How to write a good monitoring and evaluation report - guidelines and best practices

July 27, 2021.

Reporting is an integral part of any monitoring and evaluation plan or framework. Good reporting enables organisations to communicate the value of their work and their impact while allowing them to demonstrate aid effectiveness and enhance performance, collaboration, learning and adaptation within their organisation and throughout the entire project cycle.

In this article, we will explain what monitoring and evaluation reporting is, how it’s done and how your organisation can benefit from periodic reporting. Plus, stay with us as we walk you through some of the best practices of M&E reporting – M&E report formats and frequency, what to include in your M&E report and some top guidelines from experts to help you streamline your reporting process and write reports that are credible and constructive.

What is monitoring and evaluation (M&E) reporting and how is it done?

Reporting is the documentation and communication of M&E results to appropriate audiences at specified times. The key purpose of reporting may be to account for funds expended, to provide rich data for the decision-making process or to improve targeting and coordination of investments and on-ground actions. Reporting can be done at a project or program level. Most M&E reports include financial summary of a project as well as updates on its progress and achievements, activities undertaken, inputs supplied, money disbursed, key findings, results, impacts, plus, conclusions and recommendations from the interventions that have been compiled from various monitoring and evaluation activities and data sources. 

The goal of reporting is to present these collected and analyzed data as information or evidence to key stakeholders and investors to utilize and to increase their confidence in the project and the implementing team.

Benefits of periodic monitoring and evaluation (M&E) reporting

Periodic reporting on M&E data helps internal staff and management teams to assess and communicate their transparency and accountability to their stakeholders, partners, funders, beneficiaries and others. It enables them to identify and interpret the progress their interventions have made against their set targets and indicators and its impact in the community of interest and its people. 

M&E reports also help the team to test the effectiveness of their underlying assumptions, project activities, design, strategy and suggest ways for future adaptation and improvements. Moreover, M&E reports allow the team to identify and share challenges they have encountered, unexpected changes that have emerged in the process, along with underlying reasons for under-performance or shortcomings of existing management and monitoring systems and their proposed recommendations and action plans for improvements of subsequent work plans and sustainability of their results. 

M&E reports help the stakeholders, partners, donors and others involved in the project to grasp a clear picture of the performance of the project and its real impact on the ground, helping them make evidence-based decisions to improve the current intervention and design better projects in the future. These reports also help the higher-up management teams to make adjustments to their internal operations and make recommendations for the state or country level policy amendments. Moreover, the evidence from such reports also help the donors to direct aid and funding to where it’s needed most – to address the most critical issues and help the most vulnerable communities in need.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reports - frequency and formats

Each organisation is different and so are its projects, hence every organisation has its own unique reporting system. M&E reports can be produced and distributed on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or on an annual basis. Weekly and bi-weekly reports are usually concise and shared with the internal team and some external stakeholders to keep them up to date on the project progress against their targets, budget, any changes made to the project or the implementing team etc. However, monthly, quarterly bi-annual or annual reports are much more comprehensive and include more details and evidence on the progress of the intervention, project inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, lessons learned, recommendations etc. These are shared with a wider audience, including partners, donors and other stakeholders.

Many organisations report on their M&E data in a traditional narrative format in the form of paper reports. However, with the emergence of digital technology and approaches, many others are adopting new and innovative mediums to report, such as videos, recorded audio, interactive media, mapping, data visualization, interactive dashboards, online presentations and more. How often and in which format reports are produced and distributed depends on the organisation and its reporting system. The frequency and format also depend on the nature of the project, its M&E plan and log frames, the resources available, the requirements of the donors and the audience of the report – how and by whom reporting data will be utilized etc.  

Note that many organisations report on their monitoring and evaluation activities together, however, there are exceptions. In some organisations, monitoring and evaluation reporting is done separately. Monitoring is done by implementing staff members and it’s undertaken more frequently than evaluation. Evaluation on the other hand could be undertaken by internal staff or external consultants.

See how TolaData’s configurable dashboards can add value to your organisation’s reporting processes. 

Some key points to keep in mind before writing your M&E report

  • Have you identified indicators for each project activity? Indicators must be relevant and easy to track, measure and report. Here’s how to create indicators that make sense. 
  • Have you identified key monitoring and evaluation questions and determined what data will need to be collected and which tools and methods will be used to collect them?
  • How will you collect, consolidate and analyse your data and distil insights from it? Here’s how you can integrate data from multiple sources and tools. 
  • How will you compile and consolidate the findings and results and include them in your report? 
  • How frequently will you send out your report and in what format?
  • Be mindful of the audience and timing of your report. M&E reports are effective only when they are submitted to the right people at the right time and facilitates corrective decision making.

What goes into an M&E report?

