Managing a project is tough work. With lots of tasks to oversee, it can be daunting for you to keep up and provide updates on project status.
That's where project management reports come in handy. They provide clear direction, help you make the right decisions and increase your chances of success.
Not sure how to create a project management report? You've come to the right place.
This article will show you everything you need to know about writing a project management report and templates to help you create one right away.
Here's a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit project management report templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:
A project management report is a document that provides information on the project's progress, performance and overall status. It serves as a key instrument for projects of all types and is used by key stakeholders, including:
The report visualizes your project's realities, peculiarities and performance during the project life cycle. Depending on the project size and complexity, you submit it weekly, monthly or quarterly.
Your report could be a one-page document with links and appendices. You can also decide to make your report more detailed. It's entirely up to how much your stakeholders want to see.
Project reports increase visibility and give you a complete insight into how your project is performing. But that's the tip of the iceberg regarding the benefits of creating one.
Let's take a look at the benefits of creating project management reports.
Project management involves many different layers and activities. As a result, there are many use cases for project management reports.
There's no one-size-fits-all structure and content for project management reports. The report content may vary depending on your company, project type and project management requirements.
However, no matter the business, industry, project type, your report should contain these key elements listed below.
This section should include special identifiers like:
This section should summarize the project's purpose, scope, activities, timelines and milestones, anticipated obstacles and more.
Create a detailed list of project activities and tasks (pending, completed and upcoming). Also, visualize task dependencies to enable readers to track the relationship between different tasks.
Record timelines for each activity and the project start and end dates. If you're in the middle of a project, include data about the milestones completed and what's left.
The reader should understand who's responsible for certain deliverables and which aspects are being outsourced. Describe the tools, staffing and other resources used to achieve the project goals.
Mention which people or departments are in charge of various aspects of the project and the equipment, systems and programs they use.
Your project may run into anticipated risks or unexpected setbacks. These challenges may include scope creep, delays, technical failure, equipment breakdown, or insufficient funding.
Describe how you plan to mitigate these risks or remedy these challenges.
Discuss whether or not a client, internal team or department has requested a change to the processes or deliverables. Provide updates on pending and approved project change requests.
Discuss the actions taken to ensure the project results are error-free or meet the expected requirements and standards.
Provide details about the projected or allotted budget and how funds are spent. Explain whether the projected budget covers the project resources. Also, mention whether or not the project will be completed within the allocated budget.
Give a brief overview of the project's overall health. You can either write it or use visual aids like stoplight charts.
The goal of project reporting is to compile and present relevant information in a clear and concise format. You want stakeholders to glean valuable insights and use them to achieve success.
Here's how to create effective project management reports.
This step is paramount for every successful project management report. Consider the purpose of your project report.
Are you creating new tasks or dependencies? Have you identified new risks or do you want to explain project delays? Are you creating project change requests or updating the project scope? Or are you looking to convince sponsors to pump additional funds into the project?
Why is it critical to clearly state your objective? The answer is simple. It provides clear direction for the rest of the report, making it easy for readers to understand.
The next step is to identify who will be reading the report and what they want to learn from it. Identifying your audience from the outset will give direction for your content.
Some details may be irrelevant to some audiences. Others might require more specific information. For example, top executives and investors may not have time to dive into the finer details. For this type of audience, visual aids like the one below are your best bet.
On the flip side, team members may be unable to get much out of a report showing only charts, numbers and notes.
Meet with your client or supervisor to understand what they expect from the report. They may have a specific report writing format, length, details and areas of interest they want you to include. Try to gather as much information as possible to make your report useful.
Some audiences may be unfamiliar with your profession's language, terms and jargon. Avoid using industry jargon that’s hard to explain. Instead, write in a tone that clearly explains your project information. Tailor your content, tone, language, structure, communication style and graphics to your reader.
Solidify your reports with accurate data and facts from stakeholders and departments involved in the project.
Looking for financial data? Your accounting software is a great place to start. Or you can get information about resource utilization from your project management tool.
If you're looking to capture the true situation of things, don't just rely on qualitative data alone. Double down on qualitative data like ideas, behaviors and opinions as well. They provide more context and explain the stories behind the quantitative data.
For example, let's say quantitative data shows project delays and missed deadlines. You can gather qualitative data to uncover the root cause and how to mitigate it.
We have already shared what needs to be in your project management report. Now It's time to write it. Use pre-made templates with an organized structure like the one below to make it visually appealing.
Why does it matter? Well, no one wants to read reports in a jumbled and disorganized format. So you want to organize data and facts to make them easily digestible.
Start with a stunning cover page followed by a table of contents. Then move on to the executive summary and the body, which includes the key details. Finally, you can round off your report with a summary.
To make your report actionable, summarize it with key takeaways, action points and expectations.
Not sure how to get started? Visme has you covered. Our report maker is intuitive and easy to use, making report writing a breeze. You can start from scratch or use professionally-designed templates to create reports like:
In the latter part of this article, we'll discuss how to make the most of Visme templates.
Proofread and revise your content to make it worth the read. Don't be tempted to leave out this step no matter what happens.
Look out for spelling, punctuation and grammar errors, inconsistent data, cluttered designs and other flaws. Eliminate irrelevant details, replace missing data and revise the report until it is error-free. Otherwise, your report will look sloppy and unprofessional.
Check with your team to ensure you aren't missing out on extra updates or last-minute changes. They also offer an extra pair of eyes to spot errors and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
With Visme, you can collaborate and revise your project with team members. Simply share your report with a link and password. You can set permissions to allow your team members to view, comment and edit the report. When anyone edits the file, you can track changes and anyone with the link will see the changes too.
Once you've incorporated contributions from team members, you can share the report with your readers.
From your Visme dashboard, you can invite people via email to view, comment or edit the report. Or copy and share the report link with your audience. You can also download the report in PDF format and share it via email or the cloud.
Remember to ask your readers to confirm they've received the report and can view it.
Crafting a project management report worth reading can be challenging. But there's no doubt that Visme's report maker can make the process a breeze.
The software has an easy-to-use design editor, a rich library of templates, icons, stock images, videos and much more. Feel free to tailor these templates to your unique needs. You can replace the content, add or remove pages, upload logos and images, change fonts, colors and other elements.
Here are ten stunning Visme templates to help you get started.
Get stakeholder eyes on your project management reports with this attractive template. The cover and adjoining pages have an exquisite design and other elements that create a solid impression.
This template covers everything you need to effectively report your project's progress. It features an executive summary and summary of compelling figures, timelines, comparison of targets and outcomes, budget and expenditures.
Notice how this report uses charts, graphs, icons and images to visualize key project data. You can find and use all of these elements and more in Visme.
