The Rands Test
I completely disagree on status reports.  I've only worked at one company where we sent them weekly.  I found them invaluable for looking back over what I'd accomplished.  I viewed it more as a weekly journal than a tool of oppression.<p>That said, the rest of the management system was in shambles, and they'd have failed nearly every other question.  I don't believe that inherently makes status reports a bad thing, though.