Please note that this list includes some common elements included in an M&E report. As mentioned above, every organisation and every project is different and so is their reporting system. Therefore, you will have to adjust this list according to the nature of your project, the requirements of your donors and stakeholders and the audience of your report.

What to include in an M&E report

This list has been adapted from the Evaluation Report Checklist by USAID .

Guidelines for writing credible and constructive monitoring and evaluation (M&E) reports.

The following guidelines have been adapted from the document – Monitoring and Evaluation Guidelines from the UN World Food Programme.

  • To help ensure efficiency, the purpose of reporting should be clearly defined. Be sure to include a section in the introduction describing the need to produce this report and its anticipated use. 
  • Make sure the i nformation you are providing is accurate, complete, reliable, timely, relevant and easy to understand. 
  • Be clear who your audience is and ensure that the information is meaningful and useful to them. If needed, tailor the content, format and timing of the report to suit the audiences’ needs. Information is of little value if it is too late or infrequent for its intended purpose. 
  • Consistency is key. Reporting should adopt units and formats that allow comparison over time, enabling progress to be tracked against indicators, targets and other agreed-upon milestones.
  • Make sure your report is concise and the layout clean and consistent.
  • Focus on results and accomplishments and link the use of resources allocated to their delivery and use. 
  • Be sure to include a section describing the data sources and data collection methods used so that your findings are objectively verifiable.
  • Write in plain language that can be understood by the target audience. Avoid complex jargons and details if possible and be consistent in your use of terminology, definitions and descriptions of partners, activities and places. Be sure to define any technical terms or acronyms in the annex section.
  • Make use of graphs and charts to communicate your findings. Present complex data with the help of figures, summary tables, maps, photographs, and graphs that are easier to understand.
  • Include references for sources and authorities.
  • Include a table of contents for reports over 5 pages in length.
  • Make sure your reporting system is cost effective. Avoid excessive, unnecessary reporting. Information overload is costly and can burden information flow and the potential of using other more relevant information.
  • Be open to feedback. Make sure to include an email address, a physical address or a telephone number for the recipients to send their feedback on the report. 

As we can see, there are many benefits of good and timely reporting and it should be a part of every development project and its monitoring and evaluation system. However, many organisations continue to report on their progress only as a part of the donor requirement, without giving much heed to the huge prospect of collaboration, learning, adaptation and improvement. Therefore, a good reporting system should have a balance of all these elements, plus quality project management and good coordination and communication flow within the team. 

We hope you found our article helpful. If you have any comments or suggestions on how we can improve it, please leave a comment below.

Key References

  • Monitoring and evaluation guidelines, UN World Food Programme
  • Reporting, INTRAC
  • Evaluation report checklist, USAID

By Chandani Lopez Peralta, Content Marketing Manager at TolaData.

21 thoughts on “How to write a good M&E report – guidelines & best practices”

Thank you very much for the useful information

Our pleasure, Hassani. So glad to hear that you found our article helpful. Do check our Blog section for more resources on M&E — https://www.toladata.com/blog/

thank you so much just checked it out, you guys are doing a great job and now you have made my job much easier. Jackpot here!

I like the simplicity of explanations and clarity on topics. Best wishes

Thank you for your lovely comment, Benedicta!

This document is quite enriching and had greatly enhanced my reporting skills. From now henceforth my reports will be much more improved and quite concise.

Glad to be of help, Mercy! In case you are looking for more insightful resources on M&E related topics, do check out our blog section – https://www.toladata.com/blog/

Thank you very much. I have found your articles very enlightening. Do you have any on how to budget for M&E? Also is M&E reported separately from the report produced by project officers or both are merged

Thank you for your feedback, Amina! To answer your question, it depends on your donor’s reporting requirements. Some choose to report on M&E activities separately while others merge them with their project reports. We do not have a separate article on budgeting for M&E yet but we will definitely add that to our list.

Thanks a lot. I realized how M&E is important and how useful for us.

Glad to hear that, Thein Zaw!

This was helpful and enlightening Thanks

I really love this write-ups. Thank you so much.

I realized that M&E report is the best Thanks alot

When evaluating project management software, it is important to consider the compatibility of the software with your current project management process.

very helpful

Thank you so much, content is so informative

thanks its very intersting

I have an inquiry, for the report conclusion, do we need to support this section with numbers or percentages or no need!!

Thank so much for the resources it actually help a lot

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8 steps to write an effective project status report

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Effective project status reports are the best way to keep your stakeholders aligned and in the loop during your project progress. These high-level updates proactively let your team know if a project is on track, at risk, or off track—so you can course correct if necessary to hit your deadlines every time. Learn how to create project status reports in a few easy steps, plus check out a template you can use right away.

