A crucial lesson from my first program leadership experience was the importance of aligning stakeholders upfront on program progress indicators and thresholds. During a program review, a stakeholder disputed a work stream RAG status, despite it being fact-based and aligned with company methodology (which could have been avoided by aligning explicitly upfront). In my experience, to influence executives, progress reports should be objective & actionable: (1) Data-led RAG Statuses: Ensure progress indicators are backed by metrics. Use metrics for insights and outcome-based prioritization. (2) Actionable Deviations: Highlight ‘Path to Green’ measures. (3) Cross-Work Stream Integration: Illuminate dependencies and integration actions.

There should be a digital dashboard for generating reports for various programs and should be accessible to all. Every Program Lead or Coordinator may keep updating the progress of the program regularly.

I once faced a team split on reporting project progress. Here’s what worked: 1️⃣ Create a Safe Space: I set up a session where everyone could openly share their preferences without fear of judgment. This helped in understanding underlying concerns. 2️⃣ Focus on Shared Outcomes: We discussed our shared goals, like clarity for stakeholders, which shifted focus from personal preferences to project impact. 3️⃣ Trial Runs for Ideas: We tested different formats in a mock presentation. Seeing pros and cons in real-time helped the team reach a consensus. 4️⃣ Encourage Compromise: By blending elements from each approach, we developed a hybrid that met everyone’s needs.

I would facilitate a discussion to align on key objectives and ensure we present the most relevant progress to the executives. By combining different viewpoints and focusing on critical milestones, we can ensure the presentation is both strategic and impactful.

Our project world defined by complexity of interfaces. One such complexity is Human Behavior that led to friction. Here are few recommendation to find common ground.1)Allow the team to define their success definition with the customer and sponsor.2)Develop, implement, and monitor an action plan for improving program or project metrics. 3)Communicate results of the daily stand-up 4)Conduct deliverable assessments with the team to ensure completeness and acceptability.5)Provide appropriate stakeholders with information on the difficulty in reporting and assessing progress and seek their help in remedying the situation.6)Team charter having clear blueprint of goals, expectations, and workflows to help a diverse team stay on the same page.

First, I’ll revise with my team the executives’ expectations and the key objectives and benefits of the program to establish a clear foundation for discussion. Then, I’ll facilitate a brainstorming session to generate ideas, which will be classified into groups using the Delphi technique based on the established criteria. Finally, we’ll collaborate to select the best approach for presenting the progress report.

Dispute/ ambiguity preventive measures: Conduct brain storming sessions for: Define WBS Define weightage Fix expected target dates Establish KPI Keep it KPI SMART Simple, measurable, achievable, relatable, time bound Progress measurement: Evaluate % completion of each WBS and link with weightage based on expected target dates Brain storming during status check will give holistic progress value. Quantification is the key to convince all the stakeholders. Once quantify it should be presented to stakeholders only after all the executing participants are in sync. Expectation of executives should be understood prior to execution rather than during presentation.

Usually having standard and agreed upon format will help to have proper reporting. Also, to combine the status of different components to a program level

This is an interesting question because first I’d want to know why there is disagreement. Without understanding this, it may prove hard to align. Stakeholders are the #1 thing to understand and assess for ultimate success. The bigger question is how did we get to today? Again, stakeholders are the foundation and the business objective defines which stakeholders to involve and in what way. Then the plan is put in place ….knowing all the nuances of each of these stakeholders. The longer one waits to do this up front, the harder it is to deliver most things. So if now one’s reached “show time” I’d still say to pause and understand those stakeholders and the role they play in achieving the business objective (which I hope is clear).

Align, present, succeed! 🚀 Managing a divided team while presenting program progress: 1. Establish a unified vision: Use Miro to create a shared roadmap. 🗺️ 2. Facilitate open dialogue: Leverage Slack for ongoing communication. 💬 3. Collaborate on presentations: Use Google Slides for real-time input. 📊 4. Define clear roles: Utilize Asana to assign responsibilities. ⏳ 5. Gather regular feedback: Employ SurveyMonkey to collect insights. 📋 6. Celebrate small wins: Use Microsoft Teams to recognize achievements. 🎉 As Simon Sinek says, "Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths." Focus on leveraging strengths for a cohesive narrative.