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Progress Chart

Why this matters

The progress chart is important for any project.
If there is nonstandard activity, but it is not cast into project terms, that is a red flag.
Gantt charts, though often necessary, are too complex for many situations. They are hard to read, interpret, and keep current.
It is usually far better to show progress toward a goal in a more visual and intuitive manner.
Everybody instantly understands the status of the project, within a few seconds.
This is the main point — clarity is more important than detail.

How to read and build it

The Progress Chart consists of milestones, arrayed left to right.
Each week (or month, or day) is a new row.
Do not introduce other colors, or redefine their meanings. Doing so sacrifices clarity.

Done, no issues
In progress
Not started

The progress columns can be rotated 45° to fit more information on the chart.
All Progress Charts need a Title and an Owner.

Example — Generic

Date	Charter Confirmed	Team Formed	Spec Defined	First Milestone	Second Milestone	Final Deliverable	Comment
This week							Need charter confirmed
Next week							Spec must get defined
Week after							Milestones in progress
etc							Final Deliverable in Sight
Last week							Project Complete

Example — Supply Agreement Template Rollout

Date	Signoff from CEO	All Existing Agreements in One Place	Outside Counsel Engaged	Goal Document Delivered	Template Draft Reviewed	Final Document Live in System	Comment
This week							Must find all docs
Next week							Still looking for docs
Week after							All material with Attorneys
etc							Reviewing Attorney redlines
Last week							Project Complete

Blank Template (copy into Excel)

Paste into Excel; define cell styles (Not Started, In Progress, Done) with red/yellow/green fills.

Date	Milestone 1	Milestone 2	Milestone 3	Milestone 4	Milestone 5	Milestone 6	Comment
This week
Next week
Week after
etc
Last week

Do Differently

Make actions intentional, impactful, and attainable

Do Differently is a formal approach to making sure that actions are intentional, impactful, and attainable. The approach will feel familiar to teams who have deployed Lean and Six Sigma, but it’s more general.

There are five steps:

Define the Standard. Arguably the most important step.
Describe the Current Situation. Clearly, directly, without emotion.
Identify what you will Do Differently to bring the situation toward the Standard.
Identify the Metrics you will use to measure progress. Keep it simple.
Assign Action / Owner / Date. You need accountability.

1) Define Standard 2) Current Situation 3) Do Differently 4) Metrics 5) Action / Owner / Date

A Problem is a gap between the Standard and the Measured result. — The Toyota Way

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” — attributed to Albert Einstein

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt

Guidance Table

Standard	Current Situation	Do Differently	Metric	Action / Owner / Date
Describe what “good” or “ideal” looks like, how it feels, how people behave, etc. Envision the ideal state. This will become the Standard. Don’t worry if it seems unattainable at first.	Concisely explain the current state of things.	Identify a few things that can be Done Differently and are in your control.	Define something measurable for each Do Differently item.	For each metric there must be an Action / Owner / Date.
Often, people learn what is actually bothering their colleagues when they are forced to articulate their ideal state. This alone is quite valuable.	Use a few different examples that are tangible and familiar.	Brainstorm the ideas, but in the end cut the list to two or three items with the most impact.	The simplest metrics are the best: time, dollars, number of units, customer touches, etc.	The progress must be reviewed periodically.
	Often, colleagues learn of things they were not aware of through this exercise.	It is very important that the individual, or team, or group is empowered to act unilaterally.		This works best when individuals present their progress to a team of peers at a group meeting.

Practical notes

The framework should be applied to a situation or state that people agree needs attention.
It’s often best to start with step 2: Describe the Current Situation.
Spend time defining the Standard. This is the most important step and is almost always overlooked.
Without a Standard, there is no Problem — only dissatisfaction that cannot be acted upon, which frustrates everyone.

Example — On‑time Delivery to Key Customer

Standard	Current Situation	Do Differently	Metric / Goal	Action / Owner / Date
Product arrives to the customer on or before the committed date 99% of the time.	Product arrives to the customer on or before the committed date only 50% of the time.	Chart on‑time delivery historical performance and target goal for all to see.	8‑week rolling average of on‑time delivery % / 100%.	OTD charts posted / Dir. Ops / tomorrow.
Customer trusts our delivery commitment, and treats us as a preferred supplier.	We are not a preferred supplier; customer often calls proactively to check on shipments so as not to be surprised.	Twice weekly, evaluate entire backlog and identify products in danger of not shipping on time. Mitigate if possible; escalate if not.	% of products in jeopardy of late shipment / 0%.	Escalate danger products / Dir. Ops / weekly at Ops Review.
We are able to capture more share and charge higher fees because stellar on‑time delivery brings measurable value to the customer.	We are losing market share at the customer and feel pressure to reduce prices to avoid losing even more share.	Deep‑dive root causes of late shipment with 5 Whys (or similar).	Actions and progress on top 3 identified Whys / completion within 4 weeks.	Progress Grids defined and followed / Customer Service Manager / weekly at Ops Review.