It’s the end of the week and here you are again: having to dig through a variety of spreadsheets, emails, and tools to patch together an update of how your project is doing. 

Instead of manually assembling this information, use a project status report template to streamline this process for you. That way, you spend less time on unnecessary data gathering and more time on work that matters. 

Whether you’re gearing up for your first ever project status report or you’re looking for a better system than the one you currently use, this article will walk you through what a progress report is, how you can build one, and how to use project status reports to hit your project deadlines on time, every time. Here’s how.

What is a project status report?

Project status reports are timely updates on the progress of your projects. Written concisely, project reports offer high-level information about project progress, so team members get at-a-glance insight into what’s happening within the project. With a timely status report, you can ensure your entire project team and cross-functional stakeholders understand what’s on track, what’s blocked, and what’s coming next. 

Regularly sharing project status reports is important because they help you keep all project stakeholders in the loop and aligned on how your project is progressing. They answer the questions everyone has before team members even have a chance to ask them. They show and tell your team that you’re on track, making you (and everyone else) feel confident.

How often you share project status reports depends on your project’s timeline. Some projects benefit from weekly reporting, while others only need to be updated once a month. Schedule your project reports as frequently as is helpful for your stakeholders. These shouldn’t be reactive reports on things going poorly—rather, effective reports keep your team updated on the project’s progress, whether the project is on track, at risk, or off track.

The benefits of effective project reporting

Reporting isn’t just something you should do for the sake of doing it. Effective reporting has a variety of benefits. When you correctly report on project status, you effectively: 

Keep track of project health

The worst thing for a project is when you arrive at the end of the timeline and realize you were off track the whole time. No one likes being blindsided—and as the project manager, you’re empowered to make sure your team is aware of your project health at all times. 

Progress reports are a way to do that without too much manual work. Because these reports mix high-level summaries with some important metrics, everyone has a sense of the project's health. And if the project is off track? You can quickly and proactively fix it—so you still hit your project deadline on time and on budget.

Summarize project progress

Project status reports are not real-time reports. These reports are summaries of what happened during the past week, two weeks, or month of project work. They’re an opportunity for your stakeholders to stay informed on how well you’re sticking to the project plan . 

If you’re looking for tips on how to report on projects in real time, check out our article on universal reporting tools for every team . 

Reduce manual work

As the project manager, you already have enough on your plate. You don’t need to also spend hours every week or month grabbing data from different places. Project reporting tools make it easy to find all of this information in one place, and create a project status report with the click of a button. 

Share next steps and action items

Project status reports should go out to your project team, project sponsor, important stakeholders, and cross-functional team members. Because these are high-level reports, they’re appropriate for anyone who wants to stay informed about project progress. 

This is the optimal way to let everyone know what’s happening without getting into the details. If there are important project next steps or action items, share them here so everyone knows what to expect. 

Proactively identify blockers

If your project isn’t on track, your status report lets others know what the delay is and what you’re doing to resolve any blockers, allowing you to show off your proactive approach to getting things back to where they should be. Similar to the project risk management process , proactive status reporting helps you identify and overcome issues before they impact your project timeline.

Say goodbye to status meetings

The day of the status meeting is over. We now know these aren’t effective ways to spend your time. Unlike face-to-face meetings, project status reports are shared in a central tool that team members can check asynchronously when they want to. They can refer back to the information, or dig deeper into the project if necessary. Save your face-to-face meeting time for valuable meetings like brainstormings or all hands. 

Before you report: Combine reporting with effective project management

The biggest benefit of project status reporting is that it reduces your manual work, centralizes information, and makes it easy to keep everyone up to date. If your information is scattered across multiple tools, you can’t effectively use project reporting templates—you still need to manually open this Excel spreadsheet and that team email to gather your information. 

Instead, make sure you’re using project management software as your central source of truth. With project management software you:

Have a central source of truth so team members can see who’s doing what by when. 

Can easily visualize project information in a Gantt chart , Kanban board , calendar, or spreadsheet-style list view. 

Create status reports with the click of a button. 

Offer a place for team members who read the status report and want more details to look and find the information they need. 

Have access to additional project information, like your project plan, communication plan , project goals, milestones, deliverables , and more.

Naturally, we think Asana is a great option. Asana is a work management tool your entire team can use. Your cross-functional collaborators need a way to view past status reports. Your key stakeholders need a bird’s eye view of the entire program or project portfolio management progress. And your team members need a way to track individual work throughout the project lifecycle.

8 steps to write a great project status report

So, how do you go about doing project status reports? Be sure to create a clear structure you can use consistently for all future status reports. You should also make sure it matches with your project brief to keep your report on topic.

