Analyzing the Data and Writing Your Report
Read Part I – the introduction to this 4 part article along with Part II – researching what is going on.
In Part III we’ll focus on analyzing the data you have gathered during your research.
Develop a report of the data you have gathered and validated (Part II of this article.) This report should delineate what went wrong on the project, including how the problem occurred. Delineate the root cause(s) of the problem. Include in the report how you gathered the data – who was involved in the process to share information and how the raw data gathered was validated to ensure accuracy. If there are process or technology issues, delineate what they are and include best practices in your report.
Look at the data from a number of angles:
- How decisions were made on the project and the types of decisions that were made
- Roles and responsibilities on the project
- Project documentation (charter, scope statement, schedule)
- Communication practices
- What else is going on in the organization
- Use of processes and best practices
Include in your report a number of potential (high-level) solutions to resolve the problem and keep the project moving forward. Include as an option ending the project overall. This report does not include your final solution recommendation but rather a number of options based on what is possible within the organization.
Once your report is complete, arrange for a group of representatives from the initial data gathering meetings to review and comment on the report. Ensure the group is diverse and includes representatives from the various groups of individuals (team members, stakeholders, etc.). If there are individuals that will need to be involved in any recovery efforts for the project, ensure they are involved in reviewing and validating the report data. Ask these individuals reviewing the report to provide their thoughts on the proposed high-level solutions. What is their perspective on what is possible to implement to move the project forward?
You want to use this time to not just validate the report you have compiled, but also to ensure buy-in and commitment to resolving the issue.
In Part IV of this article we’ll discuss how to develop a solution to the problem and present it for approval for implementation.
