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Progress Report: How to Write, Structure, and Make Project Progress Visually Attractive
Picture this: Days or weeks into a project, your supervisor asks for a progress report.
Depending on your experience with writing progress reports, you might respond with readiness, anxiety or confusion. Where do you begin? How do you know you’ve created a satisfactory or even amazing final report? Fear not—the expert team here at Piktochart is here to help.
In this progress reporting guide, we’ll not only give you top tips on how to write a successful report, but additionally provide you with progress report templates and checklists to keep you focused on the important stuff. We begin, of course, with the all-important question anyone from a newbie to even a seasoned professional might have: “What is a progress report?”
Table of contents:
What is a progress report.
- Why is a progress report important?
- How to write a progress report
- How to structure a progress report
- Free progress report templates you can edit right away
Progress report checklist
In case you prefer watching over reading, feel free to check out the video summary of this blog post:
A progress report is exactly what it sounds like—a document using simple and straightforward language that explains in detail what has been achieved and what else is needed for project completion. Essentially this document is a status update before the final report, outlining tasks completed by a team member, project manager or team, along with what else needs to be done.
whether you need to provide daily progress reports or even quarterly progress reports this asset outlines the activities you’ve carried out, the tasks you’ve completed, and the milestones you’ve reached vis-à-vis your project plan.
Depending on the scope and complexity of the project, you might need to give a progress report weekly or monthly, or for every 25% project milestone.
In terms of audience, a progress report is typically written for a supervisor, colleague, or client. Progres reports can be written from the perspective of one person as well as an entire team or department.
Throughout your career, you’re likely to be creating more reports than you can count (challenge for you: count them and find how many resources you’re using !).
Perhaps you find yourself spending more time crunching data and plugging numbers into graphs than actually working.
Reports don’t have to be as time-consuming as they often are. Progress report templates are time-savers! Get your free Piktochart account so you can follow along as we share more templates below.
We also tapped into the brilliance of Kevan Lee of Buffer in this interactive content experience to help you with your progress report projects.
Dive right in here, and learn some reporting hacks from Kevan .
Why are progress reports important?
Sometimes it might feel like writing about your progress in detail is redundant, especially when you’ve been regularly communicating with your supervisor, teammates, and client throughout the course of the project.
But this type of professional report is actually quite useful for several reasons.
1. It gets everyone on the same page
Each person who receives a copy of the report will know what has been accomplished and what is remaining. This prevents confusion about what has been or has yet to be done. Additionally, it provides proof and data about the respective project, that can be cited and sourced if and when questions arise in the future.
2. Writing progress reports facilitates collaboration
This is especially important when different teams or departments work together. Knowing what another team is prioritizing helps prevent working in silos and also reduces task redundancy. Additionally, progress reporting helps a team identify areas where it can offer help or collaborate with others.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can work together with your team on a report, sign up for a free Piktochart account and try our online report maker .
3. It improves transparency and accountability by providing a paper trail
When you submit your report, you’ve placed on record that you’ve accomplished a task or explained why your results were different than expected. Once the document has been accepted, it becomes part of the project’s official documentation.
So, just in case someone accuses you in the future of failing to accomplish a task or not reporting a problem, you can point to the progress report as proof that you did so.
On the flip side, if your project ever gets nominated for an award, you can be sure validators will come seeking documents that explain how the entire thing was accomplished.
4. It improves project evaluation and review
Next time you plan for a project, your team can examine documents, including progress reports, of previous projects to find out what was done right, what went wrong, and what can be improved.
Previous reports can shed light on systemic issues, loopholes, and other causes of delay or failure—both internal and external—that must be avoided or resolved.
5. It provides insights for future planning
When the supervisor knows what tasks have been accomplished, he or she can focus on monitoring progress toward the next stages of the project.
When a report shows that delays have occurred, the supervisor is able to investigate the problems that hindered progress and take steps to prevent them from happening again in the future.
The supervisor will also be able to adjust the project timeline if absolutely needed, or instruct teams to double down.
Here is a progress report example:
How to write progress report s
Have you ever found yourself stuck tapping your pen or staring at a blinking cursor, unable to begin writing?
Writer’s block is not an unusual experience when writing progress reports, especially for those whose jobs typically don’t involve writing a long document or creating a formal report.
One reason people may find it difficult to write these reports is the thought that they’re not ‘writers’. Yet, this is simply a negative mindset.
Reports don’t require sophisticated language—in fact, the simpler, the better.
Here are some writing tips on progress reporting:
“Piktochart is my go-to tool when I’m looking for a way to summarize data that is easy for our upper management to review. Piktochart provides me with the tools to display data in a creative, visually appealing way.” – Erica Barto, Selection, Testing & Assessment Specialist at Valero Energy Corporation Create a report, presentation, infographic, or other visuals online with Piktochart. You don’t need any graphic design experience to make professional visual content. Sign up for free .
1. Think of it as a Q&A
In essence, the reporting process comes down to Q&A; you’re answering key questions about your progress. Imagine your manager, colleagues or client asking you their most important questions and you’re simply providing them with answers.
For example, let’s say that you’re organizing a weekend fair with food stalls and music, and that you’re put in charge of food concessions.
The project plan might require you to have secured letters of intent (LOI) from at least 10 businesses by the end of the first month.
Your progress report would then outline the companies or entrepreneurs who have sent LOIs, including a description of their businesses and plans for their food stalls. If talks are in progress with other businesses that haven’t yet sent LOIs, you can include that and explain when they’re expected to send in their letters.
On the other hand, if you haven’t met your target, you’d have to explain why, but also narrate the efforts you have exerted and the expected timeline for achieving the desired results.
2 . Use simple and straightforward language
This doesn’t mean you can’t use technical jargon.
For example, if you’re in the construction business, you don’t have to avoid using terms like “tender” or “variation” or “risk management.”
But otherwise, speak plainly. Use clear and concise language.
One misconception in business writing is that complexity impresses. In truth, it only causes confusion. Fact is, being able to speak plainly about your subject indicates that you understand your subject matter inside out.
Let’s get specific. One thing that makes business documents dreary is the transformation of verbs into nouns—just like I did there.
If we had to rephrase that to keep the verb, we’d write, “transforming verbs into nouns.” It sounds simpler and gets to the point.
3 . Avoid using the passive voice where possible
Sometimes, you can’t avoid using the passive voice in formal documents that prohibit the first-person point-of-view. But when done well, it helps to make your progress reports more relatable.
Going back to the food concession example, a passive sentence would read: “Research on potential food concessionaires was carried out.”
To make that sentence active, give it an actor (which is the team in this case), as in: “The team researched on potential food concessionaires.”
4. Be specific
A study published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience found that when you use concrete words, you tend to engage both the left and right parts of the brain, while the right region tends to remain unstimulated by abstract words.
While the jury is still out on exactly how word meanings are represented in the mind, we can agree that the phrase “a merry sound” doesn’t stir the imagination as much as “tinkling bells”.
“A hot day” doesn’t activate visual imagery as much as “a melting popsicle” does. When a reader’s mind is stimulated by words, it’s less likely to drift off.
Taking the previous example, “researched on potential food concessionaires” doesn’t evoke a visual image. Meanwhile, “built a list of 50 potential food concessionaires” is more concrete, especially when you add details of what food items might be sold.
5. Explain jargon if needed
This depends on who will be reading your progress reports, and if you’re using very specialized jargon that only members of your team would be familiar with.
For example, in a report written by a construction team addressed to the project manager , construction jargon could be used as the recipient obviously understands it.
6. Spell out acronyms when they first occur in the document
Don’t assume that every single person reading the report will understand all the acronyms you use without you spelling them out.
For instance, in construction work, SWMS should first be spelled out as “safe work method statement”. ‘Pre-starts’ should be spelled out as ‘pre-start checks’. So in your report, it would look like this: “safe work method statement (SWMS)”, then all subsequent references are free to just be SWMS.
7. Stick to facts
Avoid providing an opinion, unless it’s part of the project.
For instance, your task might be to analyze data and offer your interpretation and prediction. In that case, you can offer your speculation and point of view, as long as you have evidence to back you up.
8. Use graphics to supplement the text
Avoid writing down a long series of numbers in a sentence. Try using different types of graphs , tables or charts, especially when dealing with a series of numbers.
Here at Piktochart, we have many progress report templates, and the hiring progress report below is a great example.
When using graphs or charts, try out several types to determine which ones best present your data. You might use a bar graph , pie chart , line graph , or even scatter plot . When doing so, though, spend time distinguishing different data sets from the others by using labels and colors.
Don’t worry if this sounds daunting—there are plenty of software that can help you visualize data , including the most basic examples, MS Excel and Numbers for Mac.
How to structure progress report s
You may still be wondering about the exact process of how to write a progress report. Armed with all of these practical tips, how do you put the report together?
First, it depends on the type of report, as well as the intended reader. A progress report may be written daily, weekly, or monthly. It may be written for an individual or a team.
As you’ll see in the examples below, the main parts of a progress report are:
1. Introduction
This part provides an overview of the contents of the progress report. It’s best to write this after you’ve completed all the other parts of the report. That way, you’ll be able to provide an accurate summary.
Keep it short and simple. One or two paragraphs will do.
2. Accomplishments
Numbers and details are your friends, especially when writing this section of the progress report. The accomplishments you write should correspond to your goals.
What were your goals for the period covered by the report?
This could be a goal for the day, week, month, or quarter. On the other hand, it could be a team goal, too.
Be concrete when writing goals. For instance:
4. Roadblocks
Explain what situations, if any, prevented you from achieving your goals, or may prevent you from reaching this month’s targets.
But don’t stop there. Be proactive and present an action plan and timeline for resolving the roadblocks. Include details, such as funds, materials, and human resources you may need to implement the solution.
Progress reporting templates you can edit right away
To guide you better, here are progress report template examples that are visually attractive and highly readable.
These templates are available if you sign up for a free Piktochart account . Once you log in, use any of the templates below and edit the elements and text to make it your own.
1. Daily progress report s
A daily progress report includes your goals for the day, as well as your accomplishments the previous day. It also explains challenges encountered in performing tasks and achieving goals.
Another section under the daily report is ‘lessons learned’. These need to be directly related to the day’s tasks and challenges, as well as to the previous day’s accomplishments.
2. Weekly progress report
Weekly progress reports provide a week-by-week breakdown of what has been accomplished and what tasks remain to be completed.
Just like a daily report, a weekly progress report may include challenges and lessons learned. Examples are included in the templates below.
To get a better idea of this, let’s go back to the events example:
- Many potential vendors were attending a week-long industry convention; couldn’t book meetings.
- Potential vendors didn’t read the entire email.
Lessons Learned
- Consider industry events when planning a timeline for contacting clients
- Introductory emails must be short and have readable formatting
3. Monthly progress report ing
A monthly report is necessary for projects with longer durations. The report may provide both monthly and quarterly data on project progress.
4. Team progress report s
Team progress reports provide information on both team and individual milestones and progress status. Now this one is more complicated, simply because it involves several people who may have worked on different tasks.
It’s not enough to just let one person make the report. Of course, one person can do the typing, but everyone must provide input and feedback.
One way to keep a record of different team members’ input is to keep track of edits they have made.
To do this, simply enable tracking of changes on a Word document, or on Pages for Mac users. When working on a collaborative tool like Google Docs , click the pencil icon on the top-right part of the window, and choose “Edits become suggestions” on the drop-down menu. Here’s what that looks like:
On the other hand, team members can insert comments or questions. Again, you can do this easily on a Word document, as well as on software that let you comment on shared documents, like Google Docs and Piktochart .
Here’s what it looks like in Piktochart (learn more about this feature in our guide to annotated comments for teams ):
Here’s one example of Piktochart’s many team project report templates .