Follow this guide to understand what to include in your project status report, and watch as we put each step into practice with an example of an Employee Satisfaction project.

1. Build your report where work lives

Before you build your report, make sure you’re already tracking your work information in a project management tool. That way, you don’t have to manually grab information from a host of sources—instead, you can reduce manual work and create a report with a few clicks. 

Starting off with a project management tool makes it easy to capture dependencies and note upcoming tasks so you’re never blindsided about your project health.

2. Name your report

A great option is to simply use the project name for clarity. If you’re reporting on this project regularly, you should also include a date or timestamp.

Example project report title: February 2020 - Employee satisfaction initiative

3. Indicate project health

The project health is the current status of the project. Project health may change from report to report, especially if you run into blockers or unblock big project risks. Look for a project management tool that allows you to communicate the project’s status and whether or not it’s on track. One way to do this is to use a color coding system (green = on track, yellow = at risk, red = off track).

Example project health update: Project status is on track.

4. Quickly summarize the status report

Your project status report summary should be brief—about 2-3 sentences. The goal here is to give readers who may not have time to read the entire report a quick TL;DR of the most important facts. 

This is the first section of your report, so it’s the best place to: 

Include highlights

Flag major blockers

Note unexpected project risks

Example status report summary: Our survey results are in and being reviewed. At first glance, we’re seeing 80% employee satisfaction, up 3 points from the last survey. The Engagement Committee is working with the Executive team on what new engagement initiatives to implement in our key target areas, which include career growth and transparency.

5. Add a high-level overview of each key area

Depending on your project, your key areas may vary from report to report, or they may stay consistent. For example, in an Agile project that’s continuously improving, you’d likely use dynamic key areas that cover the things your team worked on during the last sprint. Alternatively, for an event planning project, there are a set number of key areas that you always want to touch on, like promotion, signups, and speakers. 

For each key area in the status report, add a few bullet points that give an update on progress, accomplishments, and upcoming work.

Example high-level overview of a key area: Survey results

70% of employees took the satisfaction survey.

Our overall satisfaction rating is 80%.

Only 57% of employees report having a clear path towards career advancement, down 5% since the last survey. 

41% of employees listed transparency as the number one improvement they’d like to see.

6. Add links to other documents or resources

While you shouldn’t include every little detail about how your project is going, some people will want to know more. For stakeholders who are looking for more in-depth information, provide links to documents or resources. This can include more specific project information, like links to specific project milestones , or the broader impacts of the project, like a reference to the business goals the project is contributing to.

Example: Include a link to the employee satisfaction survey , as well as to the larger company OKR around increasing employee engagement over the course of the fiscal year.

7. Flag any blockers the project has run into

All projects run into roadblocks. These can come in the form of project risks , unexpected increases to the budget , or delays that impact the project timeline . Keeping stakeholders in the loop when issues arise will help everyone adjust accordingly to stay on track. 

Example roadblock: The executive team wants to look at results before the engagement committee meets again, but won’t be able to do so for another three weeks. This will delay our overall project timeline.

8. Highlight next steps

These could include a list of next steps, kudos you want to give someone, or anything else you want to highlight.

Example: Thank you Sarah A. for sending out multiple communications to employees encouraging them to participate in the survey!

Template for creating your project status report

To quickly put everything you learned in the previous section to use, write your next project status report using this easy-to-fill-out template:

Report name:

Name your report. This can be as simple as the project name and the date of the report.

Project health:

Is the project on track, at risk, or delayed?

Include a short description of the most important takeaways from your project status report here. Keep in mind that busy stakeholders may only look at this section, so include any highlights or blockers the entire team needs to know about

Key area 1: High-level overview

Specific details about progress, accomplishments, and upcoming work.

Key area 2: High-level overview

Key area 3: High-level overview

Additional information and links: 

Link to relevant project details or higher-level project information that stakeholders might be curious about. This section is a chance for team members to dig deeper on specifics, or understand how the project initiative fits into your larger strategic goals . 

Are there any challenges you’re facing? How will you resolve them?

Additional notes or highlights:

Are there any additional things your team needs to know? What are the main next steps? 

Example project status report

While a how-to guide on writing project status reports is helpful, sometimes seeing a real-life example allows you to really see what your own update could look like, right? We thought you might agree, so here’s an example you may find useful:

Report name: Ebook launch

Project status: On track

Great progress this week! We are still in the concept phase, but Avery Lomax will be choosing a topic this week. Content and Design teams are standing by and ready to get started once we give the go ahead.

Planning team met to discuss an overall topic

We have three final ideas and will choose one on Friday

A brief is due to the Content team the following Thursday

The Content team is ready to start writing copy as soon as our idea is finalized

They are gathering pertinent company information that should be included

Design reviewed five ebook examples to determine the style they liked

They will be choosing a template by next Tuesday

Jen is out of the office all next week so please direct any content questions to Joy

Thank you to Henry for curating a huge list of topics for us to choose from!

