I’m reminded of a story once where I worked on a project (as an employee who participated, not as the project manager). The project manager had to create a weekly report that estimated the time we spent on the project. They had each employee estimate the number of hours we worked on the project. Then they took those numbers and (fully admitted to us) padded the numbers to bring them in line with expectations (I guess we were too efficient or the project manager needed to justify their budget). It made me look at project management reporting with disdain so I’ve revised how I manage projects ever since.

It seems like in some of the projects I’ve worked, the reporting can take just as long as the project itself: You write a report then you print it and give it to everyone… and then you have to go into a room and read it for everyone because they didn’t read it. Then you field questions. (And somewhere in there, the project has to get done).

Project management reporting best practices

First, create a quick, one-page report that is visually appealing. A report that requires a small forest to be cut down so that everyone can stay up-to-date isn’t going to be read anyway. This might be necessary for an end-of-the-project report but an interim report doesn’t have to be very long. It’s funny, people might resist the idea of shorter reports in the interim but they will at least read them!

This one page report should be set up in the following way: At the top, using a nice visually appealing diagram like an overall fishbone diagram or Gantt chart or whatever you’re using as a primary tracker. Keep it small and neat and just an overview. Indicate where in the project you are and where you had hoped to be.

Below the diagram, list current milestones you’re working on and (if it’s not clear from the diagram) previous successful milestones (although this can get to be lengthy if you’re not careful).

Next, highlight a couple of successes that you’ve had and a couple of challenges that you’re working on. Don’t put in really redundant challenges. Instead, put in challenges that you could use some help and/or guidance on from the group to whom you’re reporting. (So, if you’re reporting to a bunch of Executive Vice Presidents, don’t write in that a challenge you’re facing is motivating your troops. That won’t look good on you. Instead, write in a challenge like some of the budget clawback has threatened the timeline).

If you want to really avoid any questions, maintain a blog or project management site (which will probably require a login and password) and invite people to read that if they want to stay informed. I’ve found that people won’t read it but will ask fewer questions because they don’t want to admit that they haven’t read it.

I don’t want to give the idea that this report is something you do to avoid doing the work of reporting. But I do want to make reporting a practical step in the project management process… and often it’s not.

Related posts:

1. Project Management Gone Wrong
2. Horror story from the front lines of project management
3. Project Management Success Requires Flexibility

Example: 2X+6 = 30

(30 – 6)/2 = X/2

(24)/2 = X/2

Therefore: X = 12.

What we were learning was not just math but an engineering technique called “black box”. When an engineer is designing a project and they don’t yet know how one part of it will work, they will draw a black box around that section of their design and design everything else first. Then they can go back and address the black box later.

Both concepts – solving for X and black box – are equally relevant in the world of project management.

When you start a project, you probably won’t have all of the tasks clearly laid out in front of you. Things change, information evolves, people move from department to department. So, apply the theory of the black box or apply the theory of solving for X. Lay out the project as best as you can and identify the points on your project timeline where the tasks aren’t clear. Draw a black box or an X. Then, as the project progresses, and the work becomes clearer, those tasks will be filled in.

Knowing in advance that these giant question marks will exist, and identifying where they are, can help you get a project off the ground even if you don’t have all your ducks in a row.

Note: This can create scope creep because you might find that “X” is a huge, unwieldy addition you didn’t plan as much time or budget for. That is a risk, which is why you should do your best to keep those unknowns to a minimum in every project. But they will occur and it’s okay to work on a project with those unknowns in them as long as you’re aware that they will need to be carefully managed.

Related posts:

1. Got a problem?
2. Project Management Gone Wrong
3. Forget One Liners!

However, there are always those projects that are stimulating and exciting – and that is typically when it is all about the love.

Do you love the client?

Do you love the concept?

Do you love the ‘idea’?

Do you love the budget?

There is something there that you love. For me, I love working with great people that share my compassion and outlook. As I am sure most of you know by my ‘hire me’ page, I don’t take on all clients, because I know that I help most when the ‘L’ word is present.

Tonight I just got wind of a project that I am so excited about, and I love the client, love the idea, love the prospect and just know I will love the final result.

