How Are Work Performance Information, Data and Reports Related?

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This is a common point of confusion while preparing for PMP. Here’s a summary of how these stack up.

The flow is as below -

Which means to say that Work Performance Data that goes into a process as input comes out as Work Performance Information. And Work Performance Information that goes into a process comes out as Work Performance Reports.

Work Performance Data is the raw project data, which, when analyzed under a particular project context becomes Work Performance Information. And then Work Performance Information when presented in a suitable manner (tabular, graphical and so on) becomes Work Performance Reports.

Work Performance Data typically contain hard numbers – number of defects, start date of an activity, actual cost and so on.

Since most of the project management processes are executed in a parallel and/or overlapping manner (based on the intricacies of the project) and rarely in a linear fashion. In PMBOK guide 47 processes are described in a linear manner just for the ease of understanding.

When you use Work Performance Data as an input versus Work Performance Information as an input depends on the process being used. Work Performance Data typically is an output of Direct and Manage Project Work – which is nothing but the actual project work. And so this process belongs to Executing process group. Sounds logical, right?

Examples of Work Performance Information are forecasts, status of work packages and so on.

Now, with the same logic, this output should go as input into Monitoring and Controlling processes such as Control Scope, Control Schedule and so on. One can understand this from the Data flow diagram on page 80 of PMBOK-5.

Work Performance Reports are just that – Reports. Weekly status reports, Defect fixing reports, Agile dashboards and so on.

From some of these processes Work Performance Information comes as output and becomes input for Monitor and Control Project Work. And as per above flow diagram it turns into Work Performance Report as output.

And that’s the relationship between Work Performance Data, Work Performance Information and Work Performance Reports.