One last thing… You’ve finally finished typing up your report—breathe a sigh of relief, but don’t hit ‘send’ just yet.
Go over it at least once (better to do it more than once, especially if it’s a team report). Re-read the article, edit the content as needed, then ask a teammate to proofread with a fresh pair of eyes.
Finish your progress report on time
Be more accountable and efficient with your progress reports using Piktochart’s professional-looking and editable progress report templates.
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What Is a Progress Report And How Can You Make This Process More Effective?
What is a progress report and how can you effectively manage your progress reporting process as projects become bigger and more complex?
At ScrumGenius , a tool to facilitate and automate status reporting and reduce communication overhead, we understand the value of a great reporting process.
As your company and teams grow, your projects also increase in scope and complexity. Various types of reporting, previously done ad-hoc, need to be more systematic and standardized to be manageable.
If you’re a manager, keeping track of progress reports from increasingly larger projects through email can quickly become overwhelming. How can you get meaningful information from your progress reports? Moreover, how can you prevent delays in progress report submission, especially when your team is distributed?
In this article, you'll learn:
- What a progress report is
- Why a progress report is important
- Best practices on structuring progress reports, from using the PPP methodology to setting deadlines
- Progress report format and template
- Why you should automate and standardize your progress reporting process
As you will read, automating your progress reports can drastically reduce the time spent in meetings, help you get meaningful answers, and make your reporting process much more efficient.
What Is a Progress Report?
A progress report is a document that shows the progress that your team is making towards completing a project.
Progress reports give an overview to either a supervisor, a manager, a team leader, a colleague or a client on:
- The status of the project
- The milestones achieved
- Responsibilities of each employee or team member
- The issues faced by various team members
- ...and other important factors that affect project completion
This report is essentially a project management mechanism to prevent issues before they happen, to ensure that the project will be finished on-time, and to keep those involved informed of the project's progress.
How often the progress report should be submitted (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) will heavily depend on the project's scope and complexity.
In general, you want your progress reports to provide meaningful insights. Setting a daily reporting schedule for a long-term project may lead to progress reports with surface-level answers.
Therefore, you may want to set a reasonable schedule and give a progress report template with standardized questions on project progress and key issues.
Giving these questions in advance will encourage your team members to think about their responses more thoroughly before handing in the report.
Why Is a Progress Report Important?
The importance of progress reports lies beyond keeping track and managing your different projects happening simultaneously. Progress reports also provide valuable insights on how your team can finish projects more effectively.
Aside from giving an overview of the projects taking place, a well-structured progress report template also allows the project manager to identify key issues affecting the team's productivity and a project's progress toward completion.
These insights can then be fed into a knowledge base, which contains best practices on how to manage and execute future projects.
With the ScrumGenius progress report template, you can effectively track each team member's blockers. You can also see how often they report these blockers affecting project completion.
Of course, a progress report also helps foster collaboration. Simply put, knowing about each other's tasks helps prevent people from doing the same things and reduce task redundancy.
Best Practices On How To Write a Progress Report
1. treat a progress report like a q&a.
A simple way to start learning how to write a progress report is by treating the progress report format as a question and answer sheet on the project's progress. You need answers on the progress, the blockers and the next tasks to do that lead to project completion. Nothing more. Nothing less.
2. Include questions on progress, plans and problems (PPP)
PPP is a management technique for status reporting that focuses on project progress toward completion. Questions related to PPP lead to specific and meaningful answers, instead of generic ones with unnecessary details. It's used by many people at Skype and Apple to get useful and relevant project facts.
As Cleve Gibbon puts it, PPP is "rich in stuff, low in fluff." Here's what each P means:
- Progress - These include milestones, goals achieved, finished tasks and validated items that contribute to project completion.
- Plans - These include things to do, short- and long-term objectives, and other plans that affect project completion.
- Problems - These are blockers and issues that affect project completion.
Each P should have answers with 3-5 items. If your team is having a hard time filling out the progress reports because they're too frequent, you might want to change the frequency they're submitted.
3. Allow meaningful completion of the progress report
An often-neglected aspect of the progress reporting process is ensuring that the information acquired is at a high quality. Two things help achieve this: setting the right schedule and encouraging specific answers.
Setting appropriate deadlines is key. People doing long-term projects that last for a year or more may not want to submit daily progress reports. A wrong schedule might lead to unsatisfactory answers. That said, make sure that you set actual dates for submission. Otherwise, people may always put them as a last priority task.
Moreover, you should encourage formulating specific answers. For example, this can be emphasizing for answers to include relevant metrics, instead of vague descriptions. This helps you track progress more meaningfully.
4. Use section headings to make reading and writing simpler
Add section headings in your progress report format to make the process of writing and reading the report a lot easier. When learning how to write a progress report, section headings help you focus on providing valuable information about the progress, in itself.
The purpose of a progress report is to give clarity on the progress of a project, not to describe every single aspect about what's currently happening in the project.
Plus, the project manager reading the project will have an easier time reading and remembering key elements in it.
With ScrumGenius, the progress report templates are structured in such a way that each progress report has clearly-defined headings.
5. Use simple and straightforward language
Learning how to write progress reports means using a progress report format with a language that's clear and straight to the point. Unless your project requires you to use jargon and technical language, keep your sentences simple, straightforward and easy to understand.
Progress Report Format Template Example Using PPP
Using PPP, a progress report format structure should have the following sections:
- Introduction - This helps understand what project this report is about. Simply ask what they're working on to start the progress report.
- PPP section - This is the main body of the progress report, and it should give enough information on the overall status of the project. As you will read in the next section, ScrumGenius allows you to have an overview of the goals and blockers reported in the status reporting process to derive important insights from.
- Anything else to add? - This section may also provide more holistic comments on how this project is being done.
How to Facilitate Your Progress Reporting Process Through Automation and Standardization
As your projects become larger in scope and complexity, you will need a status reporting tool like ScrumGenius to track and manage your progress reporting process.
Relying on standard communication tools like email and manually sending your team members follow up can quickly become unmanageable. Not only that, manually sifting through progress reports can take time from getting more meaningful work done.
1. Standardize and iterate on your progress report template to gain meaningful insights
To identify patterns affecting project completion and other important project management insights, you will have to standardize the sections/questions in your progress reports. This means sending out the same progress report questions on a project for your team members to answer.
Having progress report templates means that your team can invariably produce answers within the PPP framework. It also allows you to identify outlier responses affecting project progress. With ScrumGenius, you can create custom progress reports or choose from various templates.
Some team members might have run into blockers that you need to urgently address. Or someone might have found a way to more efficiently finish their tasks. Either way, these can be important project management insights for future reference.
Plus, using a template will save you and your team previously spent on formulating a structure for these reports.
2. Automate progress reporting submission
Manually doing check-ins and follow-ups via email or chat is not only cumbersome, but it's also not sustainable in the long-run as your teams grow bigger and your projects more complex.
Set teamwork on autopilot. With ScrumGenius, you can automate your whole progress reporting process by setting automatic regular deadlines on submitting progress reports.
ScrumGenius is integrated with all major chat platforms including Slack, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex Teams. Depending on the schedule you've set them, a bot will automatically send them these questions for people to answer within a window of time.
You can also set the check-in reporting window to cater to different time zones. Read more about this here . This is especially important for globally-distributed teams.
3. Have an overview to see your team's overall progress on various projects
Having an overview of the progress reports helps you identify various patterns affecting project completion. ScrumGenius has a dashboard that allows you to see:
- Participation - How many completed the progress report.
- Goals - How many participants reported their goals and progress.
- Blockers - How many participants are experiencing blockers.
This overview can help you deduce important insights on the aforementioned metrics. For example, you can see what the participation rates are for the various submission windows and act accordingly.
4. Spend less time in meetings by using progress reports
Some studies suggest that executives spend up to 23 hours per week in meetings . With ScrumGenius, our clients have reported a reduction in meeting times by up to 300% ( read the case study here).
Our status reports have provided valuable information that has helped meetings become more efficient and focused.
5. Create a knowledge base for your project managers, teams and new hires
Finally, these project management insights can contribute to building a knowledge base. This is a great way to set up best practices on how to manage and execute future projects more effectively.
It will also be a great resource for new hires to figure out the best processes for your company and how to achieve key metrics that they're supposed to hit (based on past successes).
Take Your Progress Reporting Process To The Next Level With ScrumGenius
A progress report allows you to get important information on project completion. ScrumGenius is a simple, yet powerful, tool that can improve your progress reporting process through automating and standardizing these reports.
Once activated, the ScrumGenius bot sends reminders to your team at a specific time each day to fill out their progress reports.
If you want to make your progress reporting process more efficient, try out ScrumGenius today.
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How to write a progress report: full guide, table of contents, what is a project outline.
In this article, we'll explore everything you need to know to create a progress report and the perfect reporting structure for your business.
We'll help you build a business case for introducing progress report writing into your workflow, as well as share optimal reporting timeframes, how to write them, and how to structure progress reports with your team. We'll close out with some best practices for writing progress reports, and help you find your feet in this massively beneficial working style.
What is a progress report?
First up, we're guiding you through a progress report, but what is it? The spoiler's in the name "progress," which means 'forward or onward movement towards a destination'. Since most projects usually have a final target destination, the journey getting there has to be described in some way to apprise other people of the status.
A progress report is a type of business writing designed to update someone on various tasks of someone else . It's written for managers, project stakeholders, leadership, or company-wide updates. It doesn't merely show progress or successes but also drawbacks, obstacles, and recommendations for improvement.
Reporting project progress is a formal, documented, and structured way of keeping people in the know. There are many types of progress reports out there, email wrap ups, memos, PDFs, business letters, project summaries , Google docs, and the list goes on.
Why are progress reports important for business?
If your team members aren't big on report writing, this section of the guide will help you build a formal case to introduce progress reporting to your workflow— time to get away from lost email chains or messy PDFs.
Whether you're a manager looking for ways to get a better overview of your team, or you're a team player looking to increase business efficiency— the below is why creating a working progress report is so essential for any business.
1. Align your team
Staying in sync as a busy team with lots of subtasks can be painfully difficult sometimes. Especially with a distributed workforce, important information gets lost in a mass of slack messages, email chains, and 1-1 catch-ups. It can get really overwhelming when juggling holidays, sick leaves, and meetings with external stakeholders.
Project progress reports effectively summarize your teams' achievements, milestones covered, and challenges encountered in one place. Use a progress report as a one-stop-shop for any team member that needs an update on a particular project or initiative. Progress reports eliminate the need for managers and team members to repeat themselves, allowing everyone to catch up quickly on their schedule.
2. Showcase wins
Progress reports are a fantastic tool for managers and leadership to credit and acknowledge an individual's efforts and progress towards company goals. When annual or bi-annual reviews come around, these progress reports can serve as the backbone for someone's performance record and enable a fair assessment of work ethic based on factual progress rather than feelings, bias, or solely major projects.
At the same time, reporting progress on a project gives employees an opportunity to celebrate their wins and have a notch on their belts when promotions are in consideration.
3. Give stakeholders updates on projects
An easy win, and an obvious point but certainly not one to be overlooked. The primary aim of writing progress reports is to give stakeholders the updates they need and bring them up to speed on the status of everything . The stakeholders can be anyone in the business or externally. They just need to be known by the reporter when writing the report, so the reporter can include the necessary information they know a particular person will require.
4. Document work for future reference
If a business is ever looking to repeat a project or strategy, your progress reports are essential for learning and improving processes. These reports allow a company to optimize a strategy or process based on learnings. Writing a progress report on projects regularly is an excellent way of documenting workflow and in the future, the workforce will have a solid and practical reference point to draw ideas, motivation, and innovation from.
