The Beginner’s Guide to Project Reporting
Nearly 60 percent of projects fail due to communication breakdowns, and 75 percent of project managers lack confidence in project success, partly due to out-of-sync stakeholders.
Accurate, consistent project reporting is one way to insure your projects don’t become a part of these statistics.
The thing is project reporting isn’t easy. In fact, most project teams face the following challenges.
- They spend too much time preparing reports.
- They fear consequences from the data being misunderstood.
- Stakeholders don’t read reports.
- They’re unsure how to improve performance based on their reports.
And it isn’t any easier for senior leadership either, although they face different challenges in project reporting, including:
- Inconsistent project reporting across projects
- No early warning detection
- Outdated or superfluous information
- Tracking the wrong metrics
Fortunately, we’re here to teach you the ins and outs of project reporting, including best practices and how to simplify reports so they get read. You’ll also get a handful of project reporting templates to save you time and create consistent reports across projects for executives. Once you master the basics, you’ll also be ready to utilize the many tools available for project reporting.
Project Reporting Best Practices: How to Write Effective Project Reports
Stay focused.
Ask yourself: What’s the intent of the report?
What’s the result you’re looking for by sending this report to whoever you’re sending it to? What’s the call-to-action (CTA)?
What are you trying to communicate? Who is your target audience?
If you want the stakeholder to read your report, you must tailor the information specifically for them, and make sure whatever you include is related to only the aspect(s) of the project that is most relevant to them.
One way to insure you’re giving stakeholders only what they need is to verify the report’s value. Are the reports you’re sending actually of value to them? Ask them. Validate what they want/need to know.
Maintain records.
What if you get sick or you’re out of the office for a period of the project you’re managing? How is someone going to be able to take the reins while you’re out?
Well, if you’ve been consistently creating project reports, then there’s a historical record of the project that can act as a primer for the temp PM.
Another benefit of consistent project reporting is it can serve as a template for future projects that are similar in scope, saving you time on the next project.
Keep reports high-level.
Start with the overall goals, benefits, health and progress of your project, using high-level information snapshots before you dive into the minute details of the project.
Make reports consistent.
You want to send your reports on a consistent basis, so stakeholders know when to expect them.
Validate the information.
This should go without saying, but make sure you validate the accuracy of project reports. If you don’t and you slip, making a mistake, it’s a surefire way to lose credibility in the office.