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Reporting progress is a fundamental skill that every team member at every level can learn to work better together.
A culture of reporting progress results in the following:
A major aspect of team alignment is the scalable reporting of accurate, timely, and honest information. It's nearly impossible for one person to collectively know everything happening within the organization at once. Accordingly, it takes a team, an entire organization, to have their eyes on the most strategic goals - both at the Company level and the Department and Individual levels.
It's the duty and responsibility of the owner to report progress. What is an owner? You may be the owner of a goal or Objective & Key Result (OKR), or the owner of a key performance indicator (KPI), or the owner of a process, a customer, a business unit, a team, or more. As an owner, the entire company is counting on YOU to report and drive the results we aspire to achieve. But, at the same time, you are not alone - we shouldn't strive to create silos, where every individual is operating in isolation, achieving and failing at their key results alone.
Reporting progress is a scalable, measurable way to give insight across the entire organization on how the entire company is achieving its most important goals. By standardizing the reporting into a few questions, we keep reporting lightweight, simple, and quick.
It's up to you to report honestly and accurately. This is a way for you to flag to the leadership team and your peers any challenges you foresee, struggles you're enduring, and successes you're having. It's your duty as a leader within the organization to be honest in your assessment of the situation - and not overinflate expectations due to bravado, overconfidence, or ego. It takes courage to report the truth.