As we take a job, it also means that we have to take duties and responsibilities that we have to fulfill. Workers need to finish all their tasks for the day. They have to cooperate on projects with all the team members. When project management is evaluated, they should be someone that excel in executing the project. The project progress is in the hand of the workers. It will not be finished until they do their part. Every working day, they should spent their whole time to slowly finish the project as each day passes. The project status should be improved as the day goes by. And as the project progresses, they have to do status reporting. A document should be given stating the current status of the project that they have been doing. It can be in the form of a presentation or a written report. Usually, it is given every month. This report is called monthly project status report. It is very important because every project should be reported and evaluated. It would tell about the progress of the project and how well a team was doing in their job. The management will know whether the team or the worker has finished the project or not, or whether it would be finished soon. In this way, the needs for the project can be given and the team or the worker will know how to prioritize the project.
To define some of the tasks that we do in our workplace, a monthly project status report is a monthly update on the development of a project. It is a document about the progress of any project. It gives answers to questions that we have about a certain project. They give an overall information about the project without stating all the details about it. It is given to stakeholders so they can assess the project. Any monthly project status report should be done with diligence. The project status should be honestly reported. Sometimes it is presented through PPT or Powerpoint presentation using a Powerpoint template. Sometimes it is written in Word or Excel. Whatever its format, you should be sure that it is clear and it would actually report the current condition of the project. Just as you are careful in choosing a monthly progress report template, you must also be careful in writing its content. A project status update should be correct and accurate.
There are elements of a monthly project status report. These are elements that are included in it. They are:
Last Month’s Project
To assess the project better and to have continuance in the work, the last month’s project must be included in the monthly project status report. This is to compare your current project with the last project. You can also have knowledge of all the project that you have been doing in months.
Project Information
Of course, you should tell what the project is about. So you cannot make a monthly project status report without telling all the specific details about it. The information is vital because it will tell the scope of the project.
Milestones on the Project
Whatever you have achieved in the project should be written. Tell how many milestones have you made with the project and what are all of them. It will tell how far you are in the project.
Achievements For the Month
The most interesting part is the number of your achievements for the month. Tell all the tasks that you have accomplished. Whether it was few or numerous, you should tell its number. Make a description for every accomplishments. This is the whole point of the monthly project status report.
Goals For the Next Month
You have written the project in the last month and all your achievements for the month. The next thing you need to write is the goal or the goals for the next month. It is needed so the reader can expect what you will do next for the project. If the project is not finished yet, you can put that you are going to finish it on the following month.
Issues on the Project
The issues and concerns that you had with the project should also have visibility. If ever the project has not been finished yet, the reader will know your reasons. You will not be accused of being lazy with your job. If you also have some special requests, you can make it known to the readers.
Making a project progress report is not easy at times. You should need some tips in making it.
It may be the last days of the month and you should submit a report about your project status. Before you cram, dive into these steps so you can write a monthly project status report.
Step 1: Give your report a name.
Give a compelling title for your monthly report. This will be its name. The reader should instantly grasp with the title how well you have been doing with the project. It should be a simple name but an interesting one. It should be something that can catch the attention of the stakeholders and would impress them so that they would not question you anything about the project.
Step 2: Determine your goals.
Ask yourself what is your goal with the monthly project status report. It will give you direction on how will you construct the report. Of course, you want to make your boss know that you are doing your job. The project is the proof of it. To make the project better is also a goal that you should consider. It would be a good start and purpose that you can present in your report. Whatever is your goal, be sure that you can have transparency so you can achieve it.
Step 3: Know your target audience.
Before you write, you should have in mind who are the audience that you will have. They can be the client, the stakeholders, the team members, or the sponsors. Adjust the way of your writing according to your target audience. If they will be different persons, consider in making your monthly project status report universal. Any target audience should be captivated with your report.
Step 4: Create an executive summary.
This summary should be a description of the project status as a whole. It could be 2-3 sentences having the overall content of the report. Make this sentences direct and simple. It should tell the main points of the project status. In case the reader do not have the time on reading the whole report, with the executive summary they can pinpoint the status of the project that you are having. So use your mind effectively to capture the project status in 2-3 sentences.
Step 5: Tell the details about the project.
Next that you should do is cite the information about the project. Tell the name of the project or put a name for the project. Tell your progress or all the tasks that you have finished. You can number all of them if you want to be definite. Put your name and the name of the workers that are working on it. Provide how the tasks are distributed if it was done by a team. Include dates so the frequency of the efficiency of each worker will be assessed. Put all the important details without making the report too long. Remember readability because you should not want your report to be flooded with too many words and details.
Step 6: Use metrics.
Use different metrics in relaying information about the project status. Project management status report needs this thing because it will make it more effective. You can provide percentages about the project. This will make the report easier to comprehend. Have your own questions about the project and as you are answering them, you can know what metrics to use.
Step 7: Highlight the milestones in the project.
Having project milestones makes a project more easier to do. Highlight every milestone that you have done in the project. Have a description of it. Put also timeline for every milestone. This can also show that you have done much with the project. If there are many milestones in the project, it also means that you have achieved many things.
Step 8: Give an overview with each key element.
Provide an overview on the important things about your report. By giving an overview, the reader will understand easily every important part of your report. This overview will keep them to be more informed and you can relay your message better. It can also be a good format for your report. The report will be well-constructed.
Step 9: Provide links to resources.
Some information about the resources is not a bad thing. This will show that you have really done a great job on the project. If the reader will have questions to you about the project, they can refer to the resources that you have provided. This also means that the project has been done in good faith.
Step 10: Report the challenges encountered.
The challenges that you have encountered should also be included in the report. This can defend you if ever you are not making the project on time. The company can also provide a solution if they will know all the challenges that you had. Whatever problems you have encountered will be prevented next time.
Step 11: Put important notes.
To emphasize some important things in your report, you can put some notes about them. Put it at the end of the report or after each element where action was needed. Remember that your voice can be heard through these notes. So if you have to say something, putting notes is the most effective way. Simplify your ideas and concerns and make them known to the reader.
Step 12: Polish the draft.
After writing every information, edit the draft to make it more polished. Be wary of grammatical errors and wrong spellings. Ascertain that you have properly incorporated all your ideas in the report. Be sure that the project status is clear. When you are sure of everything, you can submit the project progress report
Yes, it is essential. The progress of every project should be tracked and reported. This will tell whether you are working on a long term project or not. It can also make you to keep on working. Project status should be known by the management so that they will know that a project can be finished in time or not.
If you are currently working on a project, your immediate head may have asked you to submit a monthly project status report. This post has templates that can help you in making that kind of report. You can choose on the available templates. They can help you make a report that will report the status of your project and you will have no worry that your boss will scold you of not having it. Be wise in picking!
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