Progress Integrity
Is reported progress measurable and defensible?
What it is
Whether reported progress represents actual, evidenced project progress — not optimism, not round numbers, not a figure produced to hit a reporting date.
Why it matters
Every forecast and every claim rests on progress. If reported percent-complete cannot be evidenced, the forecast built on it is fiction and the claim will not survive scrutiny.
What to check
- Is progress measured the same way every cycle?
- Is it evidenced by records and quantities, not asserted?
- Do actual start and finish dates reconcile with the contemporaneous record?
- Is earned value consistent with physical progress?
- Is out-of-sequence progress explained?
Common warning signs
- Progress that only ever moves forward
- Round-number percentages
- Actual dates that don’t match site records
- Physical progress lagging the reported percentage
- Sudden catch-up just before a reporting date
Practical approach
Measure progress against a fixed rule every cycle, reconcile actual dates to the record, and separate earned from claimed. This is the difference between schedule updating and schedule control.