Four Blocker – A simple key to successful Project Management

As a PM Consultant and a contractor I have about 5-10 projects going on at any one time. Each project has a broad list of tasks and action items, Milestones, requirements, deadlines, resources, risks, issues, and different end dates. RAG (Red, Amber, Green) Status needs to be communicated to the Management/ Steering committee every week and its easy to miss or undermine issues and risks because as a project manager you may have too many balls to juggle and its easy to drop drop some if you lose your focus. 

Sometimes it is too much and if you are very organized then there has to be a better way.

What is your better way?

Now let me ask you if you are managing a program of tracking status of as many as 20, 30 or even more small to large size projects?

I introduced the concept of four blocker while working with a major investment bank in New York. I borrowed this concept from one of my previous client, also a big financial conglomerate and added my own values in it. 

Let me explain it how it works, four blocker consists of four blocks as name suggests. 

1.Status Summary, 2. Planned Accomplishments, 2. Next MS Goal, 3. known Risks and Issues, 

These four blocks are co-related and status summary is tied to rest of the blocks individually. 

Here's how...