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How to Write a Progress Report

Progress reports are an important part of project management, whether it's your dissertation or a project at work. You'll need to use these to keep your supervisors, your colleagues, or your clients updated about the project you're working...
Part 1 of 3:

Beginning the Process

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    Figure out what your purpose is for the proposal. There are a variety of different reasons someone asks you to write a progress report. Obviously for any of them it's to show what kind of progress you've achieved on a specific project. However, there are some different types of proposals that you'll need to consider.[1]
    1. Progress report for a research program or project is going to be slightly different than for a project at work. In this case you are more likely to need to cite information and are less likely to need to consider things like cost (although not always).
    2. A work report for a client is going to read somewhat differently than for a superior at work. You'll need to consider why you're writing this report for them.
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    Consider your audience. When you've sorted out the purpose of writing your progress report, you need to consider the kinds of things that your audience is going to need to know in the report. While all progress reports have general things they tend to include, you'll need consider the specifics:
    1. How are your readers connected to the project? How will the outcome of the project affect them? (The connection and how they're affected is going to be different for your superior than for the client, for example.)
    2. Consider what decision your readers are going to need to make after reading the progress report (what support, money, time are they investing, for example.
    3. Consider the information your reader is going to need to know to oversee and participate in the project effectively. What technical aspects of the project will they need to know. Are they comfortable with technical jargon?
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    Decide on the best way to communicate with your audience. A progress report isn't only a written document that you send to your superior or your professor. It can take a number of forms depending on what is needed.[2]
    1. A progress report could be a brief oral report at weekly or monthly staff meetings.
    2. It could be periodic emails to colleagues.
    3. It could be formal or informal memos to supervisors.
    4. It can also be formal reports for clients or government agencies.
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    Check with your supervisor. Unless you've written this specific type of progress report before (in which case, why are you on here?), you'll want to get as much guidance from your superiors. There may be a specific format that your company uses, in which case you'll want to be sure you follow the rules for that.
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    Consider your tone. Not all progress reports need to be formal. In fact, internal reports for colleagues or supervisors often tend to be more informal in tone. This is why it's so important to check with your supervisor for what they are likely looking for.
    1. When it comes to information for a client or government agency, or thesis review board, you err on the side of formality.
    2. No matter the formality or informality of your tone you want it to be clear, focused, and honest.
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Part 1 Quiz

What should you take into consideration about your reader before you begin writing your report?

Close! If you know how this project will impact your audience, you will have an easier time determining what information to include and in what context. For instance, if there is a great deal of money on the line, you can put them at ease with your plans or current growth patterns. Still, that's not the only thing to think about. Guess again!

Almost! It's definitely important to address and alleviate concerns your audience might have. If you're looking for funding, support, resources, or permission, discuss how your trajectory will impact those issues and try to have answers prepared for questions before they come up. There are other ways to be prepared, however. There's a better option out there!

Try again! This is an important issue to keep in mind, especially if you're reporting to a direct superior. You want to make sure that they're familiar with all of the technical terms you use and that they understand the confines of the project. But that's not all you should know before you begin writing your report. Guess again!

Correct! Before you sit down to write your progress report, you're going to want to be able to answer some very important questions. The more you know about your audience and their position on elements of your project, the easier it will be for you to present, answer questions, and hopefully move forward. Read on for another quiz question.

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Part 2 of 3:

