Project managers often use Dashboard Reports to provide weekly progress updates.
Dashboard Reports typically list the work packages or phases in the WBS along with their corresponding statuses (RAG Status: Red, Amber or Green), e.g., Package 1 is Green; Package 2 is Yellow; and Overall is Green. For the next reporting period, Package 2 might be reported as Red if the issues were not rectified properly.
Unfortunately, project sponsors “might be OK with it” after realizing the complex dependencies across departments that contributed to Package 2 being Red. The finger-pointing may continue without resolving the issues for weeks onwards.
To resolve such issues, list each team leader or department in the Dashboard Report and give each one a RAG Status. In doing so, the accountability shifts to a team or a department instead of a “nameless” work package or phase.
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An important component of the project charter is a measurable project objective. Use the ACORN Test to check if the project objective is well-defined.
In the April 2009 issue of Quality Progress, John E. “Jack” West described that minor revisions in the new fourth edition of the International Organization for Standardization’s quality management standard (ISO 9001:2008) can lead to major benefits.
You may know ASAP, B2B, FAQ, IMHO and WBS. How about 10q, BTW, ROFL, TGIF and W8?
