<<Project Name>>

Milestone Review Report

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2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues
discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not
be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accurac of an
information presented after the date of publication.
This document is for informational purposes onl. MICROSOFT MAKS NO !ARRANTIS" #PRSS OR
IMP$I%" IN T&IS %OC'MNT(
Microsoft and !isual Basic are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft in the "nited #tates and$or
other countries.
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Revision & Sign-off Sheet
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,tem 1etails
1ocument Title 8ilestone Re%iew Report
Author
6reation 1ate
9ast :pdated
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Table of Contents
$ummar"....................................................................................................................
$tatus of 8ilestone 1eli%erables...............................................................................
$ummar" of Actuals %ersus 0lanned..........................................................................
Ratings b" 6ategor"...................................................................................................
9essons 9earned........................................................................................................-
Re%iew of ,0 :sed and Generated............................................................................;
Readiness for 7et 8ilestone...................................................................................;
Recommendations and Actions ,tems.......................................................................;
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%Intro)uction to t*e Template
%escription& The Milestone 'eview 'eport summari(es the observations and
findings of the pro)ect*s Milestone 'eview. This process is undertaken at transition
points throughout the pro)ect to ensure +ualit and make necessar ad)ustments. A
Milestone 'eview allows the pro)ect team to assess two aspects of the pro)ect& how it
is being conducted and the +ualit of the pro)ect*s output. ,t provides an opportunit
to learn from the pro)ect work that has transpired to date and to use that learning to
improve the pro)ect.
The Milestone 'eview -rocess e.amines the current pro)ect status, identifies what
has been successful to that point, pinpoints an problems or +ualit issues,
determines the lessons learned, and makes specific recommendations on how to
proceed.
Milestone 'eviews should occur at each point where the team and customer must
agree to proceed, thus signaling a transition from one phase into the ne.t. These
points are tpicall identified as Ma)or Milestones. Additionall, doing reviews at
interim and internal milestones serve as checkpoints for the pro)ect teams. The
-ro)ect -ost/Mortem, the final milestone review, rolls up a full assessment at the
pro)ect*s conclusion.0
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Summar+
%%escription& The #ummar section presents the report*s ke elements in a brief
paragraph and describes the method1s2 used to conduct the Milestone 'eview
1meetings, conference calls, surves, etc.2.0
<<Begin tet here!!
Status o, Milestone %elivera-les
%%escription& The #tatus of Milestone 3eliverables section lists the deliverables that
should be complete at the point of the Milestone 'eview and identifies their status. ,f
this is the pro)ect*s first Milestone 'eview, list all deliverables to that point. ,f it is a
subse+uent Milestone 'eview, list all deliverables created since the last review.
#tatus conditions include 4complete,5 4in progress,5 4deleted,5 and so on. 6or
deliverables still in progress, a more granular metric that describes either 4percent
complete5 or the sub/deliverables that are complete is useful.
.usti,ication& This communication enables the customer, the pro)ect team, and other
stakeholders to make informed decisions about the pro)ect and other related
activities.0
<<Begin tet here!!
Summar+ o, Actuals versus Planne)
%%escription& The #ummar of Actuals versus -lanned section documents for each
deliverable the estimated time and resources and the actual time and resources used
to date. This section also shows the calculated differences between the estimates
and actuals.
.usti,ication& These comparisons identif potential problems as well as those areas
that ma be ahead of schedule and enable the pro)ect team to ad)ust the pro)ect plan.
This data is also valuable to help +uantif assessments on e+uivalent tasks later in
the pro)ect or when bidding on similar pro)ects in the future.0
<<Begin tet here!!
Ratin/s -+ Cate/or+
%%escription& The 'atings b Categor section reports the +uantitative
measurements taken on the important dimensions 1categories2 of the pro)ect. Both
the pro)ect team and the customer can provide these ratings.
A categor rating is an indication of two factors&
Assessment 7 how well a categor is working for the pro)ect
,mpact 7 the importance and effect the categor will have on the pro)ect*s
success$failure
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8ach indicator 1assessment and impact2 has a ratings scale. The ratings for each
indicator are multiplied to determine each categor*s overall rating.
6or e.ample&
Assessment 9ot going well
/2 /: : 2
,mpact ;ow
: 2 < =
Categor Assessment ,mpact 'ating 1A>,2
'isk Management -rocess : < <
Communication -rocess /2 < /?
,nterface 3evelopment : 2 2
@ualit Assurance -rocess 2 : 2
.usti,ication& The team evaluates these categor ratings to determine source
causes and to make improvement recommendations. This information also provides
input to the ongoing risk management process. Categories with low ratings tend to
have associated risks needing identification.0
<<Begin tet here!!
$essons $earne)
%%escription& The ;essons ;earned section identifies three main items&
Things that are working well and should continue as elements of the pro)ect
Things that need changing, either because the are not working or could be
improved
Things that should not be repeated or should be discontinued
This section is developed b e.amining the 3eliverables* status, -lanned versus
Actuals comparison, and Categor ratings and then determining&
Ah were we successfulB Ahat contributed to that successB
Could we improve on that success as we continue with the pro)ectB
Ahat risks did we successfull manageB CowB
Ah was there a problemB Ahat went wrongB
Ahat were the signs that should have warned usB Are there new risk factors
we should identif for future pro)ectsB
Ahat should we have done differentlB0
<<Begin tet here!!
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Review o, IP 'se) an) 0enerate)
%%escription& The 'eview of ,- "sed and Denerated section lists the e.isting
intellectual propert leveraged to create the customer*s solution and an new
intellectual propert that ma have future value to this and other pro)ects.
.usti,ication& This information ma be useful to other pro)ects and should be shared
with Microsoft staff and partners.0
<<Begin tet here!!
Rea)iness ,or Ne1t Milestone
%%escription& The 'eadiness for 9e.t Milestone section describes how well the
pro)ect is positioned to achieve the ne.t milestone B anal(ing the 3eliverables*
status, -lanned versus Actuals comparisons, Categor ratings, and ;essons learned,
the team can assess how much ad)ustment needs to be made to the pro)ect in order
to reach the ne.t milestone. 8.amples of this assessment include&
,f the current deliverables are late, can resource ad)ustments be made to
meet deadlinesB
,f the pro)ect processes 1communication, change management, etc.2 are not
working effectivel, can the be amended in time to facilitate efficienciesB
.usti,ication& This information ensures that the pro)ect team identifies the necessar
success factors and actions re+uired to achieve the ne.t milestone.0
<<Begin tet here!!
Recommen)ations an) Actions Items
%%escription& The 'ecommendations and Actions ,tems section makes specific
recommendations 1derived from the lessons learned section2 on how the pro)ect
should be ad)usted. These recommendations are prioriti(ed based on their relative
value to achieving the pro)ect*s goals. The recommendations should focus onl on
high priorit issues and be connected to the rated categories.
'ecommendations ma include alternative methods for performing work, best
practices to appl to pro)ect protocols 1risk management, communication, etc.2,
ad)ustments to pro)ect plans and structure, feature trade/offs, and so on.
.usti,ication& Action items are derived from the recommendationsE the identif the
specific individual$group responsible for taking the action and the time target for
completing the action. Action items should be those things that have the greatest
positive impact on the pro)ect. Fne of the action items should be to update the risks
and issues document with new or changed items that fall out of the milestone review
process.0
<<Begin tet here!!
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