Issues/challenges:

The e-book’s deadline is tight, as we all know. It’s critical that we’re all working in our project management tool to keep everyone organized and on track. Thanks!

Streamline reporting with a work management tool

The above report is clear and easy to follow. By building this report in a work management tool like Asana, you can automatically fill each section but the summary. Here’s what the above report looks like in Asana:

[Product UI] Example Asana project status report for an ebook launch meeting (Status Updates)

Project status reporting best practices

Now you know what to include in your project status report, but you may still have a few additional questions. As you’re creating status reports for your project, these best practices will help you formulate a winning update.

How often should you report out?

The frequency with which you send project updates depends on the type of project you’re running. If your project has a short timeframe, or if things are moving quickly, aim to send weekly project status reports. Alternatively, if the initiative you’re reporting on is a long-term project, you probably only need to send biweekly or even monthly reports. The most important thing is making sure your project stakeholders are up to date. 

When you use a project reporting tool, you can set a task for yourself to always send status reports on a certain day each week. These recurring reminders make it easy to keep stakeholders informed, whether you're sending weekly status updates or monthly progress reports. Either way, stakeholders will begin to expect your updates, which means less frequent check-ins from them (plus they’ll appreciate always being in the loop).

By sending regular reports, you can avoid multiple meetings related to a project (we all know unnecessary meetings have their own reputation ). Skip the check-in meetings and save your time for more important work.

Who should you include?

It depends on the project and who is involved, but typically plan to send an update to any stakeholders working on your project. You should have created a stakeholder analysis—outlining all stakeholders, sponsors, and team members—during the project planning process, but refer to your project plan if you aren’t sure.

Even if that week’s status report doesn’t affect a particular team member, you should still share it with everyone. It’s important for everyone to have a high-level overview. Team members who don’t need to review the report in depth can quickly skim your summary section, while others who are more involved can dive into the details you’ve provided. 

How detailed should you get?

A project status report shouldn’t offer every little detail. Let the work tell the story—you’re simply curating information and adding a little color. Think of a project status report as a top line message—just the most important pieces of your project that affect most of stakeholders should be included.

You should always indicate whether the project is on track, at risk, or off track, give a quick summary of what’s complete and what’s upcoming, then link out to other resources for people who want more details.

Where should you write your project status report?

The best way to draft and share status updates is with a work management tool . Look for a tool that offers an overview of your project, so your team has a central source of truth for all project-related work. That way, instead of managing projects in spreadsheets , you can keep it all—status updates, project briefs, key deliverables, and important project milestones—in one place. Your reports will be easily shareable, and stakeholders can look back on previous reports at any time, avoiding email overload on your end.

[Product UI] Example Asana Project Overview for a product marketing launch project (Project Overview)

Wrapping your project up: summarizing your work

The status reports we’ve been talking about are always sent during a project to keep everyone in the loop. However, once the project is finished, it’s smart to send out a final summary report. Think of this as the executive summary for your project. This is your chance to offer stakeholders a wrap-up to the project. Use it to officially close it out.

Again, it’s a high-level overview, but instead of including updates and statuses, you’ll provide a summary of how the overall project went. Here are a few questions to answer in a project summary report:

What were the goals of this project and were they met?

Was the project completed on time and on budget (if applicable)?

What successes should be highlighted?

What challenges did we run into?

What can we learn from this project to help us on future projects?

Keep every stakeholder on track with status reports that write themselves

If you’re looking to over-deliver on your next project, try sending project status updates. They keep you productive, efficient, and accountable, while giving everyone else a quick (and engaging) look into what’s been happening. 

Use the resources we’ve provided to create reports that give just enough information without diving into too much detail. Find a project management solution like Asana that has features designed specifically to help with status reports. You’ll save time and be as organized as possible.

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Project Status Reports

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What Is a Project Status Report?

What is the purpose of a project status report, types of project status reports, status report vs. progress report, how to write a project status report, project status report template, project status report example, what should be included in a project status report, what is project reporting software, benefits of project reporting software, must-have features of project reporting software, how to make project status reports in projectmanager, best practices for presenting project status reports, other types of project management reports, try our project reporting software for 30 days.

A project status report is a document that describes the progress of a project within a specific time period and compares it against the project plan. Project managers use status reports to keep stakeholders informed of progress and monitor costs, risks, time and work. Project status reports allow project managers and stakeholders to visualize project data through charts and graphs.

