How to Write a Project Report: Step-By-Step Guide

At some point during the implementation of a project, a project report has to be generated in order to paint a mental image of the whole project. Ultimately, a project report must maximize the insight gained with minimal effort from the reader. 

How to Write a Project Status Report:

The most common type of project report, a project status report provides a general state of the project to its stakeholders. It quantifies work performed and completed in measurable terms.  It keeps everyone on the same page and manages each other’s expectations.

Project status reports are accomplished to serve the following purposes;

• to keep an updated flow of information in relation to the project’s progress
• to immediately address issues and concerns that may come up at any point of the project’s implementation or duration
• to document reasons for changes and adjustments made to the original plan for the project
• to monitor fund utilization and to ensure that the project expenses are still within the budget
• to serve as a basis for decision-making and addressing problems

WHAT TO INCLUDE  :

For a status report to be comprehensive, it must include the following elements:

Summary/Overall Health of the Project :

 A person who does not have time to read the entire report thoroughly must be able to get a picture of the current status of the project through the summary of the status report.

Facts on the Project Progres :

Project milestones are the completion of highly important tasks. They serve as a standard of project progress management. 

Target vs. Actual Accomplishments :

It should present a comparison between what has actually been accomplished versus what was supposed to have been achieved at this point in the project. 

Analysis : 

For any variances recorded and reported between the targets and actual accomplishments, an analysis of the impact on the project should be made and presented in the status report. 

Risks and Issues:

The report should contain all the problems and challenges that the team faced and what they did to address them. 

Resources : 

The state of resource utilization must also be presented in the status report. It should show how these resources were used or consumed on a periodic basis.

Budget :

Just like the resources, it is also important to present the financial aspects of the project, most especially, the utilization of its budget

Schedule :

Indicate whether the project is operating within its expected timelines and if it is not, provide reasons why. This is important since delays or extensions in the plan will entail additional costs and resources.