A Practical 1 Page Contextual Diagram for Monitoring Multiple Projects: An Empirical Study of an IT Organization

Abstract

Company A, an embedded system manufacturer, has been managing multiple development projects. Executives need to understand the risk level of every project and prioritize resource distribution. Traditional project monitoring tools or excel sheets are too complex for calculating the risk factors across a functional organization. Two new charts, "Spear-head Chart" and "Float Chart" were designed to assist high level decision making processes. Two charts were used for weekly executive meetings in order to monitor project progress and rectify project direction. One page graphical monitoring tools in Company A are good enough for high management decision making. Authors explain the characteristics of two charts and propose its practical implementation in real working environment. Spear-head chart was also implemented as a system.