Project status reports are taken repeatedly throughout every phase of the project’s execution as a means to maintain your schedule and keep everyone on the same page. The status report for a project generally includes the following:

  • The work that’s been completed
  • The plan for what will follow
  • The summary of the project budget and schedule
  • A list of action items
  • Any issues and risks, and what’s being done about them

Related: 12 Essential Project Reports

The true value of a project status report lies beyond its use as a communication channel. It also provides a documented history of the project. This gives you historical data, so the next time you’re planning a similar project, you can avoid any missteps or bottlenecks.

Because project status reports cover so many topics, they were historically time-consuming to create. Fortunately, modern project management software like ProjectManager expedites the all-important status reporting process. Try our automated project reports and simplify your project reporting.

ProjectManager's project status reports page

Create a project status report with just a few clicks with ProjectManager— Learn more.

There are several reasons why project managers create status reports. Here are some of the most important.

  • Help the project management team keep track of costs, tasks and timelines
  • Compare the budget and time forecasts with the actual costs and task duration
  • Improve communications across the organization
  • Simplify the communication process
  • Keep stakeholders informed
  • Deliver key messages to the intended target audience
  • Improve organizational support for your projects or your team

If you’re reporting to stakeholders, you don’t want to bog them down with unnecessary details. Keep your status reporting presentation light and to the point.

how to write a project monitoring report

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  • Status Report Template

Use this free Status Report Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

You might create daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly status reports depending on your project management requirements. Here’s a quick overview of when it’s best to use each of them.

Daily Status Report

A daily status report captures what each member of the project team has worked on over the course of that day. It not only highlights what they’re working on currently but addresses any issues that are preventing them from completing their tasks. It includes a summary of today’s work and what was accomplished the day before.

Weekly Status Report

A weekly status report is like the daily status report except it covers a full work week rather than just one day. It includes the name of the project, the date of the status report, a summary outlining what work was done over that time period and the action plan for what to work on for the next week. There will also be a section to list any challenges, risk and mitigation plans to respond to them.

Monthly Status Report

A monthly status report provides a similar update on a project or projects but over a period of a month. It provides leadership with relevant information to better manage the project or projects. As with other frequencies, the team reports on what they’ve accomplished, the month is recapped and the next month’s activities are outlined.

Quarterly Status Report

A quarterly status report is a short and easily digestible snapshot of the project over a period of time, in this case, four months or a quarter of the year. It covers the same territory as the other status reports and is likely to include graphs and other visuals to make all the data easier to grasp.

There are many different types of reports you can generate when managing a project. Some of them are more for the project manager and others for the stakeholders, owners or clients to keep them updated.

We’ve been talking about a status report, but it shouldn’t be confused with a progress report. While a status report has data on the progress over the period of time which is being reported, there’s a wealth of other information beyond the mere progress of the project.

A progress report , on the other hand, details the specific tasks and milestones that have been completed to show that the project is making progress in sync with the project schedule. Like a status report, it’s used to keep managers and stakeholders updated.

Writing a project status report is an essential project management task. Whether you generate one weekly, monthly or quarterly, the steps are essentially the same. Here’s how to write a project status report:

  • Determine the objective
  • Target your audience (Clients, team members, sponsors, etc)
  • Choose the format and type
  • Collect your data
  • Structure the report
  • Make sure it’s clear

Because a project status report follows a basic outline, it can be helpful to use a project status report template. However, a project status report template is only a static document. Using project status reporting software integrates with all your project management tools for greater efficiency.

Free status report template for Excel

ProjectManager’s free status report template for Excel— Download now.

To better understand the process described above, let’s take a look at a project status report example. For this simple example, we’ll create a weekly status report for a home construction project using our free project status report template.

Imagine a construction contractor who is in charge of building wall frames, installing the insulation, electrical wiring, drywall and interior painting of a brand-new house. A status report example, following our free status report template, would begin with basic project planning information, such as the project name, new house, reporting period would be between Jan. 1-7, the report dated Jan. 9, project manager Joe Johnson and project sponsor Jack Dell.

project status report example, general information part

Next is the summary, which highlights the key accomplishments. In this case, it would be the installation of wall frames. The section after zooms into the progress of the project. It starts with smaller action items that are needed to build the wall frames.

These action steps also include the date when they were done and a RAG status. That is a red, amber and green indication of the level of confidence and control over that part of the project. The owner, or team member who did the work is named and any comments not already addressed can be added.

project status report example, showing key accomplishments and action items

Following that is a section on upcoming work. Here you can add the action items related to electrical wiring, such as marking locations for cable boxes, electrical outputs and threading cables through the wall frames. The section following that will list project deliverables , which in this case will be the wall frames, which are the tangible output that’s been completed during the reporting period.

project status report, showing project deliverables part

The next section is on the project’s health. It notes the budget spent over the period and what percentage that is in terms of the overall budget. There’s also an overview of the project schedule , scope and quality control and assurance.

project status report, project health section

The section after that lists the risk management issues. It lists the risk, its severity, response and owner. Maybe there’s a possibility that the materials or equipment required for electric wiring won’t be delivered on time. This risk would likely be high in terms of severity as it’ll impact the project schedule. To mitigate this, another company may be contacted to see if they’ll deliver on time. You’ll also note who on the team is watching over this risk.

