Marginalia

• And here we meet the other end of one of the hen and egg problems in the PMBOK®: On the one hand the process Schedule Control and the 'brother process' Cost Control require Performance Reports as input. And these Performance Reports are generated by the process Performance Reporting. One the other hand the process  Performance Reporting requires Performance Measurements as input. And these Performance Measurements are generated by the processes Schedule Control and Cost Control. We can't solve this loop. We wish we could assume for the moment, that the main process Direct & Manage Project Execution (which covers the (sub) process Performance Reporting) and the processes Monitor & Control Project Work and Integrated Change Control (which covers the (sub) processes Schedule Control and Cost Control) are a highly interacting parallel processes. But a final version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge should no longer contain such kind of loops.

(7.3) Performance Reporting

(7.3.1) Process Input

... generated by predecessor processes

(7.3.2) Process Definition

Performance Reporting is the process for  "[...] collecting and distributing perfomance information" like "status reporting, progress measurement, and forecasting" (comp. PMBOK3, p. 221): On the base of the collected performance information concerning scope, schedule, cost and quality this process generates the reports which are distributed to the stakeholders (comp. PMBOK3, p. 231). Basicly one can determine four types of reports:

  • Forcast reports for describing future trends
  • Progess reports for describing trends from past to presence
  • Status reports for describing actual status
  • Variance reports for describing differences between the planned baseline and the real data

(comp. CROSSWIND7, p. 395).
 

The subject Communications Management operates on the base of other communications concerning concepts

(7.3.3) Tools and Techniques

PMBOK Mentioned Methods

  • Information presentation tools today are mostly "software packages that include table reporting, spreadsheet analysis, presentations, or graphic capabilities"
  • Performance information gathering and compilation is mostly supported by electronic media or (project management) software
  • Status review meetings "[...] are regularly scheduled events to exchange information". Projects can have multiple status review meetings "[...] at various frequencies and on different levels"
  • Time reporting systems "[...] record and provide time expended for the project". Format, content, and context will be set by the time management processes.
  • Cost reporting systems "[...] record an provide cost expended for the project". Format, content, and context will be set by the time management processes.

(comp. PMBOK3, pp. 232f)

Open Source Tools

  • NN

(7.3.4) Process Output

  • Performance Reports "[...] organize and summarize the information gathered, and present the results of any analysis ad compared to the performance measurement baseline". One of the methods to aggreate and connect different information is the earned value technique: in this context it combines the scope of the WBS with schedule baseline, the really reached work and the costs of the cost baseline.
  • Forecasts are generated by extrapolating the really observed performance into the future
  • Requested Changes can be evoked by the performance analysis and "[...] are processed and dispositioned through the Integrated Change Control process"
  • Recommended Corrective Actions "[...] include changes that bring the the expected future performance of the project in line with the project management plan"
  • Updates of the Organizational Process Assets are evoked by lessons learned concerning the performance itself and the performance reporting as method

(comp. PMBOK3, p. 234)

(7.3.5) Output Using Successor Processes 

Successors using the initially generated output as own input(1):

  1. For details see FAQ::Q001:1