Concept of Health Status Dimensions

The Health application is intended to monitor Overall status of a unit (project, stream, and so on) as well as statuses of different dimensions, or sub-statuses, that can be configured depending on business needs. Sub-statuses can be combined in groups according to the domain specification. 

The radial Health Status Dimensions chart displays the overall status in the center and dimensions statuses around it. 

The Health Status Taxonomy consists of the following components:

1. Health Status (Overall), which represents a combined evaluation of the health status for a given unit (e.g., stream, project, or account).

2. Key Dimensions statuses, which represent different aspects of delivery.

3. Dimension statuses refer to sub-dimensions that are grouped according to the Key Dimensions' statuses.

RAG Indication of Status

Health application provides a simple way to indicate a unit status with a traffic-light color: Red, Amber, or Green.

In general, GREEN means that unit health goes well, AMBER indicates a state with known and manageable risks, and RED alerts about occurred issues or high probability of heavy loss or failure. Each color corresponds to a certain range of Health Index (see below).

Health Index as Quantitative Indicator of Health

The Health Index quantifies actual health status of a unit on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0. It allows you to precisely assess the unit's status and track the status dynamics over time.

Red/Amber/Green status corresponds to a certain Health Index range on the scale (see Fig.2).

If status is either not provided or outdated, the Health Index equals 0.0.

Overall Status
Overall status is a general indicator of unit health. It is set manually based on expert opinion. 

Key Dimension Status
Represents delivery aspect. The system calculates status automatically as an average of the participated dimensions' statuses.

Dimension Status (or Sub-status)
Dimension is a single focus area of unit health. Sub-status displays the state of the dimension in the same Health Index and RAG (Red-Amber-Green) indication. 

Introduction to Health Widgets

Health application represents the Health Status Dimensions along with two other widgets that display health of a project from different perspectives:

1.  Health Status Dimensions

Displays the overall status of a unit and sub-statuses of the unit dimensions as a single radial status chart. Dimensions are combined in groups (Key Dimensions) according to domain specification. Each status displays RAG indication that you can declare through the corresponding cards.

2.  Overall Status widget

Allows you to set the Overall and Forecast (forecasted Overall) status of a unit, and provide any kind of description, for example, project status description, or action plan with Action Items relevant to the project. The widget also displays when and by whom the status was reported.

Besides, it might be possible to keep links to external reports in the Overall status widget. Link to External reports is a link that can be regularly attached to the Overall status to keep track of external reporting regularity and have a history of those links (in Health Beats and on History page). The feature can be used when you, for example:

• keep additional information about the unit status/progress elsewhere;

• regularly provide someone with presentations that describe important status updates.

3.  Status Dynamics

The Status Dynamics chart displays how the Health Index of the Overall status of a unit changed over time and the status modification events. Also, it reflects the current and forecast status of the unit, as well as related signals (major updates) of Risks and Actions. 

How to Report Statuses

To reflect the unit Health across the Status Dimensions, you need to report the following:

1. Overall status 

2. Key Dimension (grouping dimension) - The system calculates status automatically as an average of the participated dimensions' statuses. 

3. Dimension 

To report Overall status:

1. To report the Overall status, click on the placeholder text in the status card.

2. Update status summary.

3. Update Health Index if needed.

4. Report Forecast Health Index.

5. Optional. Provide action items.
   To learn more about action items, see Action Items.

6. Optional. Provide go-to-green plan. When the Health Index (HI) falls below a specified range, a mandatory "Go-to-Green Plan" field appears in the status field, preventing users from saving their status without completing it.

7. Optional. Add a link to the external report.

To update the Health index, do one of the following:

• Move the slider on the scale. The slider changes its color, and the Health index value in the text box also changes.

• In the Health Index text box, type in a new value, and then press Enter. The slider moves to the specified position.

To keep the Overall status actual, update it as soon as the situation with unit health changes or on the regular basis with the frequency agreed in your organization.

How to Provide a Go-to-Green Plan

1. Trigger the Go-to-Green Plan Field:

   • When reporting Status, if you set the Health Index (HI) below a specified value, an additional "Go-to-Green Plan" field will automatically appear in the status field (see Fig.7-1).

