In our previous assignments, we started with our project while it was in its initiation phase and we completed a project charter; we then moved on to the project’s planning phase and completed a project plan. Now our dream house project has moved on to its execution phase; in this phase, the house construction is well underway, and (as project managers) we are concerned about monitoring and controlling the project. One of the main elements of monitoring a project is to be able to understand and report on its progress; this is often reported on using a performance report.
For this assignment, you can assume that work on the dream house is underway, and again we take on the role of a project manager to create a performance report for the project – our goal is to determine if the project is on track or not.
The ‘Work Performance Report’, also known as the project ‘status report’ or ‘’progress report’, is an essential tool for a project manager to communicate a snapshot of the project’s status to the stakeholders in a concise, clear format.
Assignment Purpose
In this assignment, you will create a performance report for our dream home. According to the PMBOK: “A performance report is a physical or electronic representation of work performance information compiled in project documents, intended to generate decisions, actions, or awareness.”
To prepare for this assignment, read the following sections of the PMBOK® Guide:
- Section 4.5. Monitor and Control Project Work
- Section 6.5 Develop Schedule
- Section 7.4 Control Cost
- Note: Understanding Table 7-1 (guide to PMBoK, 6th Ed., p. 232) is very important!
Assignment Objectives
Your personal learning objectives for this assignment are to:
- Develop an understanding of how to read and interpret baselined schedules.
- Demonstrate a practical ability to present project schedule updates.
- Demonstrate how to analyze a project’s performance using earned value analysis.
Assignment Template
While the exact format of Project Status Reports that are used in industry can vary within different business environments, for this assignment we are going to create a status report
with specific sections. The following grading template will be used to evaluate your report. To maximize your grade, it is important to ensure that you address each section and prioritize your efforts based on the grading weight for each section.
| Description | Maximum Mark |
| Format / Presentation / Grammar / Spelling | 5 |
| Project Description | 10 |
| Project Status Summary | 15 |
| Project Status Details | 15 |
| Earned Value Analysis | 40 |
| Projections | 15 |
| Total Marks: | 100 |
Notes
Effort: Individual or Team: If you wish, you can team up with another student and work as a team on this and/or any other course assignment. Please let the facilitator know if you have a teaming arrangement in place.
Use of External Material: Algonquin College has strict policies regarding plagiarism and academic misconduct. While you can research material from the internet, you cannot use it directly for this assignment. You need to ensure that all materials, including external templates, are appropriately referenced. If unreferenced third-party material is found within your submission, either the offending section will be assessed at zero or the entire submission will be rejected. The College can impose additional sanctions, if warranted.
Project Current Status (as of day 15)
For this assignment, we can assume that the project is in its execution phase and that the project has not gone according to plan. It’s unclear, prior to preparing your status report, if the project’s progress is doing better or worse than planned, as some tasks have been completed early, some late and others on time.
The original schedule for the project was as follows:
On day 15 the following project status related notes were recorded:
- The following tasks have been completed on schedule: 1.1.1 Task A, 1.1.2 Task B,
1.2.1 Task D, 1.3.2 Task H, 1.5.2 Task N, 1.6.1 Inspection.
- The following tasks were completed ahead of schedule: 1.2.3 Task F, 1.5.1 Task M,
1.4.2 Task K.
- 1.3.1 Task G was completed behind schedule (but was completed before day 15).
- The following tasks are behind schedule and remain unfinished on day 15:
- 1.1.3 Task C: This task might take (at least) another 2 days to complete.
- 1.4.1 Task J: This task might take (at least) another 3 days to complete.
- The following tasks and milestones have not been started (or achieved): 1.2.2 Task
- The following tasks are behind schedule and remain unfinished on day 15:
E, 1.4.3 Task L, 1.5.3 Task O, 1.3.3. Task I, Milestone 1, and Milestone 2.
Based on this project status-related information, a baselined Gantt chart was prepared. The baselined Gantt chart shows both the originally planned schedule in blue and the project’s actual progress (as of day 15) in yellow.
You are to use this supplied project performance-related information in preparing a status report for this project. The writing guide below details what sections, and what content, need to be included in your status report.
Annex A: Status Report Writing Guide
For this assignment, you are to use the following template and demonstrate as many of the industry best practices project management tools, techniques, and concepts that you can appropriately apply to a project of this nature.
Always introduce each section of your report with a short paragraph that guides the reader in interpreting the information being presented and that demonstrates your ability to interpret the information being presented.
Your Project Status Report shall contain the following sections:
- Title Page: You can be creative with your title page (for example, you can include illustrations and graphics), but at a minimum, the title page must present the following information:
- Your name (or the names of all of your group members, if applicable),
- The course name,
- Project name (have fun and think up a name for your project!)
- The date submitted, and
The following statement: “All material prepared for this assignment was produced by the authors, and material from a third party (such as the internet) has been cited and referenced.”
