PMP students often are puzzled at first by WPD vs. WPI vs. WPR.
Part of the confusion is that the 3 Earned Value Management terms sound very similar: Work Performance Data, Work Performance Info, Work Performance Reports.
Also, the order of the knowledge areas implies that WPR comes first of the 3, because it’s an Output of the Monitor & Control Project Work process, up at the top of the Planning Processes (in Integration Management). But actually it comes last.
What’s an easy way to remember the order?
PMP TEST TIP:
They are created in alphabetical order, by the PMI Model,
as follows:
-
WPD
-
WPI
-
WPR
1. WPD: Work Performance Data
Think of WPD as RAW DATA.
WPD is just facts about the project’s progress. But the facts are not good or bad, because they are NOT IN ANY CONTEXT.
EXAMPLE OF A PIECE OF WPD:
The Project Team built 3 web-pages this month.
Q. This is an important bit of status. But from this fact, can you tell if the project is:
- On Schedule? or
- Behind Schedule? or
- Ahead of Schedule?
A. We can’t tell until we get to WPI (#2 below).
2. WPI: Work Performance Information
EXAMPLE OF A PIECE OF WPI:
The Project Team built 3 web-pages this month.
But the plan was to build 4 web-pages this month.
In contrast to WPD, Work Performance Information IS in context.
Because we know what was supposed to be accomplished in the timeframe, we see that the team only built 75% of what was planned to be built (and so they are behind schedule by 25%)
The 3 Websites completed are viewed in light of the 4 web pages planned to be completed in that time.
And in more proper Earned Value Management (EVM) terms, our Schedule Performance Index (SPI) would be:
SPI = 0.75
3. WPR: Work Performance Reports
When we send our Stakeholders a report on the status of the project including the WPI as well as the WPD, that is called Work Performance Reports. And the WPR (#3) can’t be written until first we have:
- WPD (#1) and
- WPI (#2).
ALSO NOTE: The WPR should be in a format and style that your Stakeholders prefer, and will find easy-to-read and understand. (there is no 1 prescribed format for this document)
EXAMPLE:
WPR – SAMPLE REPORT
For Project 270. August 26, 2024
Schedule: Our project is currently 25% behind schedule:
SPI = 0.75
We lost some time because one of our key people was reassigned to a different project by the Project Sponsor.
To bring this project back on-schedule, we plan to crash the project as follows:
- We will hire 2 part-time Developers for September-October.
- We will collocate the 2 new Developers with our team
- We’ll have a 1-day all hands on deck session to bring the new Developers up-to-speed on what we’ve built so far.
For more help with the PMP Exam & PM topics:
1. My PMP Exam Prep class for NYU SPS
Next class starts Sunday, September 22
2. My Risk & Change Management class for NYU SPS
Next class starts Tuesday, November 19
3. My book: The Project Management Answer Book, 2nd Edition
4. My book: “Learn The PMP Keywords In Logical Pairs”
Only $3.99 on Amazon Kindle
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