5. Identify common roadblocks
While a progress report primarily highlights the positive advancements in the project, it's also important to highlight the bad - roadblocks. These can come in many forms; maybe it's technology, maybe it's a vendor, maybe it's team capabilities or a particular team member. Managers should collate progress reports and identify common roadblocks that need addressing. In doing so, they'll work towards making the business an operationally smoother workplace.
When to write a progress report
A progress report can be put together at many different times, depending on the goal of the report. Different types of companies and businesses would tackle progress report writing differently. A crop progress report in agriculture can be written weekly or quarterly according to the stages in farm processes, but a sales report aimed for a year cumulative target might have to be written as frequently as everyday. Here's a breakdown of the different types of progress reports according to frequency and how to create them.
Daily progress reports
These progress reports are short, straight-to-the-point, and usually between a manager and a team member. There's no spectacular detailing here, just a quick overview of daily tasks achieved, any problems that came up, and progress made towards larger goals. A daily progress report should be delivered at the same time everyday, preferably at the end of work to summarize the day's activities, or at the beginning of work hours to relay the previous day's progress.
Weekly progress reports
This type of report is best between a manager and a team member. It should dive into what a team member had planned to achieve at the start of the week, what they eventually achieved, and how they were able to pull things off.
The weekly progress report is best delivered on a Friday afternoon, so managers and team members have time to chat it over and make an action plan for the following week.
Monthly progress reports
Monthly progress reports are usually reasonably detailed, written to update a small business or team on a particular individual's or department's progress towards goals. Writing a progress report every month is a great opportunity to highlight particular individuals who worked exceptionally hard in the month and give other departments an idea on how your team is performing.
Quarterly progress reports
Every business - well, every serious business - sets quarterly goals and KPIs. It's extremely important to follow up on those goals in an appropriate period of time. Quarterly progress reports can be of two kinds. First, there's the in-depth one that is usually several pages long and goes into details about everything that is achieved by the company in the past quarter. It highlights all the major wins, obstacles, and team member's opinions on workflow improvement. The second one is simply an overview, a brief report that checks whether the key performance indicators and OKRs (objectives and key results) are being met. Progress report comments are super-useful in explaining or summarizing sections of information in quarterly reports, to help the reader grasp the ideas quickly and efficiently.
Annual progress reports
The final report of the year is the ultimate progress report. The annual project progress report has to be as detailed as possible, and it's often such a big deal that it's printed out and handed out to every company member. It's a central knowledge base for everyone to stay apprised of the company's progress in the past year. This report is usually aimed at company-wide or towards leadership. What did your department achieve across the entire year? What can you celebrate, what lessons have you learned, and what are you hoping to change for the next period?
How to write a progress report
Progress report writing can be tricky, especially for someone doing it for the first time. Also, it's common knowledge that project reports might be different for different companies. A construction progress report might need to be more pictorial and diagrammatic, and in this type of report, it's okay to be technical. A sales project report, however, should be concise and easy to understand at a glance. Follow these steps to ensure your reports are as legible as possible.
Be clear and specific
It's not always going to be easy keeping off technical jargon in project progress reporting, but you must try to keep it simple with language and sentence structure; it can be the make or break of any progress report. Try to use short sentences and proofread any report before submitting them. Most times, the readers of the reports are too busy with other things to have the time for dramatic writing. The report can be detailed and in-depth without being complicated.
Explain industry-specific language
Sometimes, it will be entirely impossible to keep the jargon out when writing progress reports. If you're reporting for people outside of your team, then it's important to explain any abbreviations or lingo that may only be common knowledge within your department; it prevents miscommunication.
Number & title projects
As a general rule of thumb, get a reference number and title to every project you cover; this will help people discuss them online afterward.
Stay formal
An informal report remains limited to peers only. To report project progress in a formal environment, an appropriately toned report gives a manager the option to keep it to herself or to share it with a broader audience with no need to amend. Avoid doing the double work of writing a scrappy report and having to write another one when the higher-ups want a peek.
Progress reports step-by-step
The following is a step-by-step guide to creating useful progress reports. Learning how to write a progress report is a process, and the more you write, the better you become at organizing your details into clean, easy-to-understand sections.
Follow this 8 step format for progress report writing to ensure you include all the important details:
1. Place identifying details at the top
The first step to creating a killer progress report document is to title your report by placing the identifying details at the top of the page. Each report must be clearly distinguished from all the others for easy documentation. Untitled reports seem rushed with little attention to some of the most important details.
These details should be written in clear, bold fonts of varying sizes. They include:
- Title of the report - Date of submission - Department/division - Reference number - Handling/supervising officer
2. Project details
Following the identifying details of the report are the details of the project itself. It doesn't matter how many progress reports are submitted in a period of time; the details of the project must be included in each one. The higher-ups probably have a long list of reports being submitted by various departments, so they'd always require a refresher of what each team is working on.
After the title, you should write one or two sentences generally describing the project. After this, you can list out the details of the project. The best practice in a working progress report would be to put the information in a tabular form. These include:
- The project name/title - Project ID - Starting date - Expected date of completion - Current status - Team members involved - Project manager - Supervising officers
3. Summary of the report
This should be a short paragraph between 100 and 150 words, briefly describing the project details and current status of the project. It gives an overview of everything that's currently going with the project, and it's written for the sole purpose of providing a quick glance-over within the report. Do not include any negative details or complaints here - keep it short and simple.
4. Core activities
Following the summary is an in-depth description of all core activities going on within the scope of the project, you have to describe the sub-tasks and how the teams are getting on with their roles. Tabulation is also a great way to represent this information.The table labels include and are not limited to title of the subtask/activity, small description, relevant dates (start and expected completion), current status, team member assigned, and relevant file links. Progress report comments from the supervising officer can also be included here. The overall section is already a detailed input, so keep all secondary details brief and straight-to-the-point.
5. Current quantifiable results
This is an optional table, especially for projects that are still beginning and are yet to yield reports. When writing progress reports for ongoing projects, this section can be written as a list of or a three-column table containing the name of the task holder, subtask name, and brief details of the result achieved. Make sure the results are mentally quantifiable and reasonable. If there's nothing to write, leave this section undone and don't bother with fluffy or unnecessary information. Doing this will essentially reduce the transparency of your report.
6. Challenges encountered
Most times, teams would encounter problems and obstacles with implementing the overall project plan. When creating progress reports, it's important to make a section where you outline the challenges encountered in a list, and highlight the subtask(s) where the problem actually occurred. Describe how this has affected the completion of the project or the overall results as a whole.Hot tip: Avoid using strong negative language here. You can describe in detail but keep the tone professional.
7. Recommendations and suggestions
If you need to consult members of your team for their input in this section, great idea! Here, you're required to recommend improvements that could possibly fix the problems outlined above or improve the situation. This is best written as a list. You can expand briefly on any point that needs further details. Ensure to mention how your suggestions directly affect the results.
8. Concluding paragraph and signatures
In progress report writing, the conclusion is simply a re-hash of everything discussed in the report. The trick is to compress all the information into one to two sentences, or a maximum of three. Let it quickly capture the main point of that report, how it intertwines with the previous report and your expectation for the next report.
Also, leave a couple of lines for your signature as the project manager and another for the supervising stakeholder.
Best practices for writing a progress report
Writing a progress report in project management is a solid sign of dedication and commitment from any team or division. Even if it's not a company-wide mandate to write these reports, sometimes, it's actually useful to write them for in-team benefits. It keeps everyone motivated and inspired. We'll close this guide out with some best practices for creating your progress reports and introducing them to your team's workflow.
Whether you're putting together a business progress report, a research progress report, or any other - here are 13 tips to help it really stand out:
1. Use data
Where you can, always use data to showcase progress or lack of it. Think about ways you can generate data with the progress reporting tools you have and display the data in a clear way; always try to show movement toward the greater goal.
2. Use visual aids if necessary
Don't be afraid to support your report submission with visuals. There's no point in wasting paragraphs of text explaining a situation when you can explain it with a screenshot. Writing a progress report isn't merely about passing information but also engaging the reader to absorb your headway with a project. If there are any stonewalls, your visual aids make them easier to identify.
3. Be transparent
Transparency is invaluable if you want your reporting structure to be productive and positively contribute towards moving forward. Highlight to staff that progress reports call for transparency. No one needs to hide behind fluff or try to optimize the status of a report for fear of looking bad. Address every project as it is. There's no need for fluff pieces or grossly unnecessary information. If your report is too short and there are not enough details to create a solid progress report document, you can ask for an extension or simply turn in your document the way it is. As long as you stay honest and write appropriately, you'd have successfully done your job.
4. Make sure everything is dated
Due dates, report dates, task deliveries, the lot. Earlier in this article, we mentioned how these project progress reports would be the backbone of research for any similar project in the company's future. If you date everything, someone can dive into systems to pull metrics they may need from correct dates, and better understand the tools and talent the company had at that particular time.
5. Include company and department goals
If your progress reports are for inter-departmental use, then it's useful to share the goals that you personally, or your department, are working towards. Double-check what you can and can't share with human resources if you’re ever unsure. In doing so, you'll give the reader greater insight into your logic and actions.
6. Discuss problems and progress
Every report is a platform for discussing problems and progress. When writing progress reports, kick conversations off via the content you provide and ask any questions you'd like answered from the reader. Write in a cordial, formal, and neutral tone.
Tip: Your reader is there to help you, no matter what role they're in within the company; you'll be surprised by the innovative ideas you can get from other departments. 💡
7. share it wisely.
Think wisely about who needs to see this document, especially the special progress report comments included by a top-level supervisor. Is it more than management? Perhaps other departments or even external stakeholders, like funding agencies, will benefit from reading this report. Try to identify those who need the report before writing it and then share it so that everyone has easy access.
8. Structure storage
You can store reports, no problem. However, think of the architecture around your report storage system. Try to build a map to guide people through reports and how they're stored. You want people to find a report quickly.
Figure out what someone needs to search for reporting project progress at any time, or the path they need to follow. This process will save a lot of time in the future and empower employees to use the reports at any time, not just when they're first delivered. That's a wrap!
9. Add a call-to-action
This is a great opportunity to get instant help for the reader or your superiors. Call-to-actions are useful when there are uncertainties, confusions, or problems with the project. These could include task differentiation, unclear milestones, or shortage of funds. A call-to-action could be asking the superior to supply clarification or some feedback in an email or a communication channel. You could also ask for a budget review or anything else your team might need to follow through to the successful completion of the project.Note that when writing a progress report, you should still limit the use of CTAs to extreme necessities.
10. Get all hands on deck
Always consult your team members when working on progress reports. If you're the team leader, you can invite everyone to pitch in and submit informal reports of their personal progress with milestones in the project. If you're a team member assigned the role of progress report writing, you could reach out to everyone individually for their input.
One of the best ways to write a solid progress report is to include the personal overviews of the members of the team pushing the project forward. This may not exactly be possible with frequent progress report schedules, such as daily and weekly, but with longer timelines, team members are invaluable to the process.
11. Ditch the passive voice
Let's be honest - a lot of your superiors don't have the time to read all the reports that come their way. Using a lot of passive voice while writing a progress report reduces readability and most times, the reader will not engage with the content.
Instead of writing: "We were instructed by our manager to restart the milestone..." You can write: "Our manager instructed us to restart the milestone..."
While you won't always be able to avoid the passive voice, make a solid effort to report actively. You can check out the Grammarly and Hemingway Apps for passive-to-active voice detection and correction. Also, progress report comments should never be re-written to the passive voice. You may correct and edit grammatical/typographical errors, but do not rephrase or entirely rewrite.
