Progress, plans, problems

Progress, plans, problems (PPP) is a management technique for recurring (daily, weekly or monthly) status reporting. A person reports 3-5 achievements, goals and challenges from the reporting period. It is used in organizations in situations like employee to manager, team member to team or CEO to board, investors and advisors reporting.

Each report consists of three sections:

• Progress: Employee's accomplishments, finished items and closed tasks for the period ending.
• Plans: Goals and objectives for the next reporting period.
• Problems: Items that are stuck and can't be finished. Problems often need help from someone else, not just the employee.

The PPP method is commonly used in recurring check-ins between:

• Employees and their managers
• Team members and team leads
• Executives and boards, investors, or advisors
• Distributed or remote teams as an asynchronous status update

Originally popularized in the early 2000s by technology startups, the PPP framework has gained adoption across industries due to its low overhead and clarity. It is used in performance tracking, agile project management, coaching, and internal communication.

Companies that use it:

• Apple: Reportedly uses lightweight status update formats in design and engineering teams inspired by PPP-like approaches.
• Skype: Used PPP as a management reporting tool during its early startup phase to communicate updates between founders and investors.Hassell, D. (2016). "The PPP Technique: Progress, Plans, Problems". Medium. https://medium.com/@davidhassell/the-ppp-technique-progress-plans-problems-5f9f78c3f2f5
• Seedcamp: A European startup accelerator that encourages portfolio companies to use PPP in investor updates and internal communication. Seedcamp. (2021). Seedcamp Operating System. https://seedcamp.com/resources ↩
• Antler: A global VC and accelerator that uses PPP among founders and with advisors for weekly check-ins.
• Buffer and Weekdone: Promote PPP for internal updates and have developed tools and templates around the method.Weekdone. (n.d.). "PPP Reports". https://blog.weekdone.com/ppp-report/

Benefits

• Clarity: Provides a clear structure for communication
• Focus: Helps prioritize what matters in a given period
• Accountability: Reinforces ownership of tasks and goals
• Early Warning: Surfaces blockers before they escalate
• Simplicity: Low learning curve and easy to adopt in any team

• Can be implemented in various tools, such as emails, spreadsheets, or team platforms like Microsoft Planner, Trello, or Notion

Limitations

• Can become repetitive or superficial if not reviewed properly
• Lacks context unless paired with broader performance frameworks (e.g., KPIs or OKRs)
• May need customization for highly complex or cross-functional teams

Examples

PROGRESSExample:

• Published Q2 marketing report
• Closed deal with client XYZ
• Resolved server downtime incident

PLANSExample:

• Launch beta version of mobile app
• Prepare presentation for stakeholder meeting
• Interview two new candidates for the backend role

PROBLEMS Example:

• Waiting for API documentation from partner team
• Budget approval pending from finance
• Incomplete user data causing test failures

External links

• Progress, Plans, Problems
• Printable day Planner