Executive Reporting: What do leaders want to see in a portfolio or pipeline meeting?

Leaders are custodians of an organization's future, responsible for charting the path forward.

To do that, they need to have a deep appreciation of past outcomes and the decisions that lead to them.

So they can apply their knowledge, experience, and expertise to understand the underlying reasons driving the present state of progress and challenges in a program, portfolio, or pipeline.

And foresee where trouble might be brewing ahead of time to nip potential risks in the bud and shape future outcomes aligned with the desired objectives.

Essentially, executive reporting is all about showing leaders beyond the obvious in review meetings.

In addition to the metrics showing the state of current progress, you want to show KPIs that can foretell future progress based on the quality and pace of recent performance.

As PMO Head, you want to equip your leadership team to anticipate future challenges and barriers to tomorrow's success to make better decisions today.

The next time you prepare for a review meeting, consider bringing along dashboards and reports showing the past, present, and future KPIs for your program, portfolio, or pipeline.

So you can use data to tell stories that help your leaders visualize the connections between decisions, consequences, and outcomes.

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