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Software Project Management
Notes Although this report is rather intuitive, it does not contain much detail. It would have to be
accompanied by an explanatory note with schedule and cost detail.
Task List down reasons that how the graphical reporting system is better than the written
one for senior managers?
12.9 Managing Project Status Meetings
To keep close track of progress on the project, the project manager needs to have information
from his or her team on a timely basis. This information will be given during a project status
meeting. At a minimum, you need to have a status meeting at least once a week. On some of the
major projects on which we’ve worked, daily status meetings were the norm for the first few
weeks, and then as the need for daily information wasn’t as critical, we switched to twice a week
and finally to weekly status.
12.9.1 What is their Format?
While the format of the status review meetings should be flexible, as project needs dictate, certain
items are part of every status meeting. We recommend that you proceed in a top-down fashion:
1. The project champion reports any changes that may have a bearing on the future of the project.
2. The customer reports any changes that may have a bearing on the future of the project.
3. The project manager reports on the overall health of the project and the impact of earlier
problems, changes, and corrective actions as they impact at the project level.
4. Activity managers report on the health of activities open or scheduled open for work since
the last status meeting.
5. Activity managers of future activities report on any changes since the last meeting that
might impact project status.
6. The project manager reviews the status of open problems from the last status meeting.
7. Attendees identify new problems and assign responsibility for their resolution (the only
discussion allowed here is for clarification purposes).
8. The project champion, customer, or project manager, as appropriate, offers closing comments.
9. The project manager announces the time and place of the next meeting and adjourns the meeting.
Minutes are part of the formal project documentation and are taken at each meeting, circulated
for comment, revised as appropriate, distributed, and filed in the project notebook. Because
there is little discussion, the minutes contain any handouts from the meeting and list the items
assigned for the next meeting.
Notes The minutes should also contain the list of attendees a summary of comments
made, and assigned responsibilities.
12.9.2 Problem Management Meetings
Problem management meetings provide an oversight function to identify, monitor, and resolve
problems that arise during the life of a project. This is an important function in the management
of projects, especially large projects.
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