How Are You Tracking?

Most people will readily agree that tracking is a necessary component of managing and improving any process.

But what should you track? How should you use the data?

Here's a list of data elements you might consider tracking at the start of the project, during the project and at the project's conclusion:

At the start:
- Names of leader & participants
- Department, function, area or scope
- Problem statement
- Objective
- Start date
- Type of benefit(s) expected
- Dollar value of benefit(s)
- Time-frame for results

During the project:
- Project status
- Revised benefit(s)
- Revised time-tables
- Comments from the leader

At the project's end:
- Completion date
- Final estimates of benefit(s) achieved
- Learings
- Most significant obstacles or problems encountered
- Additional opportunities for improvement

You don't necessarily need to use all of these. Choose from this list and keep it short and simple so that the project leaders are not overwhelmed with requests. It is not the quantity of data elements you gather that matters, but rather how effectively you study and act on the data.

For more details and suggestions on how to best make use of these elements, please visit us online at: www.conwaymgmt.com