Quels sont les indicateurs et indicateurs clés que vous suivez et rapportez sur l’avancement et le rendement de votre projet?

All too often, status reports become a burden often filled with irrelevant information, overly technical jargon, or copied and pasted from a template. Whether you’re reporting to executives, stakeholders, or team members, think about what they need to know, how they prefer to receive it, and what they’re likely to do with it. And if there’s even the smallest chance you can avoid using PowerPoint, grab it. Imagine reporting to your mum (or dad, other relatives are available). Focus on the things that matter most: the next big milestone, how much money you spent and what’s left, stuff that might be a problem and what you plan on doing to get around it. And who ate the half bar of 'Whole Nut' hidden in the kitchen cupboard.

When crafting a project status report, understanding your audience is crucial. Different stakeholders require varying levels of detail and focus. A project sponsor, for instance, might need a high-level overview encompassing objectives, key milestones, and potential risks. In contrast, team members often require a more detailed view, including task breakdowns, dependencies, and specific deliverables. Tailoring your report to meet these distinct needs ensures clarity and relevance, avoiding confusion and information overload. This targeted approach not only enhances the report’s utility but also facilitates better decision-making and keeps all parties appropriately informed and aligned with the project's progress.

Team and experience determine the level of bureaucracy, the quality of work with information and the possibility of achieving the results of a stage or project as a whole. Communications and objectivity of information are at the forefront of any project, since the project owner needs to report to the owners in terms that are convenient for them, but at the same time he must be aware of all the problems that have been identified during the implementation of the project in order to correct the movement or redefine goals. This means that the goals, objectives, stages and tasks of the stages should be structured and pre-evaluated. This is the basis for further work with information and tracking the status of the project.

We choose the most convenient tools for working with organizational and administrative information. We need an online document management and project management system, ideally with a knowledge base that will be filled with information about the details of the project. The main thing is to create a complete system quickly, cheaply and be able to prepare data for higher levels of the project hierarchy in the form adopted at the start of the project. Graphs, diagrams are not always sufficient for the owners, but they can get clarifications from the product owner or project manager. Team leads can collect and manage information on their own. Metrics must be delivered in agreed form.

Selecting the right format for your project status report is essential in conveying information effectively. Various formats like dashboards, tables, charts, graphs, or narratives can be employed, each suited for different kinds of data and audiences. The chosen format should facilitate easy comprehension and comparison, highlighting crucial project metrics and indicators. These typically encompass scope, schedule, budget, quality, alongside risks, issues, and any changes. The aim is to present data in a manner that not only aligns with your audience’s needs but also underscores the project's current state and future trajectory.

Maintaining consistency and accuracy is key in crafting effective project status reports. Adhering to a uniform format, frequency, and terminology throughout the project lifecycle fosters clear and coherent documentation, crucial for avoiding stakeholder confusion. Equally important is ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of reports, reflecting the project's true current state. Exaggerations or downplaying of achievements and challenges should be avoided, as they can undermine your credibility and trust with stakeholders. Accurate and consistent reporting not only provides a reliable snapshot of project progress but also builds a foundation of trust and transparency, essential for successful project management and stakeholder communication.

We must provide design information in the required form, and changes, especially frequent changes in information requirements, must be excluded. This means that we must initially collect and provide information in a consistent and convenient form for all, and it must include the necessary and sufficient volume for each stakeholder at any level of the project hierarchy. Real progress of each part of the team, real values are very important for the success of the project and friendly atmosphere. We should have all possible information in the online system, which can save us time and nerves on unnecessary communications, which will allow us to manage the project more accurately and increase the chances of success.

Effective project status reports should be clear and concise. Use simple language, avoiding technical jargon, to ensure understanding across all audiences. Organize your content with bullet points, headings, and subheadings for easy scanning. Focus on essential information: the current project status, key achievements, challenges, and action items. Avoid adding irrelevant details that might distract or overwhelm the reader. This approach ensures your report is accessible and emphasizes the most crucial aspects of project progress, aiding in efficient decision-making.

When we agreed on the principles of work and got the initial cohesion, mutual understanding, we must remember to preserve and increase what has been achieved. Good communications determine the quality of the project result. We must speak with each level in a language that is understandable and convenient for it, reduce personal interests and not be zealous in self-promotion, using complex vocabulary without measure, not trying to embellish our work due to the achievements of the team, and even especially not to try to find an extreme measure for your own mistakes. Environment for everyone where the contribution to the work and the importance of it will be associated with the achievement of team results is a good approach.

In addition to the technical aspects of reporting, consider the human element. Personal anecdotes or brief stories highlighting team efforts or challenges overcome can be powerful. These narratives add a personal touch, making reports more relatable and engaging. They also serve to remind stakeholders of the team's dedication and resilience, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the project's progress. Including such elements, while maintaining brevity, can significantly enhance the impact and reception of your project status reports.

The practice of complex projects with many corporate participants shows that a huge amount of resources are spent on playing against conflicts of interest. Often the interests of a party are hidden from others, or inaccessible on low levels. This leads to more serious conflicts, especially in the design, where inaccurate data from previous stages can lead to multi million losses at next stages. Project managers need to be clear about both possible data problems and the consequences of revealing situations of concealment or deliberate misrepresentation of data, and take steps to resolve conflicts. Intelligent bureaucracy with quality data is the most effective solution for issues without unmanageable conflicts.

Progress review meetings are a fundamental part of all projects, skipping them is not an option, in fact there are 3 key elements that I always include: 1. An overview of the project's current status, highlighting progress made since the last meeting. 2. An updated risk register, outlining any new risks that have emerged. 3. An overview of resource allocation and utilization, including any adjustments made. Plus, there are key outcomes that expect to gain from those meetings 1. Ensure that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the project's current status. 2. Make important decisions regarding changes to the project plan 3. Gather feedback from stakeholders on their satisfaction with the project's progress.