Monthly Status Reporting:

Status reports for large-scale Information Technology (IT) projects are a vital aspect of the Project Risk Management (PRM) framework and provide clear, consistent, and timely status information for the appropriate stakeholders to consume, make decisions, and remove barriers as needed. This process is part of the third level of the PRM framework lifecycle, “Enhanced Project Performance and Delivery.”

The sections below provide additional details on the Monthly Status Reporting process.

Status Reporting Setup and Delivery:

Status Reporting Setup:

The Project Risk Management (PRM) team partners with the agency project manager(s) prior to the start of the project execution phase to:

• Create an initial project schedule in Microsoft Project Online (MSPO)
• Create an associated Microsoft SharePoint (MS SP) site
• Capture high-level project information (description, benefits, key contacts, etc.) and populate in MSPO
• Capture high-level project milestones and budget information and populate in the MSPO project schedule
• Capture high-level project risks and issues and populate in the MS SP site
• Baseline the MSPO project schedule

This initial status reporting setup establishes the foundation for all status updates and reporting throughout the project.

Train Agency PM(s) for Status Updates:

Once the status reporting setup is complete, the PRM team meets with the agency project manager(s) prior to the start of the project execution phase to:

• Confirm the project manager(s) have the appropriate access to MSPO and MS PS site
• Train the project manager(s) on the methods of updating the:
  • Project status information on MSPO
  • Milestones and budget on the MSPO project schedule
  • Risks and issues on the MS SP site
• Set expectations on the:
  • Type and quality of the status information required
  • Timing for the status updates
• Review the status report template to provide clarity as to where their status info lands
• Review the process of generating and disseminating status reports
• Provide the project manager(s) with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that contains detailed steps to follow for completing the monthly project status updates

Once this training is complete, the project manager(s) are expected to update the status information following the requirements covered in the SOP and the training. The PRM team is available to answer questions and assist as needed.

Monthly Status Reports:

The PRM framework requires monthly project status reports throughout project execution. The status reports are consistent with respect to timing, location, format, and content to enhance both consumption and value.

Timing:

Consistent timing for project status updates and associated reporting is essential to drive “just in time” consumption by the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) leadership teams. This heightens visibility and understanding for each project and enables early identification and mitigation of project risks, issues, and barriers. The following timing requirements exist for PRM status reporting:

• By the 3^rd business day each month:
  • Project manager(s) update monthly project status information on MSPO
  • Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) vendor or Project Assurance (PA) consultant provides monthly status report

• By the 5^th business day each month:
  • The PRM team integrates monthly IV&V or PA status information into MSPO
  • The PRM team partners with project manager(s) and IV&V vendor or PA consultant to finalize status information
  • The PRM team generates and disseminates individual monthly status reports to key project team members
  • The PRM team generates consolidated monthly status report and disseminates to IOT and OMB leadership

Location:

Without a consistent location to find monthly project status information, IOT and OMB leadership would be required to search for one-off project status reports causing a wasted use of time and resources. There are clear guidelines to ensure a consistent location for monthly status reports exists in order to allow IOT and OMB leadership to have one place to quickly access and consume status information. These guidelines are:

• A Large Project SharePoint site has been created to house monthly project status reports (both current and historical) for all large-scale IT projects
• Project status reports are grouped by project and sorted by the most recent report
• Once individual and consolidated status reports are generated, they are named according to project name, type of document, and status date

Format and Content:

The PRM team has designed a one-page status report that displays the information in a clear, consistent, and easy to consume format. This simplifies consumption by IOT and OMB leadership for each project and for multiple projects within the large project portfolio. Highlights of the status report include:

• Consistent one-page format
• High-level project information
• Subjective and objective measures
• Consolidated status information from project manager(s) and IV&V vendor or PA consultant
• Key project risks and issues

The following is an example of the one-page monthly status report with additional information boxes on the left and right sides to provide further clarity of those specific sections.

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