Assessing Progress
In
order to make informed decisions and exercise rational control, it is necessary
to know what has actually happened, to be compared with what it was hoped would
happen. Project management can become dominated by 'fire fighting' and
day-to-day problem solving. This can result in Project
Managers losing sight of
the overall goal. It is vital that this is countered by a steady flow of
information that fills in the bigger picture, and simple, robust monitoring
systems to supply the information.
Assessing Progress monitors the status of resources and allocated work, and reviews the
Quality Log (as updated by the quality checks carried out by the team(s)). It
also keeps the Stage Plan up to date.
The
objective of assessing progress is to maintain an accurate and current picture
of:
|
|
Progress on the work
being carried out |
|
|
The status of resources |
by
receiving and reviewing progress information from the Team
Manager(s).
In
order to achieve the objectives, various steps have to be undertaken:
|
|
Collect in all progress
information for all work currently being undertaken |
|
|
Collect feedback on
recent quality checking activities carried out |
|
|
Assess the estimated time
and effort to complete any unfinished. work (including that not yet started) |
|
|
Assess the availability
of resources in the period under review and. for the remainder of the stage
(or project) |
|
|
Review with the Team
Manager(s)
whether work will be completed on time and to budget |
|
|
Update the Stage Plan
with actuals to date |
|
|
Identify any points that
need attention. |
The
main data-gathering control for Project Manager is the Checkpoint, described in
the Project Controls chapter. Team
Managers can also use the Assessing Progress
process within their teams. The information is then passed to the Project
Manager in a Checkpoint Report.
The
Project Manager is responsible, assisted by any support roles, with input from
Team Managers.
|
Management information |
Usage |
Explanation |
|
Input |
Flows of information, either written or verbal depending on the need for formality. The information will cover current status against plan |
|
|
Quality Log |
Input |
Confirmation, or otherwise, from the Team Manager(s) that the work and products have been produced to the quality standard specified |
|
Update |
Updated with actuals to date and forecasts |
|
|
Is the level and
frequency of progress assessment right for the stage |
|
|
Is the information
timely, useful and accurate? |
|
|
Are the estimates of
outstanding work objective? |