PROGRAM SUMMARY We have all been there and experienced it – trying to figure out the best way to communicate status to senior leadership. Complex initiatives are challenging enough as it is. Getting the right information and data points at the right level is critical so key decisions can be made to keep the initiative moving. Achieving the right level of communication can be a challenge. If not achieved, senior leadership alignment and support will be at risk. Join your fellow colleagues to discover: • The different levels of status reporting • Understand what executives really care about • Effective communication techniques with executives • Tips for effective executive status reporting

1. www.kw3consulting.com
Effective Executive Status Reporting
Webinar
November 13, 2014
Kirk Williams

2. • Complex initiatives are CHALLENGING
• Many moving parts, multiple teams, stressful
• Senior Leaders want SIMPLE and CLEAR status and know when
and where TO TAKE ACTION
• The Challenge – executive status is convoluted and not easily
understandable.
• Today, we will talk about 4 strategies to help you be more effective at
Executive Status Reporting
2
The Challenge

3. Logistics For Today’s Call
• The call is being recorded
• Copies of slides will be made available at the conclusion of the call
• We will have two poll questions so be ready to answer
• Please enter your questions in the chat box at any time
• Tweet your comments during the call - #statusreporting
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4. Kirk Williams
• Founder & CEO - KW3 Consulting
• Management Consultant for 18 years
• Worked for Accenture Consulting for 13 years
• Started KW3 Consulting 5 years ago
• Managed multi-million dollar business and technology
transformation initiatives
• Consulted with small, large and Fortune 500 companies.
Some include Wells Fargo, Cisco, JPMorgan Chase,
Callaway Golf
4

5. Today’s Discussion
Types of
Status
Reporting
Executive
Status
Reporting
Strategies
Case Study
Key
Takeaways
& Wrap-Up
5

6. Poll #1
What challenges do you
experience today with Executive
Status Reporting?
6

7. Types of Status Reporting
7
Executive
Status
Reporting
Program-Level
Status Reporting
Project Team Status Reporting
Individual Team Member Contributions
and Status
• Multiple Layers of Status
Reporting are typical
• Deciphering through the data
can be challenging
Executive Status Reporting is a high level visual
representation of the project/program status and
highlights risk areas that may require action

8. What Executives Care About?
8
• True and Accurate status
• Keeping It Simple - Less about details, more key points
• No Surprises (minimize the surprise escalations)
• Knowing exactly what decisions they have to make
• Sense of comfort that the Project/Program Manager has
this initiative under control – “MANAGING UPWARDS”

9. Executive Status Reporting
9
What makes Executive Status
Reporting is not just the tools.
It about tools, people and
process.

10. Executive Status Reporting Strategies
10
Know Your Audience
Keep Leadership Engaged
Develop Executive Dashboard
Manage Project Escalations

11. #1 - Know Your Audience
11
Dominance – direct, strong-willed and forceful
Influence – sociable, talkative and lively
Steadiness – gentle, accommodating and soft-hearted
Conscientiousness – private, analytical and logical

12. 12
#1 - Know Your Audience
Senior Leadership / C-Suite tends be
a High “Dominance”
• Demanding
• Driving
• Ambitious
• Want the end result
What They Expect:
• Crisp Communication
• Straight to the point
• Options and Alternatives
• Thoughtful

13. #2 - Keep Leadership Engaged
13
• Leadership wants to be kept in the
loop
• Need to understand how
Leadership wants status and what
they care about
• Senior Leadership needs to feel
comfortable
Strategies
• Stakeholder Commitment
Discussions and Analysis
• Steering Committee
Structure
• Ad-Hoc Status, as needed

14. 14
AWARENESS
UNDERSTANDING
ACCEPTANCE
COMMITMENT /
OWNERSHIP
LACK OF
AWARENESS
CONFUSION
DISSENT OR
PASSIVE
RESISTANCE
OPPOSITION
AND
FAILURE
A
B
D
C
E F G
H =Unknown
Note: Size of circle indicates current
relative level of involvement/influence.
#2 - Keep Leadership Engaged
Stakeholder
Commitment
Curve