2. Complete the Go-to-Green Plan Field:

   • Enter the necessary details in the "Go-to-Green Plan" field. This field is mandatory, and you won't be able to save your status without completing it.

3. Save Your Changes:

   • After providing the Go-to-Green Plan, save your changes. The date of the Go-to-Green Plan update and the person who updated it will be recorded separately from the main status.

4. Review Status Card:

   • Check the status card in the UI to see the date of the last Go-to-Green Plan update.

5. When Health Index Recovers:

   • If the Health Index returns to a normal range and the Go-to-Green Plan is no longer necessary, you can remove it in Status edit mode (see Fig.7-2). The plan will still be available in historical records for reference.

To report Dimension (sub-statuses):

1. Open an appropriate status dimension sidebar by clicking an appropriate segment in Health Status Dimensions radial chart.

2. To report sub-status, click on the status summary or a placeholder text in the status card.

3. Update status summary.

4. Update Health Index.

5. (Optional) Add or/and update action items.

To report Key Dimension (sub-statuses):

The process for reporting Key Dimensions is similar to reporting Dimensions, with a key difference in how the Health Index (HI) is managed. For Key Dimensions, the HI is automatically calculated, and status updates occur systemically based on changes in sub-dimensions.

1. Access Key Dimension:

   • Navigate to the Key Dimension section where you wish to report.

2. Automatic Health Index Calculation:

   • The Health Index (HI) for Key Dimensions is automatically calculated as the average of its sub-dimensions. You do not need to manually set the HI for Key Dimensions.

3. Understand Coverage:

   • The Coverage value indicates the percentage of sub-dimensions considered in the automatic status calculation. If any sub-dimension statuses are not reported, the Coverage of the Key Dimension will be lower.

4. Automatic Status Updates:

   • The status of the Key Dimension is updated automatically by the system whenever a user updates the status of any included sub-dimension.

5. Add a Description (Optional):

   • If necessary, you can add a description to the Key Dimension status to provide additional context or details.

6. Save Your Changes:

   • Ensure any additional descriptions or notes are saved to keep the Key Dimension information current.

Another way to report sub-status:

1. Hover over a section of the radial chart in the Health Status Dimensions, and click on the text area or the pencil icon in the upper right corner of the corresponding tooltip.

2. In the sidebar that opens, enter your text.

3. Set the Health Index.

4. Click the Update button.

5. (Optional) Add or update action items.

To review a status, who, and when updated it, click the respective dimension on the Dimension panel. On this panel, you can find information about all sub-statuses. On hovering over any status you can find additional information.

If a status (overall or a sub-status) is outdated, it must be reported again. In the Health Status dimensions radial chart, outdated statuses are displayed in gray with a frame that shows the color of the previously reported status. On a status card, you can see when the status will expire or has expired if the expiration period is configured for this status.

How to Comment on Statuses

If you want to ask something about the status provided, suggest or add anything, without becoming a reporter of a status, you can add comments to any status. Besides, it's possible to comment on a status that has not been provided yet.

To comment on a status:

1. Click on the comment icon in the bottom right corner.

2. Enter any text you want to add in the opened sidebar.

3. Select "Leave Comment".

Example of Usage

This is an example of how a company can apply the concept of Health Status Dimensions. For monitoring Project Health, we can use the following status dimensions:

• Alignment with Client
  Displays how effectively project leadership collaborates with the client. 

• GDPR Compliance
  Displays how a project complies with GDPR regulations.

• Quality
  Displays how a project meets the agreed customer's requirements of quality.

• Scope
  Displays how the project scope corresponds to the agreed scope.

• Schedule
  Displays status of how actual delivery makes progress according to the delivery plan.

• Team Retention
  Displays result of comparison of planned team retention with actual situation. 

• Team Performance
  Displays result of comparison of planned team performance with actual situation. 

• WFH Impact
   Displays impact of Work from Home mode on a project.

1. Status Dynamics: Overall status and Forecast dynamics.

2. Health Status Dimensions: Four key dimensions (groups) with eight dimensions configured .