Tracking project progress using detailed schedules is key to effectively manage the delivery objectives of any project, or programme, but an important often overlooked consideration is how we can communicate project progress quickly and succinctly, in context, to wider stakeholders, remembering that not everyone will be living in the detail of a master schedule.
Whether you are an project manager, engineer or designer if you are running a project you should know at any time:
- what you’ve completed,
- what you’ve got coming next and
- what your critical path1 is.
A Plan on a Page (PoaP) is a great way to communicate clearly and succinctly progress, current tasks, forecast completion, critical path, risks and opportunities.
The image above shows an example from Microsoft Project (MSP) annotated to point out key pieces of information that should be included in the commentary. Consider what the current work is and how this relates to major milestones that have been defined for the project. What is the impact of any delays to this task, how much contingency, or float, is available before we impact the critical path?
Supporting Metrics
Complementary to your PoaP are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that can provide quantitative independent data to give assurance that the project is progressing as expected. Typical programme management metrics to track project performance are Earned Value2 (EV), Cost and Schedule Performance Indices (CPI and SPI), however there is also great value in “commoditising” outputs from the project team. Some typical examples may be quantity of parts in stores, that may support an assembly readiness metric, drawing release “burn-down” charts, or technical review action trackers. If we chose are metrics wisely and create automated tools and methods to track them they can also help aid our decision making, after all as Edwards Deming famously said,
Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.
W. Edwards Deming
I hope this blog has been of interest and if you feel this may be an area where you need support, or a fresh perspective, please get in touch. I have witnessed first hand the benefits of the approach outlined above and am always happy to have a conversation that could be of help.
- Critical path A sequence of activities through a precedence network from start to finish, the sum of whose durations determines the overall duration. ↩︎
- Earned value A measure of progress that expresses costs committed and work achieved in the same units. ↩︎