You’ll conclude and add any recommendations if needed. This will provide stakeholders with a clear picture of the status of the project.

project status report example, showing risk management overview

How Do You Ask for a Project Status Report?

A project status update is usually distributed on a regular schedule, but sometimes people want to see a status report immediately. You can ask for a project status update via email, but you don’t want to come across as rude. To request a project status report, you should ask in a professional manner and place your request through the proper channels.

A friendly reminder is never a bad idea, as it maintains a connection, especially if you can offer something of value in return. If you’re using project management software , then you can always get an instant status report by checking the project dashboard that tracks various metrics.

The ProjectManager dashboard delivers your project status instantly. Pull from schedules, budgets, resources and more without the possibility of human error. Then, customize your display and filter information to show only what you want to see, such as remaining resources, project health, tasks and costs. A dashboard can be an excellent alternative to the traditional project status report.

ProjectManager's project dashboard is a visual tool to reflect your project status report

Get real-time project dashboards that you can easily share with stakeholders— Learn more.

The different elements of a project status report organize the different parts into a cohesive whole. The objective of a status report, of course, is to keep stakeholders informed and expose areas of the project that need greater organizational support.

To better communicate these things, be sure to touch on all the following when you compose your project status report.

General Project Info

To start with, you’re going to need to just put down the basics. What is the project name? Who is the project manager? What is the number of resources? All this information is essential, if obvious, to track the paperwork. Don’t assume your stakeholder is familiar with all this information. It’s especially useful when you’re doing historical research for future projects. Roll it into your status report template , if you have one.

General Status Info

Again, you’re going to want to stamp the report with data that will distinguish it from the other project management reports . So, here you want to include what date the report was generated, who the author is and so on.

Milestone Review

Milestones are the major phases of your project. They’re a good way to break up the larger project into smaller, more digestible parts. The milestone review lets you note where you are in terms of meeting those milestones (against where you planned to be at this point) in the project’s life cycle.

Project Summary

One of the main purposes of the status report is to compare the project’s progress with the project plan estimates. To do this, include a short summary of the forecasted completion date and costs of the project . This allows project managers to control the project’s execution and measure success. Be sure to include the activities that are facing issues and how those problems might impact the project’s quality, resources, timeline and costs. Explain what you’re planning to do to resolve these issues and what the results will be once you have fixed the problem.

Issues and Risks

Risks are all the internal and external factors that are a threat to your project. They become issues once they affect your project budget , timeline or scope. List the issues that have arisen over the course of the project to date. What are they? How are you resolving them? What impact they’ll have on the overall project? Apply the same questions to the risks that you’re aware of. Have they shown up? If they have, what are you doing to get the project back on track?

Project Metrics

It’s important to back your report up with hard numbers to prove the statements you’re making. You should have established the metrics for status reporting during the project planning phase .

It’s impossible to know if your project is succeeding without measuring its effectiveness. These metrics are a way to show you’re on track and evaluate what, if anything, needs attention.

Project reporting software is used to automatically collect project data, analyze it, and display the results to help project managers make better decisions when managing a project. The software gathers information from different sources within the project and converts them in spreadsheets, graphs and charts.

Depending on the software, reporting data can be filtered to highlight areas of the project that you need to see at that time. Reports can be generated on various aspects of the project’s progress and performance, such as time, cost, workload, etc.

Reports are also used to keep key stakeholders, such as sponsors and clients, updated on how the project is doing, and therefore, should be shareable.

Having a quick and easy to use tool that instantly pulls up important project data, organizes and displays it simply and clearly helps you keep stakeholders updated. With all the information at your fingertips, you can also make better decisions.

Not all reporting software is the same. To get more bang for your buck, make sure that whatever tool you choose has the following features:

  • Converts complicated data into useful reports
  • Filters to show only what information you want
  • Allows you to create reports on specific time periods
  • Share reports and keep stakeholders updated
  • Update instantly for greater accuracy
  • Monitor actual progress against your plan
  • Report on program or portfolio of projects

Project status reports are just one of many reports that are offered by project reporting software, but you’ll also want to make sure the product you choose has the following features as well.

