How To Keep Your Project On Track With Project Status Reports
A Project Status Report is just that. The current status of your project. It’s an important communication tool used by Producers and Project Managers to inform clients, team-members and stakeholders what’s up.
While there are many different formats of project status reports, there are even more ways to make them overwhelming, annoying and ultimately — unread by your clients and team.
What we’ll talk about in this article is:
- What the critical elements of a Project Status Report include
- Optional elements and what to avoid in your Project Status Report
- Steps to create a weekly status report
I’ll even provide you with a checklist and a status report template so that you are set up for success.
What Is A Project Status Report And Why Is It Important?
A project status report includes all the business-critical efforts, progress and risk associated with a single project. A snapshot of where things are at.
The best project status reports create accountability and ownership within your team. They uncover issues, mitigate risks, and most of all — ensure you’re on track towards your project goals.
For clients, project status reports provide value. It gives them confidence that their money is delivering value. It can make them look good to their bosses. It can ensure funding continues in the future. It can also totally save your ass in that you have a paper trail in case things go off the rails.
Project status reports are created after your project plan is in place and things are in motion. If we want to get super precise, it’s during the Monitoring & Controlling phase. Typically, they are sent on a weekly or monthly basis. Heck, you can even do it on the daily — but only if necessary.
Project Status reports can be delivered in a variety of methods. There is no perfect way to do it. Email. Through a PM tool. Verbally, and then followed up with a PDF. The options and combinations are endless.
Project Status Reports are not, and should not serve as a task Producers & PMs do because it’s part of the job responsibilities. It’s a Producer/Project Manager’s duty to make meaningful and useful status reports. Not just to “do the status report” that nobody reads.
Do Project Status Reports Differ Between Internal Staff And Clients?
The answer is “sometimes”. I hate that sort of answer but that’s the way it is.
I come from the league of always being transparent with your client. I believe that how you lead the internal team — should be visible to your client if they wish to see. There shouldn’t be anything you “HIDE” from your client.
BUT here’s the exception.
Your client prefers different content in their status report than your internal team. Then absolutely adjust to their wants/desires. Just make sure you understand what their expectations are first.
Read the full article to learn more:
- How to create a project status report — a step-by-step guide
- Project status report best practices
- Free project status report template
Originally published at www.thedigitalprojectmanager.com on April 24, 2018.
