How can you communicate project progress to IT consulting clients?

1 Know your audience

To ensure effective communication of project progress, it is important to understand who your audience is and what they care about. Different clients may have varying levels of technical expertise, interest, and involvement in your project. Therefore, you should ask them some questions at the start of the project to tailor your communication style and frequency accordingly. These questions can include their goals and expectations for the project, their preferred method of receiving updates and feedback, the level of detail they want, who the key stakeholders and decision-makers are, and how they measure and evaluate the project success and value. Knowing your audience can help you avoid communication gaps, misunderstandings, and frustrations while ensuring that your project updates are relevant, clear, and engaging.

2 Use a project management tool

A project management tool is a software application that helps you plan, organize, track, and report on your project activities and deliverables. It offers a centralized and transparent platform for your clients to access and review your project information, such as the scope, timeline, budget, milestones, tasks, dependencies, and responsibilities of each team member. Furthermore, it displays the status, progress, completion of each task and deliverable, as well as any risks, issues, changes that affect the project. Plus, it provides documents, files, and resources that support the project. Utilizing a project management tool can save you time and effort in creating and sending project updates while also reducing the risk of errors or delays. It can also enhance your client's trust in your project management skills and professionalism. Popular examples include Asana, Trello, Basecamp, Jira, and Microsoft Project.

3 Choose the right format and tone

When communicating project progress to your clients, you should consider their preferences and needs, as well as the format and tone you use. For instance, a brief and informal email or text message can be used to notify them of minor updates or changes, while a detailed and formal report or presentation may be necessary to summarize the project status and achievements at a major milestone. Additionally, visual and interactive dashboards or infographics can be useful for highlighting project metrics and outcomes. Furthermore, verbal and conversational phone calls or video meetings can help to discuss challenges, solutions, solicit feedback, and answer questions. When using any of these formats, it's important to maintain a clear, concise, and courteous tone that reflects your respect for the client. Furthermore, avoid jargon or technical terms that they may not understand and explain them if necessary. Lastly, use positive and constructive language that emphasizes the project value and benefits while acknowledging the client's concerns and expectations.

4 Provide evidence and feedback

Showing your clients evidence and feedback of your project work and results is an effective way to communicate project progress. This will help you demonstrate credibility, competence, and commitment, as well as validate assumptions and decisions. Examples of evidence and feedback include deliverables or outputs produced; data and metrics collected or analyzed; and feedback or testimonials from clients, users, or other stakeholders. By providing evidence and feedback, you not only communicate project progress but also invite your client to participate and collaborate in your project, allowing them to provide input and suggestions for improvement and innovation.

5 Anticipate and address challenges

No matter how well you plan and execute your project, you may encounter some challenges and difficulties along the way, such as scope creep, resource constraints, or communication breakdowns. To communicate project progress effectively, it's important to anticipate and address these issues proactively and transparently. You should inform your client of any potential or actual challenges that affect your project as soon as possible, and explain how you plan to resolve or mitigate them. Negotiating and agreeing on any changes or adjustments that are necessary or beneficial for your project is also essential, and should be documented in a change request or revised project plan. Doing so can prevent or reduce the negative impact of these challenges on your project quality, timeline, and budget, while also maintaining your client's trust and satisfaction.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?