15. 15
#2 - Keep Leadership Engaged
Name Background Actions Required
Stakeholder 1 Understands and is committed to the need for change;
thinks biggest gap is not with “processes and tools” but
with “orchestration”
Would be ideal to put in an “orchestration” role
(e.g., Release Manager) In order to maintain
commitment through organizational changes
Stakeholder 2 Believe that he is approaching buy-in level; will
probably not publicly/actively champion Estimating
Model because it is associated w/ACN
Stakeholder 3 Currently neutral; indicates perception of value with
Estimating approach
Needs information/details to sustain commitment;
will continue to provide detailed information around
approach and use
Stakeholder 4 Very skeptical about value of Estimating Model;
resistant to new approach. Issue enhanced by
Accenture “slow start” with his team.
Must continue to prove value of approach from
“bottom up” perspective. May require “top down”
messages to clear the path for progress.
Stakeholder 5 May perceive Estimating work as a threat because will
provide greater transparency into the work
May require messaging through Greteman and/or
Miller to maintain progress along curve.
Stakeholder 6 Less exposure to Estimating work currently Continue on current path; progress on curve
anticipated as more exposure to Estimating
approach
Stakeholder 7 Less exposure to Estimating work currently Continue on current path; progress on curve
anticipated as more exposure to Estimating
approach
Stakeholder 8 TBD TBD
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Stakeholder
Commitment
Curve Details

16. 16
#2 - Keep Leadership Engaged
Steering
Committee
Structure

17. #3 - Develop Executive Dashboard
17
• Begin with the end in mind - Know What Leadership Wants
• Putting status in terms that Executives understand
• Easily identify issues and risk areas
• Be consistent

18. #3 - Develop Executive Dashboard
18
Example 1

19. #3 - Develop Executive Dashboard
19
Example 2

20. #4 – Manage Project Escalations
20

21. #4 – Manage Project Escalations
21
Trade-off
Scenarios
Consensus
Building
Consistent
Status View
Lead with
the facts
Understand
others

22. Case StudyClient
• One of the nation’s
largest banking
institutions
• Premier provider of
mortgage loans to
consumers
Challenge
• Cross-line of
business and
technology
transformation
• First 2 years -
$150M spent, 300+
person project, NO
RESULTS
• No visibility into
TRUE status and
problem areas
Solution
• Established a PMO
SWAT Team to find
order
• Conducted 30-day
plan to get a
consolidated
program plan in
place
22

