By Misty Mayes, President & Founder,
In working with government agencies for the past 20-plus years, I have seen the good, the bad and ugly in government reporting. I’ve seen projects exceed expectations and make heroes of PMs and I’ve seen projects crash and burn and take the PM down with them. Project management effectiveness, or the lack there of is a key factor in those projects success or failure, and project management reporting is a key tool. Too many companies view government reporting as a necessary evil and do the minimum they can get by with to meet requirements, or worse, go into a contract unaware of what they are contractually obligated to submit. Most successful companies use project management reports not only as a key communication tool with the client, but as an effective internal management tool as well.
Why should project management reporting be important to you? To give you an idea of the importance the government puts on Project Management reporting, consider that statistics show only 16% of projects are considered a success, with success defined as finishing on time, on budget, with all features and functions as specified. One third of all projects (31%) are classified as failures and will be cancelled or abandoned at some point, due primarily to failures in budget, schedule or features/functions. The remaining 53% are considered Challenged Projects and were completed but were over budget, past the planned completion, and/or lacking all the features and functions specified. To successfully manage your project and avoid being part of the 84% of projects which are considered challenged or failed, you must proactively manage all areas of your project: budget, time and scope/quality. Effective reporting can be a key tool in helping you achieve success.
If you want to pursue or currently have government contracts which require specific reporting, how can you best be prepared for success? First, make sure you understand the reporting requirements and the effort that will be involved to prepare them. (Note: ensure you build the cost of reporting and any supporting processes/tools into your budget). Secondly, make sure you have the resources or can subcontract the resources to perform the level of reporting required. Lastly, make a cross check of the reporting requirements in the proposal stage against those that come out in the actual Statement of Work to ensure you are working towards the correct reporting requirements.
Does the government think PM reporting is important? For every $1M spent on a project, the government equates the risk associated with potentially poor project management to be $350k. Government agencies' requirement of project management reporting is an attempt to minimize this significant risk. That’s one reason reporting is important to the government and not optional. Successful reporting is a key communication tool between you and the client to help proactively manage the government’s expectations.
Each contract will have different requirements: most agencies have guidelines for contracts based on the size, complexity and risk factors associated with each project. All large government agencies have websites with PM guidance and specific requirements, templates, etc. Doing a search and familiarizing yourself with potential requirements and guidance can pay big dividends. Keep in mind you may have initial and intermittent reporting submittals, such as various Plans, Risk Registers, and Performance Baselines. You will also generally have monthly submittals as well, which will be contract-specific.
GOVERNMENT REPORTING
Making or Breaking Your Customer Experience
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