What is an Exception Report? ...and How to Prepare One. And what's an Exception?

TL;DR

Exception reports are issued when deviations in project cost, schedule, scope, or quality exceed tolerance levels, and they document the incident, implications, options, and recommendations for resolving the exception.

Transcript

in this video i'm going to answer the question what is an exception report exception reports are issued when something exceptional happens an exception and they document the incident what it means and what we can do about it and an exception is something that is going to cause a deviation in the project cost or schedule or scope or quality that run... Read More

Key Insights

• 📽️ Exception reports are issued when exceptional incidents occur in project management, such as deviations in cost, schedule, scope, or quality.
• 🥡 Time is crucial in handling exceptions, and immediate action should be taken to investigate and stabilize the situation before writing an exception report.
• ❓ A standard exception report includes a summary of the incident, assessment of implications, analysis of options, and a recommendation for resolving the exception.
• 📽️ Exception reports are prepared by project managers and sent to sponsors, bosses, clients, or governance tiers for review and decision-making.
• 🗯️ The decision-making process should be informed by good evidence and data, involve the right group of people, be made promptly, and be fully documented for audit purposes.
• 💌 Exception reporting can be done through documents, emails, project management information systems, or formal presentations at meetings.
• ⚾ The purpose of exception reports is to generate a robust decision that conforms to criteria such as evidence-based, informed, considered, prompt, and well-documented.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are exception reports in project management?

Exception reports are documents issued by project managers to document and address deviations in project cost, schedule, scope, or quality that exceed agreed tolerance levels.

Q: When should a project manager write an exception report?

Project managers should take immediate action to investigate and stabilize the situation when an exception occurs. Only once the situation is stable should they start writing an exception report.

Q: What are the critical elements of an exception report?

An exception report typically includes a summary of the incident, assessment of implications, analysis of options, and a recommendation for resolving the exception.

Q: How are exception reports handled in project management?

Exception reports can be created as documents, sent via email, stored within project management information systems, or presented formally at meetings. The purpose is to generate a robust decision regarding the exception.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Exception reports are prepared by project managers and are sent to sponsors, bosses, clients, or governance tiers to document and address exceptional incidents.

• Time is of the essence when an exception occurs, as immediate action should be taken to investigate and stabilize the situation before writing the exception report.

• A standard exception report includes a summary of the incident, assessment of implications, analysis of options, and a recommendation for resolving the exception.