Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
Ideally I'm looking to links to surveys or research that show how much time project managers spend on producing project reports. But I'm finding it really hard to find any reliable sources. So I have two questions:
* Does anyone know of any research or statistics into how long project managers spend producing project reports?
* How long do you spend on reporting each week?
Thanks! Saving Changes...
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Peter WrightProgramme Manager| BAE SystemsSouthport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Elizabeth,
I do not know of any research but in answer to your second bullet point.
I will propose scenarios and my experiences with those projects
1) Internal company project with clear stakeholders and standard templates and RAID log being kept up to date daily with about 30 mins effort per day - Stakeholder report therefore took approx 15 mins per week to update.
2) Internal company project with clear stakeholders and RAID log used as the reporting mechanism for Stakeholders reporting therefore took approx 2.5 hours per week to update.
3) Internal Company Project with Low level report and High level Board report and RAID log being kept up to date daily with about 30 mins effort per day - 30 mins for the Board report and 15 mins for the Project team report
4) Client facing project with agreed reporting format/template and separate RAID log being kept up to date daily with about 30 mins effort per day, and a joint review with the client - approx 1.5 hours to complete client report and + 1, 2 or 3 above.
All of the above assume reporting on Excel/Powerpoint/Word. and a report that is not automatically linked to the daily project log/system.
If you have an enterprise project tracking system then this will have slightly differing results as the reports are generally extracted from the system on a given time from the lower daily detail.
Hope this helps Saving Changes...
Imran ManirSenior Project ManagerBurton On Trent, United Kingdom
Hi Elizabeth,
I'm also not aware of any research, however, i've found that I spend between 10 - 40 minus a week, averaging around 20, on "Weekly Status Reporting". This includes standard risk and issue registers - and where agreed, highlight reports. Once a month, i'll submit a cost forecast and tracker (costs to date), which takes around 30 mins per project.
However, In my experience, time spent on project reporting is generally determined by:
1] Which stage of the project lifecycle you're in (i.e. less reporting during start-up, increased reporting during execution)
2] Complexity of the project
3] Project stakeholder expectations
4] Reporting standards/requirements in an organisation
5] Reporting tools used (Clarity/MS Project/Excel etc)
6] Whether project is internal or external facing
Is it worthwhile devising your own survey, Elizabeth and posting a link on PM forums/blogs or even distributing it around PM Seminars? Have you tried contacting ay Universities which offer PM courses, they may be able to assist?
Good Luck! Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
Thanks for the responses.
Imran, I might consider a survey to find out more about this generally, as I think I am spending way too much time status reporting in comparison to everyone else! Saving Changes...
Peter WrightProgramme Manager| BAE SystemsSouthport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Elizabeth,
A good suggestion from Imran - you could try out a linkedIn poll for starters in one / a few of the project management goups
Regards Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