12. Keep the length optimal
A tricky line to walk.
If your progress report is abnormally short, no one will take you seriously. If it's too long, you can be certain your managers aren't going to read it. They'd probably skim it and move on to something else. It'll be really hurtful to spend so much time working on a lengthy and detailed progress report only to have it skimmed and dumped - also, it's simply not efficient.
It's important to keep the length of your report reasonable. If you can fit everything you have to report into one page, go for it. This also depends on the frequency of the report. If it's a daily progress report, keep it as short as half a page. A weekly progress report can be longer, quarterly reports can be a couple of pages while the annual report is the only one where it makes sense to have several pages in the document.
13. Always edit and proofread
Obviously. It's important to maintain great writing standards to communicate efficiently and impress your readers. No one will enjoy reading a report with grammatical and typographical errors. Always read through your report at least twice and use software such as Grammarly to pick the less-subtle errors out.
Enjoy Progress Reporting with Slite
Slite isn't just any regular project management tool, it's a robust and feature-packed collaboration platform that can super-charge your team's organization to the highest levels of efficiency. It's amazing how much difference the right tool can make in your operations.
Slite has tons of amazing pre-developed templates for all project management activities. Our template for progress report writing will certainly take the tedium and unnecessary boredom out of updating statuses at any frequency. It's available for free download when you sign up on our app, and you should enjoy our templates' useful new features. Below are some of the most awesome things to love about Slite:
1. Doc collections
Organizing documents can easily become a mess. Slite has a super-sweet doc collection feature, stacking them into well-organized color-coded lists with zero room for annoying sidebar clutter. We provide an easy filtering and sorting feature, quick cycling and embedding features, and you can reference your docs anywhere within the app. You can also arrange into column types and choose different views for each team! The doc is a really helpful feature when writing a progress report. All documents relevant to the current project can be easily sorted and referenced in your report.
2. A range of super-useful collaboration tools
This is why Slite is an absolute breath of fresh air. Slite has a wide range of super-useful features and extra tools to make collaboration easy for your team: - Communication tools - Quick decision updating tab - Quick reactions - Doc embeds for progress reports - Rich-text formatting - Quote and reply function
3. Vast integration range
Slite external app integration allows you to directly import documents from applications such as G-docs or Evernote. There's no hassle switching between docs. Slite integration also accommodates applications such as Slack, Google Drive, Miro, Pitch, Github, and social media applications. If the details you need to write your progress report are stored in another application, Slite makes retrieval easy and straightforward.
Manage Progress Reporting with Slite
If you’re looking to build a progress report into your team’s work schedule then we’ve already done the heavy lifting for you.Use Slite's free progress report template , and build on it.Hopefully, you’re walking away from this guide fully-equipped to introduce progress reporting to your business and start benefiting from this fantastic process— continuing to make great things happen.
Christophe Pasquier is Slite’s co-founder and CEO. Chris’ goal is to help teams do incredible work in better environments, by helping them embrace remote work and async communication. He currently lives in Berlin with his wife and baby Noé. Find him @Christophepas on Twitter!
Working remotely? So are we since 2016. Slite may be the right communication tool for you!
Managing projects remotely discover our list of the best softwares to use in 2021..
Progress Report: What is it & How to Write it? (Steps & Format)
Want to create a progress report to highlight the project’s achievements? No worries, we have got you covered! Read on…
A quick question – on a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to regularly keep track and provide project updates to your supervisors, colleagues, or clients? The answer is 12! Simply, because nobody likes being left in the dark!
For any project in a company, people around it need to be well-informed about the project status, the research being done by the project team, their decisions, and the scope for improvement. These updates are an integral part of project management and ensure that every team member is operating efficiently with their goals being met on time.
One way to showcase the status of your project and keep track of it is to write a powerful progress report!
In fact, the American Society for Training and Development shows that having a specific place to check your progress increases the probability of meeting a goal by 95%.
Progress reports are a great place for project managers to inform and engage their supervisors, clients, or associates, about the progress they have made on a project over a certain period.
If executed well, progress reports provide a quick overview of how things are humming along, offering valuable insights to increase productivity, provide the necessary guidance, and quickly solve emerging difficulties.
However, writing a progress report can be a little daunting, especially, when you have a diverse team and various sub-projects to manage. Well, don’t fret! We’re going to fix that. In this blog post, we’ll teach you everything about progress reports, why they are important, and how you can write one that will make everyone say ‘wow’!
What is the Progress Report? (Definition)
A progress report is a document that explains in detail how much progress you have made towards the completion of your ongoing project.
A progress report is a management tool used in all types of organizations, that outlines the tasks completed, activities carried out, and target achieved vis-à-vis your project plan.
In a progress report, you explain any or all of the following:
- The amount of work complete?
- What part of the work is currently in progress?
- The problems or unexpected things that have occurred?
- What work is pending?
- How the project is going in general?
Read more: How To Write An Impressive Project Proposal?
Why are Progress Reports Important?
No project manager wakes up thinking “ I wish I could make reports for my supervisor and team all day” ! We get it. Writing progress reports are not very fun.
However, you know that writing progress reports are part of the deal. Progressive reporting demands talking with your team or client to understand the goals and showcase the information that closely relates to the said goals.
Whether the report is about updating the investors, marketing performance, or resource management. These reports let everyone see what’s going well and what isn’t.
It also assists managers to see the overall success or failure of projects. Furthermore, progress reports help to:
1. Make Information Transparent
The glue that holds together any relationship is visibility and transparency. A well-defined progress report directly presents how your work affects the project’s bottom line and showcases the rights and wrongs!
By adding transparency to your project plan, you can build an unmatched level of credibility and trust with your team and clients.
2. Encourage Constant Interaction
Creating and discussing progress reports results in constant communication and keeps everyone in the loop. Being in constant contact with others on a weekly or monthly basis ensures a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities.
3. Improve Project Evaluation and Review
Previous progress reports will help you in clarifying loopholes, and systemic issues, and examine documents to find out what went wrong, what can be done right, and which area needs improvement.
4. Provides Insight for Future Planning
When a progress report shows all the delays that have occurred, the supervisor or a project manager can monitor and investigate the issue that hindered progress and take additional steps to prevent them from happening in the future.
Read more: How to Write Project Reports that ‘Wow’ Your Clients?
How to Write a Progress Report with 4 Simple Steps?
Progress reports are essential documents for tracking project plans and initiatives, but if the readers and writers are not in sync, these reports can be a hit-or-miss exercise for everyone involved.
Therefore, here are some steps to help you deliver the right information to the right people at the right time.
Step 1. Explain the purpose of your report
There are many reasons for someone to write a progress report. Obviously, for many of them, it’s to brief the progress and status of the project.
Readers might also want to know detailed information about the project’s purpose, its duration, and other important insights.
Step 2. Define your audience
Once you have sorted out the purpose of writing the progress report, consider the type of audience you will be targeting and the details that your readers are going to acknowledge in the report.
These can be, what decisions your readers are going to need to make after reading the progress report, the information they are going to need to know to oversee and participate in the project effectively, etc.
Step 3. Create a “work completed” section
In this section, you should describe everything that has already been done and the best way to do this is to mention the completed tasks chronologically.
You can specify dates, tasks you and your team were working on, information on key findings, etc.
Step 4. Summarize your progress report
In the summary section, provide the essential details about the to-do and completed work. Also, add a short description of the problems your team encountered, recommendations from your supervisor for their resolution, and whether any assistance on the project is required.
Read more: Business Report: What is it & How to Write it? (Steps & Format)
Creating a Progress Report that Stands Out with Bit.ai !
If you are planning to show a progress report that looks exactly like any other bland report, chances are your readers are just going to skim it along the way or won’t read it at all.
Well, to lure your reader’s attention and proudly display the work you have done on the project, you have to make the progress report irresistibly compelling!
How about awesome visuals, accompanied by quality content that could grab the reader’s interest and encourage them to read the whole thing? No doubt, everybody likes reading something easy to grasp and visually stunning!
Luckily, we have got the perfect tool for you that will provide a reading experience like never before and bring your grey-scale progress reports to come alive! A solution like Bit.ai
Bit is a new-age cloud-based document collaboration tool that helps teams create, share, manage, and track interactive workplace documents.
Bit helps you make sure your reports are more than just plain bland text and images. Thus, apart from allowing multiple users to collaborate on reports, Bit also allows users to share any sort of rich media like campaign video, tables, charts, One Drive files, Excel Spreadsheets, GIFs, Tweets, Pinterest boards, etc. Anything on the internet with a link can be shared and Bit will automatically turn it into visual content.
Bit has a very minimal design aesthetic which makes every design element pop, awesome readability, and rich features that will prevent collaborators from messing up any documents and help them rethink the way they work!
Besides writing progress reports, you can easily create other beautiful documents like the statement of work , project documentation, operational plan , roadmap, project charter , etc. in a common workplace for other team members to collaborate, document, share their knowledge, brainstorm ideas, store digital assets, and innovate together.
The best part is that this knowledge is safely secured in your workspaces and can be shared (or kept private) with anyone in your organization or the public!
All-in-all Bit is like Google Docs on steroids! So, no more settling for those boring text editors when you have an excessively robust solution to walk you through!
Still, not sure how Bit can help you create that perfect progress report to woo your readers? Let’s see some more of Bit’s awesome capabilities!
Key Benefits of Creating Your Progress Reports on Bit.ai
Simple, clean UI: Bit has a very minimal design aesthetic to it, allowing a newbie to quickly get on board with the platform. Even though the platform is feature-rich, it does a great job as to not overwhelm a new user and provides a systematic approach to work.
Organization of information: Information is often scattered in cloud storage apps, emails, Slack channels, and more. Bit brings all your information in one place by allowing you to organize information in workspaces and folders. Bring all your documents, media files, and other important company data in one place.
Brand consistency: Focus on the content and let Bit help you with the design and formatting. Bit documents are completely responsive and look great on all devices. With amazing templates and themes, Bit docs provide you with the type of brand and design consistency that is unheard of in the documentation industry
Smart search: Bit has very robust search functionality that allows anyone to search and find their documents swiftly. You can search workspaces, folders, document titles, and the content inside of documents with Bit’s rich-text search.
Media integrations: Companies use an average of 34 SaaS apps! No wonder why most of our time is spent hopping from one app to the next, looking for information. This is why Bit.ai integrates with over 100+ popular applications (YouTube, Typeform, LucidChart, Loom, Google Drive, etc) to help teams weave information in their documents beyond just text and images.
Multiple ways of sharing : Bit documents can be shared in three different states :
- Live state : A live state meaning that all changes that you make to the document will update in real-time. If you are sharing your documents with clients, partners, or customers they will always get your most up-to-date changes.
- Embeds : You can embed Bit documents on any website or blog. Bit docs are fully responsive and render perfectly on your website.
- Tracking : You can track your documents and gather real-time insights to understand how users interact with your content. See how much time users spend viewing documents, scroll ratio, user information, and more.
Our team at bit.ai has created a few more templates to make your business processes more efficient. Make sure to check them out before you go, y our team might need them!
- Training Manual Template
- Brainstorming Template
- Meeting Minutes Template
- Employee Handbook Template
- Transition Plan Template
- Customer Service Training Manual Template
- Employee Contract Template
- Performance Improvement Plan Template
A well-defined progress report is like the pulse of a project! It determines your relationship with your readers, highlights all the updates- big or small, and keeps everyone on the same page. Remember, depending on the complexity and scope of the project, you might need to share your progress report on a weekly or monthly basis for better efficiency!
Once you follow all the steps that are mentioned above, your reports are surely going to feel like a breeze of fresh air to your readers, making you look credible and professional. So what are you waiting for?
