to cover overall project progress. It's the project manager's responsibility to communicate regularly with stakeholders and team members about the project status,

The minimum information that should be included in a status report is:

  • Current Status: Status of work completed since the last status report
  • Next Steps: Focus of work during the current time period
  • Risk Management: Any risks that have occurred since the last status report or the status of any ongoing risks and include the steps to mitigate the risks
  • Project Team Members: Any team members currently involved in the project
Below is an example of a status report. Keep in mind that If the project team is large, only key events by team members should be noted.

Activity/Task Last Period Status
Discussions with Stakeholders 100%
Create Design Specification 100%
Develop System Modules 10%
Activity/Task Current Period
Develop System Modules
Integrate System Modules
Risk/Issue Mitigation
System Modules more complex than anticipated Added additional programmer
Team Contributions
Janet Brown spent extra time working on weekend to complete design spec in time.

hint
A status report is an excellent way to highlight contributions from the team.


2. Project Dashboard

A project dashboard, which is another method of communicating progress, can be part of the status report, or it can be its own method of reporting.

The dashboard should contain a list of activities and high-level tasks worked on during a particular time period, as well as the status of the work.

The work status on dashboards is often color-coded as:

  • Green for work that is complete
  • Yellow for work that is ongoing
  • Red for work that has slipped when compared to the project schedule
When work is marked as red, the dashboard should also contain details about how the issue will be addressed. It's the project manager's role to manage those issues.

Activity/Task Last Period Status Notes
Discussions with Stakeholders 100%
Create Design Specification 100%
Develop System Modules 10% Adding One Programmer to Work

The dashboard should stay focused on high-level tasks or activities since it is intended as a summary of the project schedule status, not as a replacement.

brainstorm
Imagine that you are the manager of a large project in your industry, and it is your job to create a method of tracking the project’s status.

Would you use a status report, or a project dashboard?

How would you handle tasks that have been falling behind on the schedule?

What would be the best way of communicating these issues to your team and others involved in the project?

term to know
Project Dashboard
A technique for providing high-level overview of the progress being made in a project’s scope.


3. Confidentiality

When project statuses are communicated, it's important for the project manager to remember the levels of confidentiality needed with each piece of information.

Part of the project manager’s role is to determine who should and shouldn't receive each update, especially when there are issues with the team as a whole, individual personnel, or with vendors. To determine who should receive confidential information, the project manager may need to consult with the project sponsor.

It's crucial to restrict certain updates to those who need to know this information, not the entire team. This also helps reduce the noise that can come when too much information is communicated about project status.

If there is a question about confidentiality, the project manager should:

  • Check with the project sponsor
  • Determine if any other stakeholders or team members need the information
  • Not waste the project sponsor’s time with unwanted, low-level details
summary
This tutorial discussed how status reports highlight contributions from the team, dashboards are color-coded to indicate whether or not a task is completed, and that confidentiality is key. Check with the project sponsor if there is a question about confidentiality.

Source: This work is adapted from sophia author jeff carroll.

Terms to Know
Project Dashboard

A technique for providing high-level overview of the progress being made in a project's scope.