How do I write a project progress report?

Are you a project manager and are you having difficulty writing a clear and concise progress report for your employees? A poorly written report can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and even jeopardize the success of your project. With simple techniques, you can create effective reports that capture the attention of your readers and facilitate project monitoring. In this article, discover 5 practical tips for writing an effective and informative project progress report.

What is a project progress report?

A project progress report is a report whose objective is to inform stakeholders and project participants about the monitoring and progress of the tasks and the latest updates of the project. This document provides an overview of the status of the project and a summary of the progress of the project at regular intervals to a range of stakeholders involved in the project.

This type of report answers questions that the stakeholders involved may ask themselves, even before they ask them. So, as a project manager, you are less busy and you can focus more on managing and completing the project.

The project progress report is an important communication tool that can be requested every week, every month, or at each new milestone, depending on the scope and complexity of the project.

What should be included in a project progress report?

Here are the key elements that should be included in a project progress report:

• Project identification : Name of the project and the project manager, date indicating the period covered by the report.

• Project summary: Summary of the main objectives and scope of the project.

• Project status: Tasks completed, in progress and to come, schedule, status of deliverables.

• Performance analysis: Key performance indicators relating to costs, deadlines and quality, identification and analysis of differences between planned and actual performances.

• Risk and Problem Management: Risks identified, a plan to mitigate these risks, problems encountered and an action plan to resolve them.

• Communication and collaboration: Summary of major meetings and description of communications with stakeholders.

• Conclusion: Summary of the progress of the project and action plan for the next period.

Why is the progress report essential for project monitoring?

Thanks to the project progress report, everyone involved in a project receives the same level of information regarding follow-up. This document also improves collaboration within the project team, as each member knows their tasks and those of others at a glance, avoiding repetition and wasting time. As a result, your team is more efficient and productive.

This document is also a great way to keep track of project planning and progress and to analyze what worked, what didn't, and what could have been improved. Once archived, it is part of a knowledge base on which you can rely to know the best practices to follow and thus be more efficient in the management of your future projects.

What are the steps in a project progress report?

Learn what steps to take when completing your report.

1. Preparation of the project report

Start by selecting a collaborative tool like Wimi to make your job easier. With the Wimi shared agenda, it is in fact possible to access an overview of all deadlines, important milestones and meetings related to the project. Then clearly identify the purpose of the report and involve the teams by collecting their feedback in order to get a complete picture of the current status of the project.

2. Data collection and structuring

Use the Wimi shared agenda to trace the evolution of the project and identify the key points to include in the report. Organize the report logically and clearly by integrating separate sections: introduction, summary, details, next steps, etc.

3. Writing the report

Summarize the key points and highlight the most important information at the beginning of the report. Attach additional documents if necessary to facilitate the understanding of the information provided. Finally, clearly indicate the future actions and responsibilities of everyone.

4. Dissemination and follow-up

Choose the most suitable means of communication (email, Wimi collaborative platform, etc.) and organize meetings or exchanges to discuss the report and the important points it raises.

How often should a progress report be published?

There are no rules. The publication of a report depends on many factors such as the duration of the project and its complexity, the needs of the stakeholders, the level of risks or the methodology of the project. Generally, reports are published on a weekly or bi-monthly basis.

5 tips for creating a great project progress report

Follow these 5 tips to write an effective progress report.

1. Think of this report as an FAQ

The recipients of this report expect to read the answers to the questions they have about the progress and health of the project.

Therefore, simply answer the various questions concerning the progress of the project, the blocking points or the next tasks on the schedule to be completed and also indicate who is responsible for each task.

2. Be specific and concise to make it easier to read

Your progress report should be simple, easy to read, and understandable for everyone. It should not use overly technical or complex terms or contain long sentences. Also, avoid giving feedback unless asked to do so by the steering committee (for example, if your mission is to analyze the data and share your interpretation and recommendations).

Be factual, use concrete examples, and get to the point without going into details. With this tip, you avoid wasting time when writing, and recipients don't waste time reading and understanding your report either.

Another important point is to include color-coded metrics instead of vague descriptions. For example, instead of “increase in the number of visitors to the website”, write “30% increase in visitors to the website as a result of this marketing campaign”. This gives a more specific idea of how you are progressing towards the goal set.

3. Use the PPP method

It is a management method used to write effective progress reports. PPP stands for Progress, Plans and Problems in English.

Progress refers to progress made, milestones validated, goals achieved, and tasks already completed that contribute to moving the project forward.

Plans are about the list of tasks to be completed, short- and long-term goals, and anything else that moves the project forward.

Problems refers to the problems, obstacles, and risks encountered that may affect the health and smooth running of the project.

Each category should contain between three and five response items. If your team is having trouble filling out the various categories, it could mean that your progress reports are too frequent. In this case, space them out more in time in order to have relevant information to transmit.

4. Illustrate your report with graphs

To get a message across, using charts, tables, or Gantt charts is much more explicit, visual, and impactful than a sentence or a long series of numbers.

When integrating charts, choose the chart type that best fits the indicator you want to visualize, use clear titles and concise legends, and prefer colors and fonts that make it easy to read and understand.

5. Use tools or templates

To speed up report production and reduce the number of potential errors, use a project progress report template. This ensures that you cover all the important points and don't forget anything.

Explore project management tools that offer built-in reporting capabilities. In particular, Wimi automatically generates reports including graphs and key performance indicators. This saves you valuable time on project management.

Example of a project progress structure

Here is an example of the different parts to include in your project progress report.

• Introduction: a quick and simple summary of the content of the report.

• Achievements: List the tasks, milestones, and goals that were achieved for the past month or week. Don't forget to give numbers.

• Objectives: Set goals for the coming month or week

• Obstacles: Indicate the problems encountered that prevented you from achieving your goals or potential obstacles for the coming period, and how you plan to address them.