Project Status Reporting Guidelines (Red / Yellow / Green)
Guidelines that can be used by IT Program Managers to identify whether a project is on track (Green), at risk (Yellow
) or off track (Red) based on four key parameters: Schedule, Scope, Budget and Resources
Schedule:
a. Green: All project tasks and milestones are on schedule and the project is expected to finish by the
projected completion date.
b. Yellow: Indicates caution. While the project isn’t entirely off track, there are some concerns. Some
tasks or milestones are behind schedule, but the delay isn’t significant enough to affect the overall
project’s expected completion or “Go-Live” date.
c. Red: Signals that there is a problem that needs immediate attention. There are significant delays that
are jeopardizing the project’s on-time completion. The “Go-Live” or final completion date is likely to be
impacted unless corrective actions are taken.
Scope:
a. Green: Scope is well defined (locked in) and signed off by the leadership with no scope creep in the
horizon.
b. Yellow: Scope is not well defined and there are unknown elements from a delivery perspective
Or minor changes have been introduced to the original project scope without going through proper
change control (PCR: Plan Change Request) Or some originally defined tasks are proving more
complex than initially thought dictating scope adjustment via PCR for on time delivery.
c. Red: Significant changes have been added without scope adjustment or proper change control, or key
deliverables are at risk. These changes are jeopardizing the project objectives.
Budget:
1. Green: Budget is fully approved and there are no outstanding requests.
2. Yellow: Budget approvals are pending for certain requests. This situation presents a medium risk to
the projects overall objectives and may affect the schedule for go-live and support. These requests
are not on the critical path but should be monitored and addressed.
3. Red: Budget approvals are pending that will affect the go-live and support schedule. This presents a
high risk to the projects overall objectives and is considered a critical path item. Immediate action is
required.
Resources:
a. Green: All necessary resources are fully committed and available to deliver the project as planned.
This indicates we are on track with no foreseeable resource-related issues.
b. Yellow: There are potential risks to resource availability. This could include the possibility of
committed resources being redirected to higher-priority projects, the risk of losing key personnel, or
the need for additional resources due to underestimated initial requirements.
c. Red: Significant resource challenges are impacting the project. This includes the reallocation of
previously committed resources, key personnel gaps, and a clear need for additional resources.
Urgent intervention from leadership is required, which may involve realigning resources, adjusting
project scope, or revising delivery timelines.
Overall Project Status:
Green: If all key performance indicators (Schedule, Scope, Budget and Resources) are green then the
overall project should be green.
Yellow: If one or more domains are yellow, even if others are green, the overall project status should be
classified as yellow. This indicates that there are issues requiring attention, though they aren’t critically
endangering the project as a whole yet.
Red: Any single domain (Schedule, Scope, Budget or Resources) is red, then the overall project status
should be marked red. This is because a critical issue in any one of these areas can put the entire project at
risk. It's important to recognize and address these issues promptly to prevent further complications / delays.
