The Tracker..

 

Tracking activities, issues and actions is the core performance of project management. It is simply targeted to be on top of the project; knowing what happened and what is required; with full comprehension of impacts on baselines.

Project Managers would create or share various formats of the tracking templates, using paper of computer aided software to achieve this targets. There is no fixed or magic formula to be used; but the physical and the simple means for data entry and retrieving. 

The Tracker should follow the principles of document control; which are: 

    (A) Definitions, 

    (B) Domains, 

    (C) Activities and 

    (D) Risk Exposure. 

Understanding the magnitude of data entry and processing would justify assigning an executive for this processing. Both Quality and Project Management are all about processing data; while interpreting the reliable data is the success or failure stories.

Presentation of the data interpretation is the careful stakeholders management. Having a (1) Reliable Data, an (2) Intelligent Analysis and a (3) Communication Plan will not label the project successful without a (4) Stakeholders Protocol; and shall be a waste of time. Against every action; someone should be defined to approve or reject.

The followings are the simple structure of the tracker; or the tracking sheet. You may include unlimited data types and resources:

A: Identifications

1. Project ID
2. Date
3. Parties

B: Domains

1. Task ID (Packages, Workflow, NOC, etc.)
2. Planned Submission
3. Actual Submission
4. Planned Approval
5. Actual Approval
6. Approval Expiry

C: Activities

1. Ownership
2. Status on Date
3. Pending Actions
4. Planned Action
5. Expected Date
6. Forecasted Approval/Close

D: Risk Exposure

1. Impact
2. Mitigations
3. Authorization to Mitigate
4. Date of Mitigation Approval

Managers; particularly the tech-savvy, will compete in ways of interpreting the data, by static or dynamic graphics and models. This is not meant to disillusion the audiences, but to add sense of comprehension to it. It is an advanced applications of the well used Scheduling Graphics; such as Bar Charts..

Data Visualization become the new fashion; with growing Big Data and AI applications..