- Project Description (short, brief description): In a couple of sentences, give the reader an overall picture of what the project is about. Assume that the reader is not regularly involved with the project, but has some familiarity with the project.
- Status Summary: Provide the reader with a short narrative description of the project’s overall status. Assume that the reader is not interested in the technical status details and only wants a descriptive assessment of the project. Provide all of the key information and highlights from the report (in summary form) that the reader would need to know about the project.
- Project Status Details: For this section, you are to interpret the supplied baselined Gantt chart and supplementary notes, and use that information to complete the following table:
| Status* | Planned | Actual | ||||
| WBS | Description | % Complete | Start Date | End Date | Start Date | End Date |
| 1.1 | Landscape | |||||
| 1.1.1 | Task A | 1 | ||||
| 1.1.2 | Task B | 3 | ||||
| 1.1.3 | Task C | 5 | ||||
| 1.2 | Structure | |||||
| 1.2.1 | Task D | 3 | ||||
| 1.2.2 | Task E | 15 | ||||
| 1.2.3 | Task F | 15 | ||||
| 1.3 | Inside Work | |||||
| 1.3.1 | Task G | 3 | ||||
| 1.3.2 | Task H | 11 | ||||
| 1.3.3 | Task I | 23 | ||||
| 1.4 | Infrastructur e | |||||
| 1.4.1 | Task J | 10 | ||||
| 1.4.2 | Task K | 15 | ||||
| 1.4.3 | Task L | 18 | ||||
| 1.5 | Management | |||||
| 1.5.1 | Task M | 10 | ||||
| 1.5.2 | Task N | 14 | ||||
| 1.5.3 | Task O | 16 | ||||
| 1.6 | Other | |||||
| 1.6.1 | Inspection | 8 | ||||
| 1.6.2 | Milestone | 18 |
*The project uses the 50/50 rule when calculating value earned. This is a project management best practice research opportunity. You are to conduct internet research to determine what the 50/50 progress rule is and how to apply it. You can refer to the Frequently Asked Question post on the course page, for some questions raised by your peers in previous classes.
- Earned Value Analysis (See PMBOK® Table 7-1):
For your reports you must utilize the project’s current status information presented earlier in this assignment to demonstrate your knowledge of earned value analysis.
The easiest way to complete this assignment is to copy the following table into Excel and set up Excel formulas that you will need to calculate each required value.
Earned Value Analysis Table: Complete the missing information for the project, assuming that it is the beginning of day 15 on the project. Please refer to above Gantt charts for the task planned and completed status.
| WBS Item | Budgeted Value | Planned Status | Planned Value | Actual Cost | Status Completed | Earned Value | Cost Variance | Schedule Variance |
| 1.1 Landscape | ||||||||
| 1.1.1 Task A | $3,000 | $1,000 | ||||||
| 1.1.2 Task B | $4,500 | $1,500 | ||||||
| 1.1.3 Task C | $15,000 | $6,000 | ||||||
| 1.2 House Structure | ||||||||
| 1.2.1 Task D | $1,500 | $400 | ||||||
| 1.2.2 Task E | $7,000 | 0 | ||||||
| 1.2.3 Task F | $2,000 | $1,500 | ||||||
| 1.3 Inside Work | ||||||||
| 1.3.1 Task G | $3,000 | $2,800 | ||||||
| 1.3.2 Task H | $9,000 | $9,000 | ||||||
| 1.3.3 Task I | $1,000 | 0 | ||||||
| 1.4 Infrastructure | ||||||||
| 1.4.1 Task J | $6,000 | $2,000 | ||||||
| 1.4.2 Task K | $8,000 | $8,000 | ||||||
| 1.4.3 Task L | $1,000 | n/a | ||||||
| 1.5 Management | ||||||||
| 1.5.1 Task M | $3,000 | $2,800 | ||||||
| 1.5.2 Task N | $1,000 | $1,100 | ||||||
| 1.5.3 Task O | $8,000 | 0 | ||||||
| 1.6 Other | ||||||||
| 1.6.1 Inspection | $1,000 | $1000 | ||||||
| 1.6.2 Milestone | $0 | 0 |
Your earned value analysis section is also to include the following information:
- Planned Value (PV), Actual Cost (AC), and Earned Value (EV) totals for the project as a whole
- Total cost and schedule variances for the project as a whole
Ensure that you list all of your formulas that you used in your calculations, and provide interpretation and guidance as to what the cost and schedule variations mean for the project.
- Projections (See PMBOK® Table 7-1): In this final section of your status report, based on your calculated earned value data collected (previous section), determine the following information:
- Calculate Cost Performance Index (CPI) for the project as a whole
- Calculate the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) for the project as a whole
- Calculate the Estimated At Completion (EAC) cost for the project for each of the following scenarios:
- The current cost performance trend continues for the remainder of the project.
- The remainder of the project is completed as per its original estimates.
- Calculate the Estimate to Complete (ETC) cost of the project.