Do you write such reports in your organization, if yes, which tool do you use? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @bit_ai
Further reads:
- Technical Report: What is it & How to Write it? (Steps & Structure Included)
- 11 Amazing Goal Tracking Apps and Tools! (Free & Paid)
- 7 Types of Reports Your Business Certainly Needs!
- Performance Report: What is it & How to Create it? (Steps Included)
- Formal Reports: What are they & How to Create them!
- KPI Report: What it is & How to Create a Perfect One?
- How to Write a Project Charter Document?
Document Creation: 12 Dos and Don'ts to Keep in Mind!
10 Best Apps for Writing a Book!
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About Bit.ai
Bit.ai is the essential next-gen workplace and document collaboration platform. that helps teams share knowledge by connecting any type of digital content. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, anyone can work visually and collaborate in real-time while creating internal notes, team projects, knowledge bases, client-facing content, and more.
The smartest online Google Docs and Word alternative, Bit.ai is used in over 100 countries by professionals everywhere, from IT teams creating internal documentation and knowledge bases, to sales and marketing teams sharing client materials and client portals.
👉👉Click Here to Check out Bit.ai.
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How to Write a Progress Report (Sample Template)
- PPP - Plans, Progress, Problems
With over 10 years of experience, we at Weekdone have discovered the need for a simple status and progress reporting tool – which is why we developed Team Compa ss .
Team Compass is your solution for connecting managers and employees through real-time updates and one feed to centralize it all. Tr y it here ! It’s free for small teams, offers a free trial and is just $29/month for larger teams!
Falling efficiency, lack of focus, no drive. Said the team leader who doesn’t have good reporting software
The perceived negative qualities listed above come and go in companies over time. But shouldn’t we try to avoid them? Or, at the very least, take control in situations where we have the ability to do so? I think so!
Just like our bodies need to fight spring fever with the right mix of nutrients, we should give our organizations proper treatment when productivity falls below a critical level.
We’re not so arrogant, calling our service a ‘company doctor’ – but there is a simple cure out there for those of you looking to save your organization from this lack of efficiency. The cure is of course, the reason you’re here – progress reports!
Imagine if you were able to automate the process of transferring weekly status updates into a combined report at each week’s end. Sounds awesome, right? Weekdone Team Compass helps you do that and so much more. It’s a status reporting tool for teams and a software that automates some of your most time-consuming management tasks.
The information in these reports help managers track team and individual’s progress while observing both company and team goals.
However, not many are familiar with the benefits of progress reporting.
So, let’s fix that too!
Progress reports used by teams encourage engagement and transparency. It’s been said that having a specific place to check in your progress increases the probability of meeting a goal by 95%.
For managers, progress reports offer concrete information about your employees’ contributions. It encourages the exchange of ideas and opinions. Truthfully, it is a very simple form of two-way communication. With some guidelines and basic understanding of the format, everyone can file an excellent report on their own.
Progress Report – The Basics
The foundation of every good progress report is a “PPP methodology”, something the Team Compass is built on. This stands for Progress, Plans and Problems. It may seem overly simplistic, but there is a deep framework hidden underneath.
PPP is “rich in stuff, low in fluff”. Cleve Gibbon
Gibbon’s thought is shared by the likes of Emi Gal (CEO of Brainient) and Colin Nederkoorn (CEO of Customer.io), both of whom use PPP to organize and streamline their respective enterprises.
Even companies like Skype, Ebay, and Facebook picked up on the benefits of PPP.
So, what does PPP mean exactly?
- Progress. Progress lists employee’s accomplishments, finished items, and closed tasks. This category gives a good assessment of how much work has been done.
- Plans are the tasks you plan to accomplish over the course of one week. At Weekdone, we recommend setting these 3-7 plans on the Friday prior to “their work week”. All of the items listed under Plans are potential items of Progress. However, leave room for changes and accept that your Plans are not set in stone. Also consider, that these should ultimately help drive your Quarterly team goals forward.
- Problems. Problems lay out challenges and pitfalls. Some people leave correcting mistakes for last, but it is highly recommended to do this throughout the project.
When you keep in mind these three things, you already have what it takes to write a simple report. Should you choose to try Team Compass for free , these 3 categories are the ones in the default weekly status update form. *Which you can change and customize the titles of, if something else resonates more to you 🙂
Who, How and What of Progress Reports
Furthermore, if you really want to succeed in communicating the details and nuances of progress reports, you should always have these three questions in the back of your mind: who, how, and what?
The key part of progress reports is your team. Michele Puccio, Sales Director of Arrow, says that they helped him “stay connected with the team”. This is why your immediate focus should be on your colleagues and team dynamics.
Reports need to be concise and focused, so you should understand what your colleagues want. To help yourself with this task, ask a few questions:
- How are the readers connected to the project?
- Do they know the details and goals of the project?
- Are the readers comfortable with technical language?
Next, consider the tone of writing. Managers and executives may not understand the intricacies of employees’ conversational style. Use longer, comprehensible sentences but also try to refrain from writing essays. Ideally, there should be 5-7 keywords per sentence.
Take a look at a sample report for further guidelines and inspiration. Remember that the modern world is metrics-driven, so figures are more important than descriptions.
Instead of: “ we need to increase the output ” Try: “ we need to increase the output by X% ”.
Concrete goals are more inspirational and, at the same time, more attainable.
The one mistake people tend to make when writing a progress report is avoiding writing about mistakes altogether. The purpose of progress reports is to objectively identify key difficulties and concerns and help them along the way. Even if the problem was already addressed, it needs to be put into writing to help avoid making the same kind of mistake in the future.
Secondly, keep in mind the relevance of your writing. Explain how every individual item connects and compares to Progress.
Keep It Simple
Even when progress seems small and changes are minimal, keep updating your reports. It enables transparency on all levels and can help assess challenges so you can plan your next actions accordingly.
Going back to our interview with IT distribution company, Arrow , Michele Puccio shares this example of how progress report influence your performance:
“In the beginning of the week, you decide to call 5 new customers. You write it down and have it under your nose. By the end of the week, you will call 5 new customers. You have made the commitment, communicated it to the rest of the team, and now need to honor this.” Michele Puccio
Progress report templates are made to save time for everyone, so it is illogical to spend most of your workday on writing them. This can be easily aided by reporting tools. Many teams use Google docs or emails to do this.
That being said, it is better to use tools that are specifically developed with progress reports in mind and allow you to automate the process of writing them. Availability and accessibility are key for an excellent progress report.
The key to progress reports is regularity. Progress reports need to be done at least on a monthly basis, though weekly is encouraged. With a notification system integrated in Weekdone, you ensure that everybody remembers to send their reports in time.
Try Team Compass for automated weekly progress reports.
Implementing Progress Reports
1. make sure to explain benefits to employees.
This one seems a bit obvious, but going ahead without explaining employee benefits risks employee buy-in later. You need to explain the ‘whys’ to everyone. Some easy benefits to sell include: employees having a voice within the organization, and raised productivity and focus on new plans. To find out more about selling the benefits to your team, we recommend drawing from this infographic .
2. Make sure that communication goes both ways
Create a culture that allows discussions to be held from both sides and allow team members to provide feedback to their superiors as well as the other way around. Making a culture that encourages feedback as the default model improves overall company communication and makes progress reports more meaningful to employees and managers alike.
3. Spend less time in meetings by using progress reports as a substitute
Use progress reports (and other tools like our Team Compass ) to decrease the amount of time wasted at meetings by encouraging frequent updating through the web and mobile-based services. If your status meetings stay in one place, you’ll save countless hours every month by writing instead of speaking.
4. Sign up with an online tool that offers you ready-made solutions
It may sound a little promotional, but online tools can make the implementation process so much easier. Progress reporting can be done via e-mail, word document or spreadsheet, but the challenges are far greater and you risk not having all of your information in one, easily accessible place. Combing through Google docs and emails is a colossal waste of time, after all. One of the advantages online tools have is that they automatically remind your team to fill their form, compile the received information, and then present it to you in a way that’s both appealing and fun.
Implementing progress reports with a tool
1. make the progress report meet your needs.
Using a ready-made template does not mean that you have to adjust to its specifications. Actually, these tools are flexible enough to meet your standards and needs. What is more, they provide you with even better ideas that might have been missed otherwise.
2. Write down Objectives and Key Results
Before inviting your whole team, make sure you have set up Objectives. The goals that need to be reached in a certain period and key results that help the team achieve these. Try this management technique used by LinkedIn, Twitter and Google. For a more in depth understanding of OKRs, feel free to check the Weekdone step-by-step guide to OKRs .
3. Invite your team
After you have set up all crucial information, it is time to invite your team. Send them an automatic e-mail to sign up.
4. Contacting product support to give a quick demo for everyone
Explaining this new tool to everyone on the team might be a challenge. Especially when you are not too familiar with it. No worries, that is exactly why product support people are here for. Remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question. There are only dumb answers. Don’t be afraid to contact the support for additional materials, demo or whatever is on your mind.
Sign up for free Team Compass team management software trial to implement best practice based progress reporting in your team.
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Blog Business
How to Write a Professional Progress Report
By Daleska Pedriquez , Jun 28, 2022
The first time I had to do a professional progress report, I panicked. I always thought I was an organized, big-picture person. I thought I had each step of the project, each stakeholder’s task mapped in my mind. But I found myself at a loss…
I didn’t know where to begin my report or what to include. So I did some research and asked my co-workers for advice.
I’m glad I did because they shared some useful tips on how to use visual communication in a progress report. They also pointed me towards a ton of templates to use as a starting point.
Now, I’ve filled out countless progress reports and learned some valuable lessons along the way. So, gather around everyone! I’ll show you the magic of using progress reports for your business, including how to incorporate data visualization.
(Most importantly, you’ll find a generous list of templates you can use with our report maker to get the job done!)
Click to jump ahead:
What is a progress report, why are work progress reports important, how do you write a progress report, 3 tips to write great reports, faqs about writing a professional progress report.
Let’s start with the basics. A progress report includes a detailed description of the current status of a project, as well as forecasts for the future. You can use this type of report to share insights on project status and performance. You may also project results and timelines based on the milestones your team has achieved and the challenges you’ve faced so far.
These reports often contain a summary of communications between a team member and a project manager. This helps stakeholders get a snapshot of how a project is progressing.
Keep in mind: a progress report may be for your team alone, your company as a whole or your board of executives. Depending on the audience, you may want to include more or less granular information.
Return to Table of Contents
This may seem obvious, but reporting on progress is key for keeping your team on track. Consistent project updates will ensure everyone is working on the right tasks, at the right time. These reports also provide an opportunity for reflection…
What’s going well? What isn’t? Do the project objectives still make sense? Do they need adjusting? By taking the time to reflect before a project is finished, you’ll be able to catch any problems, adjust and increase your chances of success.
Sounds good? But wait, there’s more…
Here’s a closer look at the benefits of creating a professional progress report:
Improves team collaboration
As I mentioned, progress reports are all about keeping teams on the same page. Generally, everyone on your team would receive a copy of the report. That way, everyone can see what’s done and what remains to be done.
This is also a good way to keep your team motivated during long projects. By reporting on everything that’s been accomplished, they can see just how far they’ve come.
In the initial phases of a project, your progress report may be as simple as a timeline. This type of report works well during the planning stages, too. For example, check out this weekly reporting template:
You can customize this template however you need. Style the text, swap out the colors, add in your logo and voilà… you have a professionally branded report.
Guides decision-making throughout a project
Again, if you wait until the end of a project to reflect, you may miss opportunities to course-correct along the way. No project plan is perfect. There will always be unforeseen circumstances. A task that requires more time. A team member that drops out of the race…
A progress report can help you deal with these hiccups. By proactively checking in on a project, you can make decisions about the best use of resources. Or even, whether you need to switch lanes entirely!
