Yes! This approach is both promising enough, to free the voice of most of those involved, and simple, to make the health status of the project portfolio legible. Well executed she makes information quickly accessible keys to know behind the various status changes... and will facilitate your project management.
We tell you everything to do this practice an efficiency lever of your project management: fundamental uses and best practices, how set up a relevant project weather forecast? What are the common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid?
The weather project is a simple visual model, which uses the metaphor of the weather to communicate about the health of a project. It's even the first indicator of the health of a project!
Intimately linked to the continuous improvement process, the tracking And theparses indicators provide feedback and essential information to teams.
But be careful... not just any way!
At a minimum, this reporting indicator should be:
For example, here are three typical indicators of simple weather and what they mean:
All the project milestones are on the right track. No action required. Well done:)
One or more major milestones are late, but the final delivery is not impacted.
The project committee should be notified using a synchronization point already planned with the sponsor.
One or more major milestones are late and the final delivery is impacted.
The subject should be reported immediately to the project sponsor and the project committee.
Adding indicators to the summary tables makes it possible to Simplify the reading of data and to quickly report on the global situation... and the context.
By rereading the previous weather report and showing changes. Stakeholders are allowed to grasp the “dynamics” experienced within groups.
Literally, “provocative.” Too often we think it's taken for granted. On the contrary. This visual information makes it possible to approach the project reporting in a lighter way.
The project weather offers a real mapping of current activities and any weak signals, symptoms or dysfunctional syndromes of your system.!
Rainfall... it's normal. No project is going as planned... it's a shame but it's the 5 C rule (“It's stupid but that's the way it is”; -)!
Ouch... the team hasn't seen the sun for a long time...lookout, on the one hand to the morale of the troops and on the other hand to the real causes of this repeated bad situation. One cause analysis work on the problems encountered can (should) usefully be conducted.
It's almost too late...poor health is chronic. The structural causes of this poor health are now “encysted”...
In you focusing on weak signals and/or frequent symptoms, i.e. complicated or even blocking subjects, you will be able to precisely determine where to concentrate resources to optimize your project management. Measuring is piloting!
Finally, this indicator is a visual reporting tool quite close to visual management tools derived from production methods lean management. The one we watch the most!
Yes! An indicator as simple as project weather can be “perverted.” Remember that even the simplest tool, when used in reverse, is counterproductive! even dangerous.
When there are only three project weather statuses... we naturally tend to put the middle one...
This no longer provides the clarity in readability expected...
Have Four weather criteria will give you nuance, delicacy. As the saying goes...” “Hard on” is better than “soft soft”! :-)
Focused on advanced uses... we often forget this basic method point in project management...Agree with all stakeholders on which changes from one project weather status to another. It is fundamental.
☀️ Knowing the weather and the risk of a project is good, Knowing why he is in this condition is even better. In one click on “See details”, find the explanation of why your project has been blocked for two weeks!
We need the information about the change of status is understandable by everyone. To achieve this, your weather project can be “self-supporting”.
That is to say always accompanied by a message, with the precise context, accessible in 1 click! Someone who will arrive on the project... will understand why and how!
The effectiveness of this tool is based on the integrity of the project manager and the accuracy of the assigned weather forecast. One Untimely weather can lead to avoiding a problem and enduring its failure at the end of the project. Its purpose is to demonstrate progress and to specify when the intervention of the project committee is necessary.
So The weather status should not be used to hide problems. Rather, it is a way of seek support and advice from the sponsor and stakeholders. Use a common status definition to communicate.
here with 5 shades... maybe one too many...?
As in this example, you can easily “customize” it by modifying the titles of the titles corresponding to classes A, B...
VOR for “Green Orange Red”.
In English we talk about the “RAG” status. For Red Amber and Green Status.
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Combined with the color... they work well. Idem, we will add a 4th smiley to bring the desired nuance.
In summary, the weather is a governance and communication tool. Like the indicators of progress, milestones, and deliverables, it is a key indicator of the execution of the “work site”. But unlike the others, it is the “first” to provide information on the state of health! To complete this article, the recommended reading is”How to develop effective reporting“.
