Progress Reports, the way it should be.

Progress reports has always been the requirement of all developments clients on their team of Contractors, Builders, Consultants and even their own supervisory team (The Clients’ Representatives). So much so, this requirement became so a familiarity or regularity that nobody actually pay much attention to it beyond the need to hear of the Percentage Achieved (Actual %) versus Percentage Targeted or Scheduled (Target %).

The situation is that, everyone seems to be very happy with the report format and when the project finally collapse due to unrecoverable delays, everybody jumped to all kinds of conclusion on why the whole mess-up happened in the first place. What caused the delay? When the delay did begin? No one could answer.

Malaysia began transforming into one of Asia’s Tigers in 1993 when the project and construction sectors boomed with the requirements of the Multimedia Super corridor, namely KLCC, KLIA, Putrajaya and well Cyberjaya. Tragically much hoo-ha occurred and many people with inadequate skills were roped in to manage these developments. The government prime intent is to complete the entire projects before the year 2000 or within that time zone. Time frame set, so the monitoring began. YES, most of the team involved in the monitoring of these projects was badly infected with the PIT disease. (Personal Interest Technology, this happens when a particular technology is “pushed” to be used by someone with authority due to personal interest rather then the technology’s abilities)

Exotic Project management software was brought in, more exotic Project Management companies was engaged to compile & tabulate reports and in a really bizarre case, a new company was formed by seconding executives from an already badly managed government agency whose projects too were seriously delayed. I actually observed one such organization whose job was Project Management creating Construction Programs using Microsoft ™ Excel, shading cells to show “time-lines”. Yes, that company was one of the key players. Yes, it was the era of comedies.

The mode of progress reporting went about in the following table look alike.

WBS	TASK	Duration	Scheduled %	Actual %
KLXX1	Main Building	700d	28%	25%
KLXX1/1	Control Building	1680d	75%	65%
KLXX1/1/1	VIP Building	450d	53%	28%

Yup it did tell a few things, one the target value and the other the real value achieved on site. It also showed a WBS column (WBS stands for Work Breakdown Structure, which shows how the elements of works were arranged). In those days WBS was a HUGE word, yes many contractors were shaken to their deepest core when they hear the clients ask about WBS. And since it was a big word, its presence in the progress report was necessary, even when only the Project Planners are the only people who actually need and use the codes. Those Progress Reports were really awesome and sounded so professional. YES, it looks good but seriously lacking in many areas.

THE REAL REQUIREMENT

The pointers to a really good Progress Report

1. Progress report’s real function is to tell as much as possible yet remaining simple enough.
2. Shows tangible values so the reader knows and REALIZE the quantum
3. Be specific, show only what is needed
4. Categorize the report. If details are needed, attach as reference or appendix.
5. Make the report All-Users Readable
6. Show whose liability for displayed shortfalls

The above explained

1. Progress report’s real function is to tell as much as possible yet remaining simple enough.

Show what is needed in Layered presentation. Say the 1^st page shows the summary, see following format, then the next page show the further breakdown of the details and so on. Let the reader “see” as much as they want if the want to “see” them. Give the reader he choice of how deep into the detail they need to dig into. Need general info, read page 1, need more flip next page.

2. Shows tangible values so the reader knows and REALIZE the quantum

Most progress reports shows the Scheduled Progress % and the Actual Progress %, some goes a bit more and include the DIFFERENCE % (this is the value obtained when Scheduled Progress % is deducted from the Actual Progress %)

WBS	Task	Duration	Schedule %	Actual %	Difference
JK 1	Bridge	365d	37%	30%	7%

Ok, the above Progress Report looks ok but it still don’t tell you the fear factor involved. The human mind can read 7% but cannot quantify what is 7%?

To make an impact to values, we must use values that are simple to compare with something physical. Percentage is commonly used but in itself it is only a number. DURATION is better. The mind can picture say “1-day” against “1%”

Try this approach

WBS	Task	Duration	Schedule %	Actual %	Difference %	Difference Days
ASYNC1	ICT Project	365d	37%	30%	7%	-25,5days

When you tell someone the progress is delayed 7%, the person can’t “picture” 7% and most probably not react with much emotions BUT

When you tell someone the Project is delayed 25.5 days, they are really going to panic big time!

Tip

REMEMBER- Show the numbers in TANGIBLE values.

3. Be specific, show only what is needed

The title says it all, in most reports the clients needs to only see the important facts (the above chart is quite enough really). Most meetings want to be notified of the specified results, not thousands of lines of data.

Tip

When giving a “works that are delayed” report, try using a software that can filter ONLY THE DELAY values, this way the reader can go straight to the items concerned rather then trying to visually pick out the items that is delayed among the other hundreds that is not.

4. Categorize the report. If details are needed, attach as reference or appendix.

Break your report into, Summary, Section Details and Full Details, filed in that order.

The main summary

Further breakdown

Full detail

5. Make the report All-Users Readable

Some Project Management software can be so exotic that only the person churning it out really understands it, this person is generally the Planner or a software expert. A great program that no one can read or utilize is functionless. A good report is one that even the support people (supervisors & technicians) can read, understand and eventually USE.

Tip

1. Don’t use PERT diagrams or network diagrams for display of your proposed work programs. Nobody except academicians understands these.
2. Display your program in Bar Charts or GANTT charts, they are visually easier to understand.
3. If your software allows it, display in Calendar format, so readers can just go to a specific date to see what needs done then.

6. Show whose liability for displayed shortfalls

A report should be Resource Loaded or Responsibility attached. What this statement meant is to allocate the person or work force responsible to a particular Task. This will allow the client or meeting to lock on directly to the Work that is delayed and WHO should be coming up with the solution to recover from that delay.