Creates a detailed audit trail for all projects
While a progress report isn’t an audit, it does provide a record of all the work undertaken during a project. In other words, it’s useful if you or your company need to create an audit trail using project execution records.
Of course, progress reports are also useful if you’re answering to execs, giving updates to your fellow execs or simply referring back to the next time around.
Take this quarterly project status report as an example. Using this template, you can share a high-level overview of a project with a simple progress bar featuring a clear percentage, or swap in any chart to depict progress. With Venngage’s editor, you just have to double-click on the chart and input the appropriate value.
Promotes transparency and accountability
Transparency and accountability are buzzwords in business, but with good reason. Without transparency, there’s no accountability. And without accountability, well, your project is going to be a slog.
Progress reports are a great way to maintain transparency and accountability throughout a project. Not only can you see exactly who’s done (and doing) what, but you can also highlight the allocation of funding and resources, as well as results.
Now that we’ve talked about the perks of using a progress report to visualize your company’s projects , let’s dig into the good stuff. Here’s how to write a detailed progress report:
Determine your report’s objectives
Of course, your report will have different objectives depending on the format. If you’re putting together a weekly report, those objectives may be tasks accomplished. You may also include notes about roadblocks or problems solved.
A monthly or quarterly report will likely look at larger milestones instead and give a broader overview of the progress made on a project. This type of regular project evaluation may also compare progress to previous months.
Pro tip: while designing in Venngage, you can create a new color scheme, or use one of the many automated color palettes available. If you’re on a business plan, you’ll also have access to My Brand Kit , which allows you to upload logos, choose fonts and set color palettes. Then, you can easily apply your visual branding to every design.
Collect all your data
Once you’ve established your objectives, you can gather the necessary data to report on them.
For example, with a weekly report, you may need to check in with your team members to get a status update on their tasks. With a monthly report, you may be able to pull results, in addition to a broader status update.
Whatever claims you include in your report, just make sure you can back them up with data. If you’re saying a project is 90% complete, that percentage should be calculated based on real numbers, not estimates.
In general, you’ll share a broader progress update on the first page of your report. Then, the following pages will show the supporting data.
Perform a detailed data analysis
Now for the fun part. (Yup, I’m a data nerd.)
Analyzing your data is the logical next step. I like to start by organizing my data into buckets. For example, I might have a bucket for tasks accomplished, outstanding tasks, blockers, budget and key learnings to date.
Often, I’ll include a bucket for outstanding questions. And I analyze all of the above to identify patterns and make informed predictions.
Once you have all this information, make a note of which pieces of data can be visualized. Graphs, charts and other visuals help simplify complex data and reduce the amount of text you’ll need in your report. (More on visualizing your data in just a sec!)
Pro tip: when creating a report in Venngage on a Business Plan , you can collaborate in real-time with your team members and invite them to work on a design. You can also leave comments and get feedback, right on the platform. Alternatively, you can share your design online, via email or download a high-resolution PNG, PDF or interactive PDF.
Outline and edit your report
Ah, the outline. I create an outline for everything I write, whether it’s a blog, business plan, or yes, a progress report. In my experience, it’s the best way to avoid writer’s block. With a detailed outline, you’ll never get stuck staring at a blank screen again.
At this point, you know your objectives. You’ve collected and analyzed all your data. All that’s left is to turn it into a story .
I like to start with objectives and work my way backward. In my outline, I’ll cover objectives on the first page. Each one gets its own heading with supporting data underneath. I’ll also include a high-level description of my project on the first page.
I like to organize the following sections by objective, too. This creates a natural hierarchy while keeping goals and objectives top of mind.
Nail down the length of your report
Keep in mind that you don’t want your report to be the length of a bible! No one has the time or attention span for that. Here’s a quick rule of thumb: a progress report should be around two to three pages.
This should give you enough space to state your objectives, present supporting data, showcase progress and make any predictions. If your outline is more than three pages, have another look and see what you can trim. As all good writers know, sometimes you have to kill your darlings .
Design your report using visuals
A picture is worth a thousand words — there’s a reason we’ve all heard this saying a thousand times!
Engaging visuals are the perfect way to turn dry data into meaningful, digestible statements. But you don’t have to create these visuals from scratch or hire a designer for that matter. By starting with one of Venngage’s templates , you can simply customize the visuals to suit your needs.
For example, this project management status report template includes several images, charts and icons. You can swap out the images with your own or browse over three million high-quality, royalty-free photos to find something suitable.
You can also change the icons to reflect your data. With Venngage, you get access to over 40,000 icons with thousands of diverse options to reflect a range of skin tones and cultural backgrounds. Plus, you can change the charts to best represent your data .
By using visuals in your design, you’ll break up walls of text and make your report both aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand. In the end, this will help you improve communication and impress any stakeholders involved.
With Venngage’s report maker , the design process is quick and easy. And best of all, you can do it all yourself — exactly the way you envisioned.
Related : 5 Best Report Creators for Businesses in 2022
Get feedback from your team
Before sharing your final report, consider getting feedback from your team.
They may have additional insights to share on a project’s progress. They can also help spot faulty data and prevent any embarrassing retractions down the line. This is also just good for morale. The more involved your team feels in a project, the more invested they’ll be.
Finalize your report
Last step: proofreading.
Make sure to double-check everything, from spelling and grammar to project details and data visualizations. This step ties in with my point above. Getting a second pair of eyes to proofread your report is always a good idea.
When you’ve been staring at something for weeks, it can be hard to catch mistakes. Your team members can look at your report with fresh eyes and share fresh insights.
In the data-heavy example above, a misplaced comma or rogue denominator could make all the difference. So don’t skip that final once over! At the end of the day, the goal is to create a report that’s as accurate as possible.
I’ve talked a lot about how to use visuals to create an engaging, full-featured progress report. But what about words, you ask?
Keep these three quick tips in mind to breeze through the writing part, too:
- Stay focused
And I mean hyper-focused.
Remember the first step in this guide: determine your report’s objectives. By staying focused on your objectives, you’ll avoid unnecessary tangents. Plus, you’ll have a lot less editing to do when it comes time to kill your darlings!
If a point doesn’t tie back to your objectives, skip it. This will give your entire report a sense of direction. It will also help your team members digest and retain the information.
- Discuss your objectives in a balanced manner
If you have multiple objectives, make sure you give each one its due.
It’s true, one objective may be more important than the other. For example, you might dedicate more real estate to outlining project tasks than predicting future progress. Just make sure to weigh positive and negative data fairly.
You don’t want a rose-colored report, so to speak. This will set unrealistic expectations and be more harmful than helpful down the line. Instead, use all the available data to share a balanced perspective in your progress report.
- Use a consistent reporting style
Reports are no place for flowery language.
To make your report as effective as possible, use straightforward, simple language. Make sure to define any acronyms or technical terms at the beginning of your report. And remember the three Cs while you’re writing: be clear, concise and compelling.
What are the three types of progress reports?
There are three types of reports based on the time span they cover:
- Weekly: These reports typically cover a team member’s individual progress and how it affects the entire project.
- Monthly: These progress reports typically provide a broader overview of a project, including team member progress, methods and projections. Monthly reports are usually data-dependent and require more visuals than weekly reports.
- Quarterly: These detailed reports cover a three-month period. Quarterly reports include a lot more data and will require more visuals to make them digestible and engaging as a result.
What are the qualities of a good progress report?
The qualities of a good progress report are:
- Comprehensiveness: Provide a total overview of a project using clear objectives, simple language and a balanced ratio of text and images in your layout.
- Data-backed: Make sure your report includes accurate data that you’ve double-checked for any discrepancies.
- Rich in visuals: Leverage engaging visuals to break up the text in your report and turn your data into a compelling, easily digestible story.
Write a detailed professional progress report and achieve your goals
I know from personal experience that writing a progress report can be daunting at first.
But with these tips and templates, I’m confident you can do it. So go ahead, give it a try. Create a beautiful, raise-winning report with Venngage for free. Just remember to clearly define your objectives first… and don’t skimp on visuals!
How to Write a Business Progress Report? 8 Examples and Ideas
Here’s a common misconception about business progress reports: their primary purpose is to give people a basic update on your current project. Contrary to what their name implies, progress reports are actually not meant to simply state what you did or didn’t do in the previous period.
But if this is true, then what on earth are they supposed to do? So much more.
Instead of being the kind of executive that lazily lists basic info in their reports, we’re going to explain how to write well-structured documents that are truly beneficial to everyone in the company. We’ll include business progress report examples in our article, so keep reading if you need advice and examples for your next business review.
This article will cover:
What is a Progress Report in Business?
Why is a progress report important, progress report frequency, progress report types, progress report format.
- How Do You Write a Business Progress Report
Progress Report Writing: Best Practices
Progress report examples.
- How to Automate Business Reporting with Databox
Exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a report on the progress of a project, business goal, or a business as a whole.
Of course, making the report clear, eye-catching, and actionable goes without saying, but what else does it need to be?
While it can cover many topics, its main purpose is stakeholder engagement. You’re writing it for managers, leadership, and other interested parties. So keep in mind who you’re writing it for and whose point of view you’re catering to. This should help you structure it and present it in a way that’s relevant to their interests.
Related : Business Report: What is it & How to Write a Great One? (With Examples)
Again, the concept isn’t complicated. Stakeholders need to be informed about the progress of ventures they’re a part of. Progress reports give people an overview of how well things are going and whether something needs to be addressed so the company could fulfill its goals. It can be made to impress stakeholders by how well you’re handling your part of business, but mostly you should keep it honest and point out both good and bad aspects of a plan.
If something has gone wrong or has the potential to go wrong, there are people who need to know about it. The circumstances don’t matter, and being honest is the best way to conduct business. If workers and stakeholders don’t know what’s going on, that means they can’t react and adjust their plans accordingly. Basically, don’t use progress reports to cover for your mistakes — own up to them if you’ve made them, and try to present solutions. That will get you much more respect than misleading people.
In addition, a progress report lets people know when a certain project or a milestone will be completed. This includes predictions and estimates. Other people from the company or clients can adjust their plains to take the timetable into the account or step in to help if they need something done more quickly.
Learn more about the benefits of progress reporting straight from the pros in our roundup.
The reporting frequency depends on a variety of factors, including team and project size, project scope, the type of common activities, etc. Daily and weekly reports are usually done at the team level, while quarterly and annual ones are usually submitted to upper management, clients, and stakeholders. Monthly reports can fall into either category.
- Daily progress reports – These are short progress reports meant to update the team manager. There’s not much detail; they’re just an overview of completed tasks and any problems that may have come up. Most teams don’t even need them.
- Weekly progress reports – These are more expansive versions of daily progress reports. Still contained between managers and team members, they’re broader in scope and can include more detailed information. In addition, weekly progress reports can be used to plan the agenda for the upcoming week.
- Monthly progress reports – The end of the month is an excellent time to update the business as a whole about a department’s progress. It’s best to deliver it as an overview and to shine a spotlight on top performers.
- Quarterly progress reports – This is the time for quarterly business reviews . While the report focuses on big picture goals and doesn’t go into detail about specific tasks. It’s often useful to build several such reports and tailor them to specific audiences.
- Annual progress reports – Annual reports are THE progress reports you need to focus on. They’re usually scheduled near the end of the year and are aimed at the leadership and major stakeholders. The focus is on big achievements, lessons learned, and plans for the next year.
Related : Sales Report Templates For Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly and Yearly Statements (Sourced from 40+ Sales Pros)
Progress reports can be categorized according to their purpose and format. Not every team, business, or project will need each type of report. Since reporting is very time-consuming and can even waste time if not done well, consider each business report type carefully and determine do you need it and how often you need to build them.
