How to create a project progress report for optimum follow-up?

The success of a project depends on meticulous, regular project follow-up.

The aim is not only to measure and analyse the various indicators throughout the project, but also to communicate them effectively to the team.

In fact, it helps develop their involvement, their confidence and therefore their productivity. 

The progress report more commonly known as a progress report, is used to inform teams about the project status.

It is therefore an essential project monitoring document. You need to build it strategically, as it serves as a reference throughout the project. 

In this article, we provide you with methods and tips for producing and sharing effective progress reports. 

What is a project progress report?

Project progress report: definition

The project progress report is an informative document shared with the project team. 

Sent out at regular intervals, it serves to summarize the status of the project, communicate next steps and highlight risks.

The project progress report is not only intended for the operational team, but for all those who are directly or indirectly concerned by the project. It must therefore be concise and structured, so that it can be quickly taken into account.

How do you calculate a project's progress rate?

Although it's complex to establish a precise rate of project progress, certain data can provide an overview. In particular, visibility of the distribution of resource planning in relation to the initial schedule helps you to get an idea of the state of progress.

The Stafiz project management software features a time tracker that allows you to make real-time calculation to give you a clearer idea of the rate of progress.

Progress is calculated on the basis of the number of days (or hours) already completed, in relation to the total number of days or hours for the mission. When a mission is at 100%, it is normally completed.

Progress tracking is visible in the Stafiz job tracking dashboard.

 

There are 2 methods for calculating a project's rate of completion. 

• Compared to actual (or resource planning) : the total number of days is calculated as the sum of days completed and resource planning. This is normally the most up-to-date view of progress.
• In relation to the production plan : the number of days is that of the production plan. So, if you have a rate of 110%, you've already achieved 10% too many days compared with the production plan, and you need to put an end to it quickly.

Why is project status important?

To inform teams

The main purpose of the progress report is to inform the teams, so that each employee is fully aware of what has been achieved and what remains to be done. 

 

In many cases, it is generated using project management software which centralizes all project-related information.

 

This guarantees a uniform level of information for the whole team. 

 

To monitor project progress

Project monitoring is essential to the success of a project. So progress reports are an integral part of this process, requiring you to take a step back on a regular basis. 

 

It allows you to monitor the project's progress, to note progress and to highlight potential risks. potential risks.

 

To be proactive in case of deviations

One of the main components of risk management is the analysis of actual versus forecast. This enables us to identify potential threats.

 

By mentioning them in the progress report, teams are then aware and alerted to the reality of the project.

 

Project managers, alerted and supported by their teams, can then make informed decisions to limit threats. 

 

To facilitate asynchronous working

Finally, consolidated progress monitoring helps to limit the number of meetings.

 

In fact, employees have access to the information they need asynchronously. As a result, the impact of simple information meetings is limited, and only those with high added value are maintained. 

 

For teams working remotely, the progress report helps to maintain and strengthen the link, as it ensures regular communication. 

 

What's more, it keeps a written record of the information shared. 

 

How to write an effective project progress report?

Setting standards for teams

Clarify the objectives of the progress report

To be effective, a progress report needs to be predictable. That's why it's important to state at the outset what it's for and why it's important. 

 

To realize its value, your teams need to be clear about the objectives of the progress report.

 

It provides information on the progress of the project, draws attention to any points of concern, and gives an update on the project's progress in relation to the established schedule. 

 

In this way, the progress report is concise and consistent from one report to the next. 

 

Involving teams

To help you create effective progress reportsbuild the template with your teams.

 

Don't hesitate to involve them, to make sure that the format or the information contained is relevant. 

 

After all, this progress report is intended for them, and they are the ones who will be consulting it throughout the project. 

 

Defining a template 

 

To save time, we encourage you to define a template structure right from the start of your project. This will enable you to produce your reports quickly and maintain consistency, enhancing impact.

 

What's more, if your project structure allows it, you can reuse your template from one project to the next. Your teams, already familiar with your way of communicating, will gain in productivity.

 

The first step in standardizing your templates could be to define a naming scheme, indicating the name and date of the project. This will make it easier to navigate through the history.

 

Structuring the document

The progress report must be structured. However, there's no precise model, depending on your needs or the type of type of project.

 

In all cases, the key is to maintain consistency from one report to the next, and to group information logically to make it easier to read.

 

Don't forget to include a table of contents and appendices so that employees can delve deeper into certain subjects if they need to, without weighing the document down.

 

Providing context

One of the essential components of the progress report is to set the context.

 

• Why is the project taking place?
• What is its scope?
• What's the objective? 

 

This contextualization can also serve as a reminder of the roles and responsibilities expected of each project member. 

 

Summarize key points

Visit key points of the project should be summarized in a few sentences.

 

Bullet points are still an effective way of structure informationand avoid lengthy sentences.

In fact, the progress report includes the most significant and relevant facts for the team. 

 

On the other hand, it quickly indicates whether the project is on the right track, the risks involved and the next steps to be taken. 

 

Provide additional resources

The progress report can include all the resources needed to delve deeper into the subject. Anything that can help you go further is welcome. 

 

However, it should remain in the form of links, to leave everyone free to access a higher level of information or not, without overloading the document.

 

Adding resources directly to the progress report can be important in that it avoids back-and-forth e-mails.

 

Debrief the schedule

The progress report must address the planning aspect. In this way, it highlights the project's progress in relation to the initial schedule.

 

What's more, the progress report clearly lists : 

• the remaining stages ;
• NEXT STEPS ;
• the sticking points ;
• possible risks.

 

Discuss potential risks

Risks are a strategic part of the progress report. 

