Work performance information

Key Points

• Transforms raw performance data into insights by adding analysis, comparisons to baselines, and context.
• Summarizes status, variances, trends, forecasts, and the implications for scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risks.
• Continuously produced during delivery and control activities, then refined as more data arrives.
• Tailored to stakeholder needs; level of detail, frequency, and visualization vary by audience.
• Feeds governance, change control, and stakeholder reporting, and supports timely decisions.
• Must be accurate, timely, and traceable back to the original data and measurement methods.

Purpose

• Provide clear insight into how the project is performing against the plan.
• Enable proactive decisions, such as corrective actions, preventive actions, and change requests.
• Highlight trends and risks early to protect outcomes and value delivery.
• Support transparent communication with sponsors, teams, and other stakeholders.

Data Sources

• Work performance data from team updates, time tracking, and tools (e.g., task completion, effort, throughput).
• Schedule data: milestones achieved, critical path changes, SPI, lead/lag observations.
• Cost data: actual costs, commitments, CPI, burn rate, EAC forecasts.
• Quality results: test outcomes, defect density, rework rates, audit findings.
• Risk and issue logs: triggers observed, risk responses executed, issue impact and aging.
• Change log and configuration records: approved changes, pending requests, scope impacts.
• Procurement and vendor performance: deliveries, SLAs, acceptance status.
• Baseline documents and the current plan for variance comparisons.

How to Compile

• Collect current work performance data from systems and team reports at the agreed cadence.
• Validate and clean the data to remove errors and ensure consistent definitions and timeframes.
• Compare actuals to baselines and targets; compute key variances and indices (e.g., SPI, CPI) as relevant.
• Analyze trends and drivers: look for patterns, constraints, resource bottlenecks, and emerging risks.
• Add context and interpretation: explain causes, effects, and likely outcomes if no action is taken.
• Generate concise visuals or summaries suited to each audience and link back to source data.
• Review with the team or PMO for accuracy and alignment before broader distribution.

How to Use

• Guide decisions in governance meetings and daily team forums.
• Trigger corrective or preventive actions and inform change requests when thresholds are exceeded.
• Update forecasts and replan work based on validated trends and constraints.
• Communicate status to stakeholders through dashboards, reports, or briefings.
• Capture lessons learned about metrics, thresholds, and effective responses.

Sample View

A concise weekly snapshot might include:

• Scope: 42 of 50 planned backlog items completed this iteration (84%).
• Schedule: SPI = 0.93; critical path slipped by 3 days due to dependency delay.
• Cost: CPI = 1.02; EAC trending at 98% of budget.
• Quality: 12 defects found, 9 fixed; defect escape rate decreasing for 3 consecutive weeks.
• Risks/Issues: High-risk supplier delay mitigated; one new issue may impact next milestone.
• Forecast: Milestone M3 projected 1 week late without resource leveling; mitigation proposed.

Interpretation Tips

• Always compare to the right baseline and time window to avoid false signals.
• Focus on trends and drivers, not just single-point variances or vanity metrics.
• Use both leading indicators (flow, throughput, cycle time) and lagging indicators (SPI, CPI).
• Seek root causes before recommending actions; avoid overreacting to outliers.
• Pair quantitative metrics with qualitative context from the team and stakeholders.
• Ensure traceability from insights back to source data and calculation methods.

PMP Example Question

During a review, the sponsor asks for information that explains why the schedule is slipping and what will happen if no action is taken. Which artifact best meets this need?

1. Work performance data.
2. Work performance information.
3. Work performance reports.
4. Issue log.

Correct Answer: B — Work performance information.

Explanation: Work performance information adds analysis and context (variances, trends, forecasts). Data is raw figures; reports are formatted communications created from the information.