Project status reports are fundamentally important because they describe a project’s progress, which helps keep stakeholders informed of progress, costs, risks, time and work.

Project status reports are commonly submitted to senior stakeholders during the implementation stage of projects, either weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

The project status report is quick to develop and has something for all stakeholders:

• For executives – the status report provides a snapshot of how the project is progressing and where the key issues are.
• For mid-level management – the status report provides transparency on what their staff are doing and where issues and risks need to be raised for senior level decision making.
• For delivery staff – the status report provides a mechanism to capture their work. It also provides visibility on what other staff are working on as a method of cross-team collaboration.

If you are tasked with developing status reports for your project, consider using the below simple one-page format. Zoom in or view on your PC for best results.

For the status report to be effective, it should be stored in a shared location so that project stakeholders can quickly find, review and action elements of the project that impact them.

To ensure timely and high-quality delivery of the status report, the position of the status report coordinator plays a critical role. The coordinator’s tasks may include:

• Sending formal and informal reminders on when input is required.
• Fixing spelling and grammar and ensuring wording has a consistent tone throughout the report.
• Proactively engaging with stakeholders where their input is not sufficient or clarification is required.

I introduced this status report format at two major Australian federal government agencies. By gathering input, revising, correcting errors, and seeking clarification ahead of the Friday afternoon distribution, I was able to maintain a consistent level of quality with positive feedback.

In summary, the status report is a useful tool to communicate how your project is tracking, what work has been done and key risks and issues which require senior decision-making. The coordinator’s role is crucial to ensure that the status reports are of high quality and submitted on schedule.

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About the Author

Kirtan Jamnadas is a management consultant with over seven years of experience successfully delivering complex IT projects at four large federal government agencies in Australia.

Kirtan is passionate about initiating and driving projects forward while ensuring that all stakeholders are engaged and on board with the project’s goals.

With his employer’s support, Kirtan established the company’s project management practice – this included developing all the frameworks, tools and templates to ensure projects are set up for success.

This blog is the third in a series of fortnightly project management blogs. My mission is to provide current and aspiring project managers with simple and practical tools to help streamline operations, optimise performance and achieve project success.