Reporting Stage End

The results of a stage should be reported back to those who provided the resources and approved its execution so that progress is clearly visible to the Project Management Team.

Context

This process is invoked when the Project Manager identifies that a stage is nearing its end. Reporting Stage End involves a review of the impact of the stage on the Project Plan, the Business Case and the identified risks. Except for the final stage it is done as a precursor to the presentation of the Next Stage Plan.

Process Description

This process should happen as close as possible to the actual end of a stage. The results of the stage are presented in an End Stage Report.

The report includes the actual results of the stage in terms of costs, dates achieved and products produced. These are compared with the original Stage Plan. A statement is made comparing the results with the agreed tolerances for the stage. A report is given of the quality control activities undertaken and the results of that work.

A summary is given of all Project Issues received during the stage and what has happened to them.

The Next Stage Plan and the revised Project Plan (if there is one) accompany the End Stage Report. The report identifies any variations from the previous versions of these plans and assesses any changes to the risk situation. If the project is still viable in the Project Manager's view, a request to proceed to the next stage will accompany the End Stage Report.

Any lessons learned during the stage are added to the Lessons Learned Report. This report is not included in the End Stage Report, but any lessons from the current stage are summarised in the End Stage Report.

Responsibilities

The Project Manager has the responsibility, with assistance from project support. Informal agreement to the report's data and conclusions should be obtained from those responsible for project assurance.

Information Needs

Management information	Usage	Explanation
Current Stage Plan	Input	Contains information about the products, cost and dates of the current stage
Issue Log	Input	Identifies the issues raised during the stage
Actions Log	Input	Identifies the actions raised during the stage
Risk Log	Input	Source of information about the status of current risks
Quality Log	Input	Information about the quality activities and results from the teams that produced the products
Next Stage Plan	Update	Data for the End Stage Report and request for authorisation to proceed
Lessons Learned Report	Update	Updated with any new lessons
Request for authorisation to proceed	Output	This may be formal or informal according to the project's situation
End Stage Report	Output	Performance of the stage against plan
Project Plan	Output	Have any changes been made to the Project Plan that affect Stage or Exception Plans?
Project Directive	Output	Submission to the Project Board as part of the justification for the Next Stage Plan or Exception Plan

Key Criteria

	Have all products identified in the Stage Plan been produced?
	Have they all been checked for quality?
	Has the Customer accepted them all?
	What was the actual resource usage and cost in the stage?
	How many Project Issues were received during the stage?
	How many changes were approved and implemented, in part or completely, during the stage and what was their impact on the Stage Plan?
	Have any changes been carried over into the next stage?
	Does the project still look viable?
	Is the Project Plan still forecast to stay within tolerance margins?
	Does any new or changed risk exposure require a contingency plan?
	Are there any strengths, weaknesses or omissions in the standards and practices used which should be noted for corporate quality management?
	Can any useful measurements be noted from the stage that would benefit the planning of future stages or other projects?