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A project status report can be used to communicate the current status of your project. Producers and Project Managers use status reports to keep clients, team members and other stakeholders informed. A famous person once said:
James C. Humes is an author and former speechwriter for the president.
This means that you will need to have a plan to communicate with your clients and team regularly throughout the project’s lifecycle.
A project status report can be written in many different formats. You want to make sure that your project status report is both informative and thorough. Also, that it is attractive enough that people actually read it. These are just a few of the topics I will be addressing in this article.
You can also listen to my episode of The DPM podcast about this topic!
Template for Project Status Report
A project status report template is available in the DPM Membership template library. It can be used to help you start issuing project reports quickly and effectively.
You can use the DPM Membership project status report template to deliver weekly or monthly project status updates.
A sample is included to help you visualize what a final report should look like.
Find out how to get the template.
Status reports for projects are important and can be time-consuming. I hope to make it as simple and intuitive as possible.
What is a Project Status Report?
A project status report covers all business-critical information, progress and risk associated with a single project. This is a snapshot of the situation.
A project status report can be used to:
Streamline communication efforts throughout the organization and with stakeholders
Facilitate the collection and dissemination of information about key elements of the project.
Stakeholders should have all the information they need to make informed decisions
Ensure that key messages and goals are communicated to the project.
Assist in the recording of past events, actions, decisions
What’s included in a status update?
Summary of Work Completed
A Plan for What’s Next
Updates on Budget and Timeline
Any Action Items/To Dos
Report on Risks, Issues and Mitigation
Types of Project Status Reports
Weekly VS Monthly Status Reports
Different types of data should not be reported at the same time. We have both weekly and monthly status reports. Here’s a breakdown on what you can expect from each.
Weekly Status Report
A project manager should keep a weekly status report document. This document should be used to record updates and stats in real-time. Most likely, you will have a specific day in mind for when you send it. However, the beauty of a weekly status report is that it can be completed within an hour if requested by a client.
Monthly Status Report
A bi-monthly or monthly status report should be a “bigger picture”, which can quickly catch the attention of upper management on developments and progress. Don’t worry about the details, just focus on what is important to them: budget, costs and status of deliverables.
Quarterly Status Reports
Quarterly status reports cover a longer period of time (up to 3-4 months). If they are required, you will want to be aware of their length. Identify 3-4 top priorities or goals and then report on them. Don’t be distracted by big ideas. Focus on quantitative progress. It should be your “elevator pitch” for all of your work.
External VS Internal Status Reports
Like any other written document, status reports must be tailored to the audience. Your
