Challenges and Pitfalls of Different Status Reports

Running Head: CHALLENGES AND PITFALLS OF DIFFERENT STATUS REPORTS
Challenges and Pitfalls of Different Status Reports
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Challenges and Pitfalls of Different Status Reports
Challenges and Pitfalls of Different Status Reports
According to Keil, Smith and Thompson (2014), there are varied pitfalls and challenges of
different status reports. Firstly, individual traits of team members in different positions tend to
influence the status reports to a large extent. For example, individuals with higher ambition in an
organization tend to misreport about their progress in a project or that of their team members. Some
individuals are often identified to shift blame onto others in their status reports in case of inability to
meet the project timeline. Secondly, work climate and cultural differences have often influenced the
difference in the reports. Thirdly, a major pitfall of different status reports is the inability to identify
the exact effects of misreporting of project information or status by the team. Auditors find it
extremely difficult to point out the true status due to the shift in blame and a difference of
perspective of the situation among all team members. The primary consequence and challenge of
such pitfalls is the loss of trust in the senior executives and the dysfunctional reporting causes an
irreversible damage to the project and the company’s reputation in many cases.
Nalewaik and Witt (2009), estimate that the senior executives made in charge of projects
often increase the chances of misreporting and thus there is significant amount of damage to the
morale of the team and the employees. There is no doubt that senior leaders of an organization offer
more support and visibility to the project; however, researchers have identified its negative effect on
the ability of the team members to prepare reports from the short term and long-term perspective
both. Thus, scholars advise a reduction in the allocation of responsibility of team leadership to senior
executives and transfer of leadership to one of the team members. It was recommended that a joint
project status report should be taken from the team from time to time to track the actual progress of a
project. Lastly, executives often rely on team members to make the project reports. However, their
lack of experience and inbuilt biased objectives may influence the outcome of the reports that are
formalized.