- Timesheets – Daily progress reports can be replaced with simple timesheets. You can use a simple table to have workers record the time spent working on particular tasks or turn to specialized software. This method saves time and ensures the management doesn’t have to deal with the minutiae of tasks in progress unless it’s necessary.
- Expenses – Monitoring project overhead is a great way to ensure you’re on track with the budget. They allow you to compare budgets with results and actual goals achieved during implementation. There’s no reason to have these reports at anything less than a monthly or even quarterly level.
- Project portfolio – This type of report shows how various elements of a project interact. It relies on high-level data and is used to improve workflows, project processes, and ROI.
- Resource workload – Resource reports break down the project- or business-level resource assignments. This covers materials, staffing, and other types of resources. They’re primarily used to assess resource allocations and determine how to best utilize existing ones and plan for the acquisition of new ones.
- Overall project status – This is what most people think of when they imagine a business progress report. It’s a bird’s-eye view of the project(s) that shows the overall situation. It focuses on overarching goals, milestones completed, and any issues that came up along the way.
PRO TIP: Monitor Your Sales Team’s Performance in One Dashboard
Smart Sales Managers know that to achieve your monthly and quarterly goals, you have to monitor your team’s sales performance on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. To do that, you need an actionable dashboard that summarizes both team and individual sales rep metrics and allows you to:
- Understand the current sales pipeline.
- Track sales rep performance.
- Compare team results to revenue goals.
If you use the HubSpot CRM, you can benefit from the experience of our sales experts, who have put together a plug-and-play Databox template showing some of the most important metrics for monitoring your sales team performance. It’s simple to implement and start using as a standalone dashboard or in sales reports, and best of all, it’s free!
You can easily set it up in just a few clicks – no coding required.
To set up the dashboard, follow these 3 simple steps:
Step 1: Get the template
Step 2: Connect your HubSpot account with Databox.
Step 3: Watch your dashboard populate in seconds.
The format depends on the exact type of the report and the target audience. It’s a good idea to pick a reporting template that covers all the basic information and presents it in a way that aligns with your goals.
Names, Dates, and Departments
Department goals, top-level progress overview, progress breakdown.
Don’t forget to include the reporter’s name, essential dates (when the data was collected and the reporting period, for example), the department submitting the report, and so on.
Goals are an essential part of a business progress report. Remind the readers what your department is doing and what it’s aiming to achieve in the designated period. It’s also a good idea to cover why are certain projects in focus and what are the benefits of success.
Related : Goals Based Reporting: Everything You Need to Know
Every report needs to include an overview of how goals and projects are doing. It’s best to display them using charts or graphs with percentages. You show milestones achieved, overdue projects, and any issues you came across that are slowing things down.
This is similar to the above point, but it goes into more detail. This segment will cover each project the department is working on, what are their objectives, and what have they done to accomplish them. Bar graphs and pie and line charts are excellent for this. Don’t forget to include actionable tips on how to improve performance and overcome any difficulties.
How Do You Write a Business Progress Report?
If you’ve never written a progress report, it can be difficult to know what to focus on. A business progress report needs to be written in such a way as to produce effective results with actionable tips and insights. It helps track a department’s progress and lets stakeholders know if there’s anything that needs their special attention
- Follow the PPP Method
Keep Your Progress Reports Concise and Focused
Do not avoid writing about problems, stick to relevant topics and kpis, make progress reports regularly, the basics: following the ppp method.
PPP stands for Plans, Progress, and Problems . This method tracks these indicators and helps you understand the project’s performance. Plans are short-term and long-term goals and objectives. Cover them in broad strokes and leave room to add or explain more things later when you have a more coherent idea of what your report is going to look like.
Progress reports need to brief your coworkers, the management, and other stakeholders about how the project is going. Going into detail is usually counterproductive and can make the whole thing too bloated.
Provide the additional and supporting information, but ensure the focus is on brief information points that will help everyone understand where the business stands and actionable insights that can improve it.
Mistakes are progress too, especially if you learn from them. The third P in PPP stands for problems, and you need to include them in the report. This can help you identify issues and concerns and even potential solutions. In addition, people involved need to know about pitfalls you’ve encountered and may be able to offer advice on how to deal with them.
Related : 13 Biggest Bottlenecks That Keep Your Business from Growing
Even if the problem was solved, including it will help stakeholders understand what you had to do to overcome it, why some resources may have been reallocated, and what can be done to avoid such issues in the future.
This ties into the conciseness point. Focus on what’s really relevant to the intended audience . Executives usually don’t have the time for nitty-gritty details and issues outside of their scope of operations. Respect their time, and develop multiple different reports tailored to different audiences rather than building one huge report.
As we mentioned, the frequency of progress reporting depends on a lot of external factors. Still, it’s important to be consistent and provide everyone with regular updates.
While making a progress report can be time-consuming, it actually saves time in the long run as it ensures everyone knows the status of projects and what needs to be done to reach the next milestone.
Most proper business progress reports don’t need to be made any more frequently than once a month.
Every progress report is different, but there are some universal rules that are broadly applicable for most of them. They should be clear, easy to understand and follow, and include actionable advice.
Here are some basic tips:
Be Clear and Concise
Explain industry-specific language, number and title projects, stay formal, include visuals, be transparent.
- Make Sure Everything Is Dated
Include Company and Department Goals
Discuss problems and progress, share it wisely, make it easy to access.
We mentioned it before but it bears repeating. Making your business progress report snappy and understandable will do wonders for everyone involved. Don’t forget to include a summary, because, odds are, there are people who won’t have enough time to read anything else.
As a rule, don’t overuse technical jargon; but when you must use industry-specific language, make sure to explain it. You can have a section with bullet points explaining them or cover it in brackets next to the terms used.
Organize your report into clear segments. Each project should be both numbered and titled. While you want to give a general overview to the audience, projects should be distinctly labeled and easy to follow.
This goes without saying. A progress report is not the place to show your witty side. While you don’t have to be stiff, stay formal, direct, and respectful.
Data is the backbone of your report. It can be used to show progress or setbacks and, you need to ensure every information you’re presenting is backed up with reliable data. Also, think about how the existing data points shape your report and how you can display it in an eye-catching way .
Related : How to Analyze Data: 30+ Experts on Making Sense of Your Performance
This is a must. No one wants to read reams of text these days and most people don’t have the time for it. Visuals make the report clearer and easier to understand and they can actually save time. A single dashboard with clear graphs showing progress and key information can explain the situation better than a full page of dense text.
Transparency is incredibly important if your report is to be productive and show everything clearly. You need to highlight to everyone who’s contributing that progress reports must be transparent. Hiding setbacks or mistakes behind fluff or cherry-picked data will do more harm than good.
Make Sure Everything is Dated
Date every important piece of information and provide the timeline for the project. Mark due dates, task deliveries, report dates, etc. This will make it easier to extract useful metrics and better understand the resources available at that time.
People outside of your department may not know about specific goals you accomplished or are still working towards. If they explain how you reached certain milestones or how they affected the project you’re working on, include them; but be mindful not to clutter the report with excess information that isn’t relevant to people receiving it.
Related : Content Marketing Goals: 15 Ways to Set, Track, & Measure Your Efforts
This is the main purpose of the report. It’s there to show the progress that did or didn’t happen. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and start a discussion with clients or stakeholders. They may want some more detailed information and can help you by providing input or advice that’s specific to their industry.
Consider who needs to see the report and make it with that in mind. Is it just the client’s management? Other stakeholders? Is it an internal report? Does someone need to review it? Tailor the report with the audience in mind and ensure everyone who needs it has access.
Double-check who can see what information as not all people may be cleared for the entire report. Make multiple versions of the report if necessary and make sure each version gets to the right address.
You can send a link to a completed report in an email and ensure everyone who needs to has access. In addition, make sure the specific reports are easy to find. Figure out what people looking for a report might be searching for and make it easy for them. This will save a lot of time and allow clients, coworkers, and management to access them at any time.
Databox offers a large library of progress report dashboards that come pre-built with the most common metrics and KPIs tracked across different departments. All you have to do is pick a template, connect your data sources, and the visualizations will populate automatically.
Sales Report Examples and Templates
Marketing report examples and templates, project management report examples and templates, financial report examples and templates, ecommerce report examples and templates, saas report examples and templates, customer support report examples and templates, software development report examples and templates.
Sales progress reports allow you to track sales performance from a variety of data sources, including Pipedrive , Salesforce , HubSpot CRM , and more.
This Sales Overview Dashboard will provide you with a visual snapshot of monthly performance by the sales team by providing information about sales performance KPIs, productivity KPIs, and other important metrics. You’ll be able to understand the current sales pipeline and compare team results with revenue goals.
Marketing reports cover the important metrics related to your marketing efforts and present them in a clear and visually-pleasing manner. From social media and Google Ads to SEO, you can find the right template for anything you’re looking for.
You can use this Google Analytics landing page SEO dashboard template to get a comprehensive overview of your on-page SEO by monitoring which pages need to be updated and optimized, which ones are performing well, and which search queries generate the most traffic.
A project management report will provide you with an overview of your project and allow you to monitor employee performance or client behavior. It should support integration with project management software like Jira and Harvest and provide you with the most relevant metrics for all of your projects.
A well-made Jira Dashboard Template will give you all the information about custom Jira metrics instantly. You’ll be able to track value points by project, issue status, resolved issues, team’s response to issues, and tasks completed.
Financial reports will provide information about profit and loss, revenue, expenses, and cash flow. A good dashboard should support both pre-built and custom integrations and allow you to understand the state of your finances at a glance.
This Quickbooks dashboard template will provide you with full insight into your business’ cash flow, sales and expenses, and bank accounts entered in Quickbooks. You’ll be able to measure the financial health of your business, track credit card purchases, and more.
Ecommerce reports can cover every aspect of your online sales performance, from the store overview and ecommerce sales to paid ads for ecommerce.
Using this free Shopify store dashboard template will give you a quick overview of your online store’s performance. It covers metrics like discounts, abandoned checkouts, net sales, new customers, orders, gross sales, and more. You’ll be able to discover how well is your online store functioning and what you can do to improve it.
SaaS reports can identify trends related to churn, growth, revenue trends, and MRR. A customizable dashboard will allow you to develop an eye-catching and simple report that will bring the most relevant metrics into focus.
Using Databox’s Profitwell Churn Overview Dashboard makes it easy to track the top sources of churn for your SaaS business. You’ll be able to learn where your company is losing recurring revenue, whether customers are churning delinquently or voluntarily, and where you should spend your time addressing it.
If you want your customer support service to run smoothly, you need to use proper reporting in order to identify any weak points that might need attention. You can use customer support templates that focus on the help desk, support tickets, help documentation, customer success, or build your own version that caters to your needs.
HelpScout for Customer Support dashboard template will help you monitor responsiveness and handling time across the support team. The integration with Help Scout Mailbox allows you to better understand the service team’s performance and to find ways to improve it.
Software development reports can help with the optimization of processes and ensure your team, tools, and goals remain aligned. Databox templates that focus on reporting about databases, IT metrics, DevOps, and app stores help you visualize the overall progress of projects you’re involved with and are fully customizable, allowing you to build your own custom interconnected reports.
The MySQL dashboard template can be used to pull data from proprietary databases and showcase it alongside data drawn from services like Google Analytics , Salesforce , and Mixpanel . You’ll learn how many active connections you have in MySQL and be able to track monthly sales transactions.