Not many people can say that they love what they do, but when it comes to my consulting services I am a fanatic, because I can afford to be picky and choosy and select the projects that I know I will love and thoroughly enjoy working.

I am ecstatic to be a part of www.emailautoresponderpro.com and I am a user! So stay tuned, there are just so many great things to come in the next week.

Oh – and just for fun – here is a picture of the CEO behind www.emailautoresponderpro.com:

Awesome things to come,

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM

Related posts:

1. Welcome to my blog
2. Idea of the week

Project Management gone wrong #1: ‘Sam’ was a web design freelancer who was hired by a multinational corporation to help them create a user-friendly web-based educational tool. Unfortunately, the details of the project changed frequently. Even the name of the project changed an unbelievable 6 times over the course of the project! Sam did his best to make each change as it reared its ugly head but he found that there were simply so many changes to be made that he quickly burned through the pre-determined budget trying to match existing content to the company’s inability to decide on anything; no money was spent on new content. The result? Sam delivered a project but it fell into disuse quickly. Sam didn’t have a good experience working with the company and the company was disappointed with the results so they never hired Sam again.

Project Management gone wrong #2: ‘Maria’ worked in an IT department at a large organization. She was given a budget and assigned to complete a software conversion that would see some of the company’s data converted into a different format. As time went on, however, the budget was adjusted by the CFO who felt that she didn’t need as much money as she did. Later, a delay in the project caused by previously unforeseen conversion issues meant that she reached the end of her budget without completing the project. The CFO told her that no further funding was available. Maria moved on to other projects and the conversion that she hoped would be her key to a promotion was shelved indefinitely.

Project Management gone wrong #3: ‘Erika’ was a freelance writer who was contracted by an organization to create new hire manuals. The project started, then faltered, as the Recruiting and Training manager decided to revamp the learning path of new hires. The project re-started, then faltered again as several managers in the client organization disagreed on the expected outcomes of the manuals. The project re-started, then faltered yet again, as the Director of Human Resources explored the possibility of revising the project to include other manuals as well. With every re-start, the budget burned up because Erika needed to get up to speed on the changes.

These 3 stories are true. They all took place within the past 6 months. They all happened to people I know.

If you look closely at the stories, you’ll note that each one experienced some problem related to the three elements of project management: scope, budget, and time. While each one had a primary issue (Sam’s was scope, Maria’s was budget, and Erika’s was time), every element is interrelated and one impacts the others.

What is needed here is strong project management. After all, each of these are indeed projects. But organizations simply pass the entire project to one person – an internal employee or an outsource professional – who is hired to do one thing (complete the work) but is actually expected to do two things (manage the project and complete the work).

Simply put, a project manager is needed as well. Project management requires a unique set of skills and talents and training that Sam and Maria and Erika (and others) may lack. These professionals were skilled in their area of expertise but were not as interested in doing the work of project management.

Project management requires skills in resource management, negotiation, customer service, creative problem solving, and there’s even some political savvy needed.

Ironically, project management seems like an additional layer in the hierarchy of a project but it is an essential layer that results in greater benefit than if the project management role was folded into the role of the person performing the work. A project manager?

• Can keep all parties on track and keep the flow of information moving.

• Acts as a conduit of communication to make sure all parties are talking about the same things.

• Saves time and money by keeping projects moving and ensuring that budgets are spent wisely.

A project manager seems like an additional layer in the project but the result is the same as the equation 1+1=3. The very presence of a project manager adds value to a project by ensuring that the scope, budget, and time all work in unison so the project finishes successfully.

A project that finishes successfully starts with a project manager. If you have a project – whether large or small – you can ensure its accurate and timely completion with someone shepherding it through the creation process. If you have a new initiative at work, or if your business has evolved and requires a solution, or if you’ve been tasked with creating internal or customer-facing content, don’t start with the creation of the work. Don’t ‘roll up your sleeves’ and dive in. Don’t go looking for a freelancer. Start with a project manager. And that will be an investment into the successful completion of your project!

When you succeed, I succeed,

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM

Related posts:

1. Project management best practice: The report
2. Horror story from the front lines of project management
3. Project Management Success Requires Flexibility