Abstract: An automated method to determine the real-time status of a currently running batch program on a mainframe computer system. Output from a tape management reporting system is processed so that relevant information pertaining to the progress of a currently running batch program is extracted and derived therefrom. New reports are generated that reveal the current status of the batch program in terms of the processing time of the dataset associated with the batch program. The new reports disclose useful status information such as the total number of volumes that comprise the dataset, the sequence number of the current volume being processed, the amount of time the currently running batch program used to process the volumes already processed, and the amount of time the previously run batch program used to process the volumes that have not yet been processed by the currently running batch program.