In an effective software development process, there should never be a question about project status. There should not be a need for status meetings and there should never be a need for the creation of static status reports. Tools like JIRA give us the ability to create real-time dashboards, agile boards and also give us the ability to integrate with programs like Confluence. When set up correctly, and when project managers are effectively managing projects, status is always available and becomes a first-class citizen during our product development cycles. High levels of visibility indicate a healthy process.
Don’t be mistaken, making status as a first-class citizen isn’t just something that benefits executives, stakeholders and project managers. When everyone on a team knows the current state of the project with full clarity, morale increases and productivity actually goes up. Individual contributors can feel confident that their work is leading to progress. The more progress they feel the better off they will be. It’s similar to the feeling you get when you make your bed every morning. Additionally, team members will have greater confidence in the person/s leading the project. This is important because when tasks are delegated, trust has been earned and there is increased likelihood that work will get done on-time and with little friction. Clear status often means clear expectations and when things are clear, everyone wins.