Automate Business Reporting with Databox
Building individual progress reports can be a time-consuming chore. Gathering all data points, collating information from a variety of tools, coordinating efforts with other people involved… the effort can add up. That being said, progress reports are incredibly valuable, as they identify pain points in the project workflow and can kickstart company productivity.
Fortunately, Databox templates can make the process much simpler and quicker. You can tick pretty much every checkbox we mentioned in this article and make your progress reports better than ever. From visualizing data from multiple tools to custom data calculations, you’ll be able to make better business forecasts and enjoy peace of mind with automated notifications and reminders. The software even allows quick access to dashboards and reports on multiple devices – from your desktop, phone, and TV, to your wrist.
Sign up for Dat a box for free now to finally decrease the time and effort spent on monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting. You’ll have more time to deal with other tasks and foster better cooperation both within the company and with clients and stakeholders.
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Business reports come in all shapes and sizes from brief one-page duty reports to multichapter analyses. There is no set work report format since each one needs a unique style and structure. They key thing to keep in mind is why your boss needs the report. Focus on giving her the precise information she needs to make a well-considered business decision.
Know Who You Are Writing For
It is crucial that you understand why you are writing the report or you may include incorrect information. Be direct and ask your supervisor what he is going to do with the report. Is it for his eyes only or will he be distributing the report to higher-ups or multiple departments? Will a strategy person be reading it or a numbers person? Remember, you may not be writing just for your boss. Your report should speak to the end audience and be clear enough that readers can quickly grasp what is important.
Gather Your Data
The data are the centerpiece of your report. Your words are only there to help your readers understand the data. So, spend some time collecting and organizing all the statistics, financial data, tables, graphs and metrics you need. Place these on a page. The data will form the body of your report and you will build the words around it. Use the data to decide the key points you are going to be making, then write a few bullet points that highlight these areas. Make sure each point flows logically from the next. Use the bullets to help you flesh out the main part of your report.
Lay Out the Key Sections
Whatever the type of report, it will consist of the following sections:
- Executive summary.
- Introduction – why you are writing the report, the background to it and your method for gathering information.
- Main body – the areas you have bulleted. Use sub-headings here if you have a lot of information.
- Conclusion or recommendation, based on your findings.
These sections are your layout, then start filling in the detail. Most people find it easier to write the main body of the report before filling out the introduction and conclusion.
Finish With the Executive Summary
Although it appears at the beginning of your report, the Executive Summary will be the last thing you write. That's because it's a summary of the major areas listed in your report. What are the key findings? What should happen next? While your supervisor will read the whole report, some high-level decision-makers might only read the Executive Summary, so make sure it lists the salient points. Keep it short. One or two paragraphs is enough, or you can list the information as bullet points.
Final Checks
If your company has a style guide, edit your document to make sure it is compliant. Otherwise, check you are writing in clear English and use industry terminology consistently. Make the report easy to scan by including sub-heads to describe the paragraphs that follow and pull out main facts using bold print. This will help your supervisor to find the information she needs. If there is time, have someone peruse your report and critique it. Is the language clear and simple? Do your main points and recommendations come through clearly? Finally, proofread for spelling and grammar errors. You will lose credibility if you forget to run a basic spell check.
- Instructional Solutions:How to Write a Business Report with Skill and Ease
- Business Writing: Write Better Executive Summaries
Jayne Thompson earned an LLB in Law and Business Administration from the University of Birmingham and an LLM in International Law from the University of East London. She practiced in various “big law” firms before launching a career as a business writer. Her articles have appeared on numerous business sites including Typefinder, Women in Business, Startwire and Indeed.com. Find her at www.whiterosecopywriting.com.
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7. COMMON DOCUMENT TYPES
7.3 Progress Reports
You write a progress report to inform a supervisor, associate, or client about progress you have made on a project over a specific period of time. Periodic progress reports are common on projects that go on for several months (or more). Whoever is paying for this project wants to know whether tasks are being completed on schedule and on budget. If the project is not on schedule or on budget, they want to know why and what additional costs and time will be needed.
Progress reports answer the following questions for the reader:
- How much of the work is complete?
- What part of the work is currently in progress?
- What work remains to be done?
- When and how will the remaining work be completed?
- What changes, problems or unexpected issues, if any, have arisen?
- How is the project going in general?
Purpose of a Progress Report
The main function of a progress report is persuasive: to reassure clients and supervisors that you are making progress, that the project is going smoothly, and that it will be completed by the expected date — or to give reasons why any of those might not be the case. They also offer the opportunity to do the following:
- Provide a brief look at preliminary findings or in-progress work on the project
- Give your clients or supervisors a chance to evaluate your work on the project and to suggest or request changes
- Give you a chance to discuss problems in the project and thus to forewarn the recipients
- Force you to establish a work schedule, so that you will complete the project on time.
Format of a Progress Report
Depending on the size of the progress report, the length and importance of the project, and the recipient, a progress report can take forms ranging from a short informal conversation to a detailed, multi-paged report. Most commonly, progress reports are delivered in following forms:
- Memo : a short, semi-formal report to someone within your organization (can range in length from 1-4 pages)
- Letter : a short, semi-formal report sent to someone outside your organization
- Formal report: a long, formal report sent to someone within or outside of your organization
- Presentation : an oral presentation given directly to the target audience.
Organizational Patterns for Progress Reports
The recipient of a progress report wants to see what you’ve accomplished on the project, what you are working on now, what you plan to work on next, and how the project is going in general. The information is usually arranged with a focus either on time or on task, or a combination of the two:
- Focus on time: shows time period (previous, current, and future) and tasks completed or scheduled to be completed in each period
- Focus on specific tasks: shows order of tasks (defined milestones) and progress made in each time period
- Focus on larger goals : focus on the overall effect of what has been accomplished.
Information can also be arranged by report topic. You should refer to established milestones or deliverables outlined in your original proposal or job specifications. Whichever organizational strategy you choose, your report will likely contain the elements described below.
1. Introduction
Review the details of your project’s purpose, scope, and activities. The introduction may also contain the following:
- date the project began; date the project is scheduled to be completed
- people or organization working on the project
- people or organization for whom the project is being done
- overview of the contents of the progress report.
2. Project status
This section (which could have sub-sections) should give the reader a clear idea of the current status of your project. It should review the work completed, work in progress, and work remaining to be done on the project, organized into sub-sections by time, task, or topic. These sections might include
- Direct reference to milestones or deliverables established in previous documents related to the project
- Timeline for when remaining work will be completed
- Any problems encountered or issues that have arisen that might affect completion, direction, requirements, or scope.
3. Conclusion
The final section provides an overall assessment of the current state of the project and its expected completion, usually reassuring the reader that all is going well and on schedule. It can also alert recipients to unexpected changes in direction or scope, or problems in the project that may require intervention.
4. References section if required.
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When a company initiates a new project, it needs to be aware of how the project is progressing, what findings and decisions are being made by the project team, and what needs to be improved. In order to provide the company’s supervisors with such information, progress reports are usually written. Generally speaking, a progress report is an update on a project’s status. A well-written progress report is beneficial both for the company and for you. The company gets accurate real-time information and you can count on adequate staffing and financial assistance with the project you are working on.
Table of Contents
Steps for Writing a Progress Report
Compiling a progress report might not be easy. You can try and find some samples on the internet before starting your own work. Reading through an essay writing service review can also help – it usually mentions a platform that can provide similar examples. Then you can start your writing, following the next procedure:
- Write the heading of your progress report. This usually contains the date, when the report was submitted, the name and the position of the recipient, the writer’s name and position, and the subject of the report.
- Compose the introductory section. In this part, you must brief about the project. Then, you should provide readers with information about the project’s purpose, clarify its timescale, and remind readers about other important details.
- Write the “work completed” section. In this section, you must describe what work has already been done. One of the best ways to do this is to order the completed tasks chronologically. Make two columns. In one of them, specify dates and in another one, specify tasks you and your team were working on. Information about key findings should also be included in the “work completed” section.
- In the next section, specify the problems your team encountered while working on the project. Provide explanations of how you solved them or how you are planning to do it. Also, describe any changes caused by these problems and state whether any assistance on the project is required.
- Provide your supervisors with information about how you are planning to move forward with the project. Make an outline of future tasks that need to be accomplished during a certain period. Specify dates that will be deadlines for the tasks.
- Summarize your progress report. In the summary section, you should only give the most essential details about the completed and to-do work. Also, include a short description of problems your team encountered and recommendations for their correction.
Topic Selection
The topic of a progress report is usually determined by recent work you and your team have done. However, when composing a progress report, each time you schedule your work and outline tasks for the next period of time, you assign topics for your next reporting document.
Key Points to Consider
- Progress reports come in different formats, such as a brief verbal report, a periodic email sent to your supervisors, a memo, or a formal written report with a clearly-defined structure. Internal progress reports can be submitted in memo format, while reports from one external organization to another can take the form of a business letter.
- Progress reports not only inform supervisors about a project’s status, but they also affect the decision-making process. A company’s management may revise, adjust or change their decisions according to a particular situation with the project.
- A progress report should be project-centered, which means it should refer to the work done by your team and not to the plans or expectations of your supervisors.
- A progress report should be simple and concise. Avoid writing lengthy, dense documents. In most cases, a progress report is submitted on 2-3 pages.
- A progress report not only provides decision-makers with necessary information, but it also shows them what kind of specialist you are.
Do and Don’t
Common mistakes when writing a progress report.
– Using expressive words and phrases to characterize the situation. Describing a project’s status as a “complete catastrophe” or a “giddy success” is too vague and won’t be of use for supervisors.
– Being irregular with sending progress reports to supervisors. Most likely, they will expect you to send reports in equal time intervals.
– Glossing over problems and understating their prevalence, hoping to solve them secretly. Always provide adequate and honest information about all issues that occur during the work on the project.
– Turning a progress report into a lengthy document. Don’t supersaturate the document with excessive details, research digests, calculations, and so on.
Now that you have acquainted yourself with the basic progress report essay writing tips and rules, you can check out our progress report samples to link theory with practice.
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Samples for Writing a Progress Report
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The definition of report writing is creating an account or statement that describes in detail an event, situation or occurrence, usually as the result of observation or inquiry. The two most common forms of report writing are news report wr...
To write a meeting report, use the agenda as a guide. Talk about past business that was concluded, summarize what each speaker said, and list the goals that were identified as action items.
Depending on what style is used to write the report, a variety of samples can be found online to assist the writing process. The Purdue OWL gives extensive information about writing in MLA or APA style.
A progress report is exactly what it sounds like—a document using simple and straightforward language that explains in detail what has been
Best Practices On How To Write a Progress Report · 1. Treat a progress report like a Q&A · 2. Include questions on progress, plans and problems (PPP) · 3. Allow
A progress report is a type of business writing designed to update someone on various tasks of someone else. It's written for managers, project stakeholders
How to Write a Progress Report with 4 Simple Steps? · Step 1. Explain the purpose of your report · Step 2. Define your audience · Step 3. Create a “work completed”
Implementing progress reports with a tool · 1. Make the progress report meet your needs · 2. Write down Objectives and Key Results · 3. Invite your team · 4.
Tips for writing an effective progress report · Establish a purpose for the report. Before you write a report, understanding the audience and
Let's start with the basics. A progress report includes a detailed description of the current status of a project, as well as forecasts for the
Again, the concept isn't complicated. Stakeholders need to be informed about the progress of ventures they're a part of. Progress reports give
When writing a report to your supervisor, the key thing to keep in mind is why your boss needs the report. Focus on giving her the precise information she
Purpose of a Progress Report · Provide a brief look at preliminary findings or in-progress work on the project · Give your clients or supervisors a chance to
Steps for Writing a Progress Report · Write the heading of your progress report. · Compose the introductory section. · Write the “work completed”