 

Anything that threatens the success of the project should be mentioned: budget overruns, delays, etc. 

 

Here, it's all about striking the right balance between being transparent without being too alarming. 

How do you present the project progress?

Define key progress indicators 

Identify indicators

The success of a project is measured using success criteriaKPIs, or performance indicators.

 

A progress report also uses indicators to measure project progress, such as : 

 

• completion rate ;
• occupancy rate ;
• the resource planning rate;
• the temporal performance index.

 

These must be determined in advance during the preparation phase, and can vary from one project to another. 

 

Identify milestones 

In order to provide a clear overview of the project's progress, the progress report needs to highlight milestones that everyone can understand. 

 

At the crossroads between tasks and milestones, milestones represent project milestones. 

 

For example, thesending specifications to the customer can be considered a milestone.

 

Thus, the progress report should clearly indicate the milestones that have been reached, to help the team visualize what has been achieved. 

 

Choose a visual format

The importance of format choice

While the format may seem trivial, in reality its impact on theassimilation of information is substantial.

 

In fact, a report produced in a format adapted to its audience will enable information to be conveyed effectively. 

 

There's no need to reinvent the wheel: sometimes a simple, structured and visual e-mail containing all the necessary information will suffice. 

Production capacity is visible in the Stafiz utilization reporting dashboard.

 

Different formats depending on the information to be communicated

Progress reports can take many forms. 

 

Although the most common are written reports, there are also more visual presentations such as dashboards. 

These are invaluable in project management as they provide a quick visual overview of important information.

 

Choosing the right formats

Be careful about the visualizations you use. Just because something is visual doesn't necessarily mean it's helpful. 

 

This will limit the use of visualizations such as Gantt charts in progress reports. While effective for project planning, they can be complex to read, make or keep up to date.

 

For example, mindmaps or coloured dots representing the project's project weather may be more representative.

 

5 best practices for creating clear, effective progress reports

Choose the right sharing frequency for your project

Depending on the type of project 

A progress report is intrusive. For this reason, its frequency should be kept to a strict minimum in order to maintain its impact.

 

The frequency of mailings will therefore depend on thescope of the project.

 

If it's a project spanning several months - or even years or even yearsa progress report every 15 days seems sufficient.

 

There's no such thing as the right frequency: above all, it has to be consistent with your project and its timeline. 

 

Communicate regularly and continuously

Regardless of the frequency chosen, regularity is essential. The progress report must be predictable. 

 

To help you keep up the pace, you can set automatic automatic reminders.

 

Highlighting successes

Inform rather than alert

To produce effective reportsTo produce effective reports, you must sincerely consider the progress report as a source of information, not as a warning.

 

This document is not intended to point out what's going wrong, but simply to keep your team informed of the project's progress. project progress.

 

Highlighting successes

We encourage you to highlight successes.

 

Hence the importance of clearly displaying what has already been already achievedand to be optimistic about the future.

 

Be transparent and realistic

However, the progress report must be realistic and offer maximum maximum transparency as possible.

 

The more information teams have, the more likely they are to get involved in the project's success. 

 

Tailor your presentation to your audience

Define the recipient list in advance

Another tip for producing effective progress reports is to ensure that your document is delivered to the right people.

 

Draw up a list of participants project preparation to make sure you don't forget anyone.

 

All the project participants should be included, from both an operational and managerial point of view.

 

Tailor your communication to your audience

What's more, you need to adapt the tone, format or volume of information to suit your audience. 

 

You'll need to tailor your communication accordingly: you won't address the operational team in the same way as the project sponsors. 

 

That's why it's so important to clearly define the objectives of your progress report, and to whom it should be addressed, right from the preparation phase. preparation phase.

 

Keep it short

As we saw earlier, the progress report is a recurring document, and potentially intrusive for its recipients. 

 

For this reason, it must be quick to read and therefore concise. 

 

What's more, progress reports need to be made quickly. Hence the importance of using a project management tool to facilitate its creation.

Using a project management tool

Single reference source

One of the advantages ofusing a project management tool is that all information is centralized in one place. centralized in one place.

 

This facilitates collection and transmission. The tool then becomes a single source of reference.

 

To find out how to carry out a reliable and comprehensive risk analysis, follow our guide! 

 

Access to history

What's more, using a project management tool gives you access to the entireproject history.

 

Progress reports for the entire project are then easily accessible, enabling precise project tracking.

 

Automate data collection and processing

Gathering information can be a complex and time-consuming exercise. 

 

By using a project management tool, you avoid having to manually gather information information from multiple sources.

 

The moreautomation and synchronization between your various tools, the more efficient you become.

 

Facilitating collaboration

Finally, the use of a tool also facilitates information sharing within the team. 

 

Some tools also includeadding commentstask tracking or document management, helping to streamline communication.

 

Project progress report: sample structure

To help you build your progress reports, we suggest a structure. 

 

1. 1. Title Progress report - Project name - Period
   2. Project weather An icon or a phrase is enough
   3. Summary
   4. Project background and objectives Brief overview
   5. Milestones reached
   6. Problems, solutions and risks 
   7. Action plan Remaining milestones and next steps
   8. Conclusion Recommendations and encouragement
   9. Links and sources to find out more

 

The progress report is a strategic document for your team, and can play a decisive role in the success of your project.

 

An ill-informed team can develop mistrust, a lack of coordination and involvement, putting the project at risk. project in danger.

 

To be effective and relevant, your progress reports need to be concise, structured and tailored to your audience. 

 

In addition, proposing a project summaryt at the end could also prove beneficial. This would provide an overview of what has happened, and a reference point for future projects.