5 Best Practices When Making a Progress Report

1. 120 Matheson Boulevard East, Suite 203, Mississauga, ON, Canada L4Z 1X1 5 Best Practices When Making a Progress Report Because they have a vested interest in the project's success, stakeholders are concerned about its progress. They want to keep in touch with you on a regular basis and receive updates on how the project is progressing. Reporting, specifically a progress report, is one way for a project manager to keep stakeholders informed. A project progress report appears to be simple: it's a report on the project's progress. A progress report's structure, on the other hand, makes or breaks it. How to make a Progress Report? One way to ensure that your progress report is effective is to consider the perspectives of your stakeholders as you write it. You'll need to explain what happened during the time period in question, whether anything stymied your progress, and what's next. Don’t Be Generic Stakeholders are looking for specifics. They don't want you to go into great detail about how you did something, but they do want to know what you did. They're looking for numbers, not stories. Your responses should be informative and free of unnecessary details. Know the Frequency That is, if you're working on a lengthy project, stakeholders may request a weekly or even daily progress report. Find out first, and make sure you deliver your progress reports when the stakeholders expect them. Break It Up Breaking up your progress report into sections is a good idea. This improves the report's readability. A section heading lets the reader know what to expect and helps them navigate the document. Write Well Avoid jargon that could confuse the reader by using clear and simple language. You want them to understand what you're saying right away, rather than having to struggle (or worse, misunderstand) what you're trying to say. Use Software The reporting process can be made easier with project management software. You can get real-time data and easy delivery to your stakeholders depending on which tool you use. This saves time and allows for better data presentation. Need more insights on the same? Enrol in a PMP prep course session today!