23. 23
25 of 1669 total milestones are on this exception report
SIT Drop 1
1
HULA - A&D - Design Reviews N/A HULA NA Y
Have not received volume and usage information from each
vertical teams. Low risk risk at this point since we have
infrastructure in place today
Meeting scheduled for next week to discuss issue
2
HULA - A&D - Framework
Updates/Implementation - Versioning
N/A HULA Y Y
Have not received volume and usage information from each
vertical teams. Low risk risk at this point since we have
infrastructure in place today
Meeting scheduled for next week to discuss issue
3
HULA - UAT Testing - Framework
Updates/Implementation - Publish/subscribe
functionality
N/A HULA Y Y
Have not received volume and usage information from each
vertical teams. Low risk risk at this point since we have
infrastructure in place today
Meeting scheduled for next week to discuss issue
4
HULA - UAT Testing - Framework
Updates/Implementation - Business Activity
Monitoring
N/A HULA Y Y
Have not received volume and usage information from each
vertical teams. Low risk risk at this point since we have
infrastructure in place today
Meeting scheduled for next week to discuss issue
5
HULA - UAT Testing - Framework
Updates/Implementation - Versioning
N/A HULA Y Y
Have not received volume and usage information from each
vertical teams. Low risk risk at this point since we have
infrastructure in place today
Meeting scheduled for next week to discuss issue
SIT Drop 2
1 Artifact production HU - 1.1 HULA - Y
To be completed next week with implementation of new
process
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
2 Design Reviews HU - 2.1 HULA - Y
To be completed next week with implementation of new
process
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
3 Framework Updates/Implementation - Versioning HU - 6.1 HULA - Y
To be completed next week with implementation of new
process
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
4 APPRAISAL.6.0 - CPC Turned in and Approved AP - 6.1
Credit
Council
- Y
To be completed next week with implementation of new
process
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
5 CREDIT.7.0 - Create Hazard and Title CP - 7.1
Credit
Council
- Y
To be completed next week with implementation of new
process
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
6 SIT 2: UC Realization
Product
Council -
PFR
- Y
To be completed next week with implementation of new
process
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
Projected
End
# Component OwnerUnique ID
Functional Component
Group
Status
Previous Current CommentsDescription
Original
End
SIT Drop 1
Requirements ### ##
Analysis & Design ### ##
Build & Unit Test ### ##
SIT Testing ### ##
SIT Drop 2
Requirements
Analysis & Design ### ##
Build & Unit Test ### ##
SIT Testing Execution ### ##
UAT Testing ### ##
SIT Drop 3
Requirements
Analysis & Design ### ##
Build & Unit Test ### ##
SIT Testing ### ##
UAT Testing ### ##
Production Readiness
Implementation & Rollout ### ##
Configuration ### ##
Security
Data ### ##
CAPs/TOPs ### ##
Compliance ### ##
Release Management Milestones
Program Workstreams Oct Nov Nov DecDec Jan Feb Mar Aug OctSept JanApr May Jun Jul
Rqmnts Approvedb
Functional Designs Approvedb
b Proj Designs Approved
b CORE IST
Deploy to UATb
b UAT Sign-off
b Implementation Window (8/5-8/11)
b
Today
5/11
7/14
8/4
1/21
2/24
2/23
2/20
7/7
SIT2 Requirements Completion, 4/14
5/26
SIT3 Requirements Completion, 6/16
8/7
11/17
b
Code Drop, 3/3
b
9/25
5/1
6/1
7/10
8/21
17 of 147 total milestones are on this exception report
SIT Drop 1
1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Effected Units of Work:
N/A
Timeline Impacts / Drop Dead Date:
N/A
N/A
SIT Drop 2
1 Calculations Library partial/full (DD) DD Y
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
Effected Units of Work:
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
Timeline Impacts / Drop Dead Date:
<insert comments here>
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
2 Assemble Scenarios Rule Stub (DD) DD Y
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
Effected Units of Work:
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
Timeline Impacts / Drop Dead Date:
<insert comments here>
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
3 WKS SINGLE API Installed ELF -37.1 ELF Y
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
Effected Units of Work:
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
Timeline Impacts / Drop Dead Date:
<insert comments here>
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
4 Event Notification Publish- 2 - Partial (ELF) ELF - 39.1 ELF Y
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
Effected Units of Work:
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
Timeline Impacts / Drop Dead Date:
<insert comments here>
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
5 Event Notification Subscribe - 2 - Partial (ELF) ELF - 40.1 ELF Y
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
Effected Units of Work:
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
Timeline Impacts / Drop Dead Date:
<insert comments here>
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
6 Get Credit Report Data Partial (DD) DD Y
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
Effected Units of Work:
To be completed next week with implementation of
new process
Timeline Impacts / Drop Dead Date:
<insert comments here>
To be completed next week with
implementation of new process
Status
Previous Current
Original
End
Impact Action Plan# Component OwnerUnique ID Description
Projected
End
Functional Component Group
Case Study - Executive Dashboard
1 2
3
High-Level Timeline Cross-Team Exception Report
Individual Project Team Milestone Report

24. Poll #2
Based on what we talked about, what
strategy do you think is most helpful for
you in your situation?
24

25. Key Takeaways
25
Know Your
Audience and
Expectations
Keep It
Simple
Keep
Leadership
engaged on
their terms
It’s About
People,
Process and
Tools
Develop
Executive
Level Status
With the
End in Mind

26. “Off The Gantt” Training Series
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• Status Reporting is just one piece of
the Advancing towards Program
Management
• Our “Off The Gantt” Training Series
coming up in December. Full day
interactive and engaging session
• Followed up by 3 conference calls
Friday, December 19th in Downtown Los Angeles
Email INFO@KW3CONSULTING.COM
FOR MORE DETAILS AND CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE

27. Upcoming Webinars
• Thursday, January 18th @ 10am PST
• Thursday, February 12th @ 10am PST
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28. Thank You
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• Please fill out the survey and give your feedback
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