Notes on Reporting Progress

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No matter how we hard we try to keep information short and simple, there is still the minimal bits of information we should capture for keepsake. Here are some brief notes on reporting on progress - your approach likely, will be different.

The progress report would comprise minimally, the following elements:

1. Completed tasks – Report on tasks completed within the reporting period. This include unscheduled tasks completed in a time space that may have opened-up during the reporting period. Unscheduled tasks are tasks that were planned e.g. already defined in a WBS, but not yet scheduled nor highlighted for close monitoring.
2. In-progress – Report on tasks that are still in-progress as at the date of reporting, tasks delayed for whatever the reasons may be i.e. these have started, still in-progress but are now behind; and unscheduled tasks if any that were started because of opportunities that arise to launch these tasks.
3. Scheduled tasks – These are planned activities for the forthcoming reporting period.

Use a table for each of the above. Information which normally accompany the above, briefly:

1. Define the task or activity. The activity could be a work breakdown package i.e. an element of a WBS, or a sub-element, or an independent task that just has to be done. Whether work is mutually exclusive for each activity is entirely up to you.
2. Identify the actor responsible for the task – company, role or even a nickname depending on practice.
3. Estimate the start and completion dates. Without which we can't measure performance.
4. Gauge the checkpoint dates to manage work estimates and progress. How checkpoint dates are used (if used) depends on a team’s need and approach to manage resources.
5. Include any other pertinent information that may be useful for, or required by – stakeholders and reporting purposes. Examples may be a task that is delayed, subsequently suspended, and removed from a reporting period. Or whatever which may be of concern for a task or to the project at that point of reporting. 

Additional information for presentation in the report or for the progress meeting, may include:

• Use a full-month calendar for visual clarity.
• Use a burndown chart, for work that were defined for the reporting period.
• List of impediments with reference to the risk register and-or issues log. Resolutions to recent-issues encountered and-or options to impediments may be included here.

Leaving it to you for the format of the report.  Click here for an example of a project progress report.