Writing Your Report

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    Decide how you want to present your material. By the time you start writing your report you'll already have figured out what the tone needs to be and the point of the report. Now you need to decide the best way or ways in which to present that information.[3]
    1. You might choose to do a bulleted list. It's a very clear way to present the material and it's easy to skim and still get the needed information. However, it can be a slightly less formal way of writing a progress report so it might be better to use it for memos to supervisors and emails to colleagues.
    2. You may also consider adding in graphs or tables. This might be especially good if you're writing a progress report for a project in which you're trying to get funding, or show why you deserve the funding you've been given.
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    Consider using subsections. To write a successful progress report you want it to be as clear as possible. Splitting your report into subsections is a great way to cluster all relevant material together.[4]
    1. Adding subheadings to your can make this even clearer, because it lets your readers or audience know what to expect in each subsection. If there is material that they are particularly interested in they'll be able to jump right to that part.
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    Write the heading. This typically goes across the top of the paper, if you're using a page format. Again, it will depend on what your company or university prefers, so make sure you check in with them.
    1. The heading should include 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.
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    Write the introductory section. The introductory section goes below the heading. It can often be set apart from the rest of the material through italics. It gives a brief overview of the project, and summarizes its status. You will be establishing what progress has been made, and whether certain goals have been achieved.[5]
    1. Make sure to include: the purpose of the report, introduce the project, remind that this is an update on the progress of the project.
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    Do the body of the proposal. The body of proposal, whether it's broken into sections and subsections, is basically just a more detailed version of the introduction. Consider the information you've put into the introduction and make sure to expand on that information.
    1. Specify tasks that have been accomplished since the last report and what tasks are ongoing.
    2. Discuss problems that you've encountered, issues that need to be addressed, and potential solutions for those problems and issues.
    3. Address changes that have happened and why they needed to be made.
    4. You can also include things like personnel changes, difficulty in obtaining material, what cost overruns you may have encountered, any delays or problems with technology or security.
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    Address what is next for your project. While this is still basically part of the body of the report, you want to make sure that your audience understand where you're going with the project. Make sure that you state what problems might affect the deadline for completion, the budget, or the management structure.
    1. You really do want to make sure say whether the deadline for the project has changed or not.
    2. Avoid sugarcoating any problems for your audience, but don't alarm them unnecessarily or promise anything you can't deliver.
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    Add in total hours worked. You will need to show how much work you and your team (if you have one) have put into the project. This will show your audience (whether it's your supervisor, your clients, or a government agency who might give you money) that you've been working hard.
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Part 2 Quiz

Which section of your progress report should include issues you've faced?

Nope! The introduction is a brief overview of the project and the progress you have made. While you should certainly include challenges faced, remember that everyone will read this section first, so it is beneficial to focus on the positives and save the negatives for later. Try another answer...

Not exactly! If the "What's next" stage includes dealing with current issues, you might want to include those steps. Still, there are other places to explain your setbacks so that your audience knows the full story but isn't left on a bad note. Click on another answer to find the right one...

That's right! You should explore the successes and setbacks of your project in detail in the body of your report. This will allow you to explain why you have faced these challenges, as well as what resources you need moving forward. It's always good to be honest, but be sure to stay as positive as you can when addressing your setbacks. Read on for another quiz question.

Try again! It may not be pretty, but a progress report is all about the status and the "progress" made on a project. If you only discuss the project's successes and don't explain what materials or help you need to advance or even complete the project, your progress report will leave your audience with a false understanding of the project's status. You don't need to be alarmist, but you do need to be honest. Click on another answer to find the right one...

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Part 3 of 3:

Avoiding Common Difficulties

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    Make sure you stay on topic. As long as you stick the basic information outlined above, you should be fine. You really want to avoid wandering off into other areas only marginally related to the project, interesting though they may be.
    1. For example: if your project is about reigniting a local, nonprofit arts organization, it might be tempting to go off into a discussion of the deplorable state of arts funding, but it won't really help detail how your project is coming along.
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    Keep it simple. The point of a progress report is to get across the progress you're making, without overwhelming your audience with words and ideas. All you need to focus on are how a particular project is coming, what still needs to be worked on, and what changes made need to be made.
    1. Depending on who you're writing the report for you might be cut down to a specific page limit. A good rule of thumb is to keep it as short as possible, while making sure that you fit in the appropriate information.
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    Try to avoid being too vague. You need to make sure that you give specific details on where you're at in your project. For example: you would want to avoid saying something like "We're making good progress on getting our arts funding" and instead say "with the two $5,000 grants from these different foundations, we are just $2,000 short of our $12,000 goal."
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    Cut down on expressive wording. Again, you want your report to be clear and concise. You don't want to overwhelm your audience with wording that doesn't add anything to the report. For example, phrases like 'complete catastrophe' or 'giddy success' are too emotional and too vague to be of use to clients or supervisors.[6]
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    Cite your sources. Any information you use that comes from an outside source, any graphs or data, needs to be properly cited. You can add an additional sources cited page to your progress report.
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Part 3 Quiz

True or False: Emotional words are an effective way to write progress reports because they show passion and excitement.

Not quite! Yes, emotional words can certainly be an effective tool, but they are better served when you are looking for grants or legal support from the town. Your progress report is a status update about elements of the project and should be treated as such. Narrow things down so that they are simple and straightforward, and save your passion for the next project proposal. Choose another answer!

That's right! There is a time and a place for emotional, impassioned project presentations, but a simple progress report isn't it. Instead, focus your project so that you get across the most important information in an easy and simple way. You will have other opportunities to fight for your passion projects. Read on for another quiz question.

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