13+ Sample Monthly Project Status Report 

What is a Monthly Project Status Report?

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.

Elements of a Monthly Project Status Report

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.

Tips on Monthly Project Status Report

Making a project progress report is not easy at times. You should need some tips in making it.

Make the description of the project concise. Keep the report simple. You should describe the report properly and anyone should understand what your project is. But you should be concise in writing it. Make a description about the project in 3-5 sentences. Be sure that the scope of the project is included with these few sentences. Construct your sentences properly so you can deliver your message better. The description of the project is one of the most important points, so you have to write it carefully.Hand over data with tables and charts. Using tables and charts can express your ideas better. It can also be a better description of anything that you have to relay. Aside from using tables and charts, you can also use graphs. Using these things will present all the information better. You do not have to explain them in sentences which could sometimes be boring. Visual representation can help you much in making a monthly project status report.Avoid excessive technical terms. Yes, you may use technical terms in the report, but do not use too many of them. It will make your report obscure and not interesting to read. If you will have an audience that do not understand the terms, the report to them will mean nothing. Do not put too many terms like that and you can make your report readable. The reader will easily get what you mean and the purpose will be clearer. It will be easier for you to achieve your goals. So make use of understandable words rather than using technical terms that only a few knows.Use a good format. The secret on having the best monthly project status report is to find the best format to use. Find something like it on the internet. Pick the best template. It will be the best for any project status update. This is important because the report is a formal one and you should not be light on this.Give enough time to do the report. You should not be in a hurry in making the report. Allow enough time that you can give for it. This will make you to write the report better. If you will be hasty, you can miss on something and you cannot come up with the best ideas in writing. Enough time will perfect everything.Have a summary on the goal of the project. Be definite about the goals of the project. This will mean that you are going to finish the project on time and that you will give your best at it. The goals should be completely relevant to the project and be realistic to do. It should also be done in a definite, realistic time for you.Emphasize the most significant part of the report. What is the most significant part of the report? It is the project status. It is the progress of the project. Be specific about this thing. Be definite about it. It is the main reason for the report so be sure that the things about it was clear.Provide supporting documents. Things like receipts and task reports should be added with the monthly status report. This will defend yoour progress within the project. You can also show the results that you have as you use a project status tracker. Or sometimes, you can show a monthly calendar that states the progress on the project.

How to Write a Monthly Project Status Report

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

FAQs

Is the Monthly Project Status Report Essential?

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!