Dashboards icon

Get Instant Status Reports

As important as reporting software is, you also need to regularly check on the progress of your project as it occurs. A dashboard will provide that high-level view, collecting data and displaying it in graphs and charts to show a variety of project metrics.

Dashboards image

See the Most Current Info

Dashboards and reports capture the project at a particular time, and like a snapshot, capture a past point in time. However, if you’re working with an online reporting tool, the data it collects is displayed in real-time—and the decisions you make will be more informed.

Real-Time Data image

Generate Reports on Every Aspect

A status report is a key gauge of how your project is performing, but it’s only one perspective. For the full picture, you need to measure progress and more for many angles. Seek out reporting software that also measures task progress, workload, timesheets and more.

Diverse Reports image

Easy Export With Stakeholders

Creating reports is only the beginning. You need to share them with stakeholders, who need to have a broad strokes picture of where the project currently is. During presentations, you want to be able to easily print out a copy or export a PDF to email them.

Shareable image

Fast and Easy Reports

Making reports shouldn’t be time-consuming. It often means complex equations to figure out progress, variance, workload, etc. The best reporting software automates these functions, so you don’t need a math degree or even a calculator to manage your project.

Automated image

Gain Details for Actionable Insights

Dashboards are great for high-level views of the project, but reports must provide a deeper dive into that data in order for managers to make the critical decisions to steer the project towards a successful end. You want reports that are in depth and cover the entire project.

In Depth image

Project reporting software is a tool to monitor and track project metrics in real time and then collect that data in a report that’s easily shared with project members.

ProjectManager is an award-winning tool that organizes projects and teams by monitoring and reporting on progress and performance. Watch this video to get a better idea of how to create project status and other types of project management reports with ProjectManager.

Project management training video (nu29tru9qg)

Using the reporting feature of ProjectManager allows you to see the status of project milestones and summary tasks if you filter the report to include them. Reports can be previewed before being exported to a PDF, Excel, CSV or printed. Every report can be customized by selecting the data and columns you want to include.

Here are some of the reports you can create once you have the project management software.

Project Status Report

As mentioned above, the project status gives an overview of where your project currently is, and lets you determine if the project is on time and under budget . It shows the tasks that are due on the week it has been generated, and which are overdue.

Here’s a quick rundown of the options when generating a status report in ProjectManager.

Get the key elements of your project condensed in short to capture the high points in your schedule, budget and costs for stakeholders. You can provide project updates at any time for your team, clients and sponsors.

See which tasks are overdue and when their deadline is to never lose track of your progress and stay on schedule. ProjectManager allows you to assign activities to your team members and communicate with them in real time.

Milestones & Summary Tasks

Note which milestones have been completed to better track the project’s progress. View where you are in terms of completing summary tasks or subtasks on your schedule.

Planned vs. Actual

Know your project variance by tracking the actual progress on the status report, which is compared to where you planned to be at that point in your schedule.

Portfolio Status Report

A portfolio is a collection of projects that one manages. They must work together in alignment with the overall strategy of the organization.

See the health of your full portfolio, and if they’re meeting their schedules and budgets. Get lists of your project managers, team and tasks to better determine your portfolio’s overall health.

ProjectManager's portfolio management dashboard, ideal to communicate project status report

Project Plan Report

The project plan is the map that guides your activity when managing a project. This report lets you know whether that plan is being met by your actual progress.

Keep your project on track, within budget and know how far you are from completion. Get an overview of your schedule and a list of all the tasks and when they should be done.

Project Dashboard

Different from the previous reports, which are static documents that are exported as a snapshot of a project, a dashboard can serve as a contemporaneous look into the project.

Get real-time status reports using our project dashboard . Every facet found in a status report is automatically updated across the six metrics of the dashboard for a high view of your project’s performance.

ProjectManager’s dashboard view, which shows six key metrics on a project

Portfolio Dashboard

Much like the project dashboard, the portfolio dashboard serves as a real-time view, except for a collection of projects rather than a single one.

Set up a portfolio dashboard by creating a folder in the overview projects section. Add projects you want to measure and your portfolio dashboard will track their costs, workload and more.

Whether you’re presenting your weekly status report in a meeting, or sending a weekly email update, it’s a good idea to know the best practices when reporting on a project’s progress before jumping into a presentation of your report.

Communicate

Project status reports are only a single facet of your communication plan . Don’t rely on it fully to communicate everything, but use it to deliver the right data to the right party at the right time.

Know Your Audience

Project status reports are vehicles for communication, but if you’re unsure of the destination, then you’re not going to deliver the goods. Stakeholders such as clients and sponsors want to know the big picture, while team members will be more interested in specifics.

Consistency

Use the same format, distribution cycle and method. Don’t mix things up. That only disrupts the effectiveness of the communication aspect of the report.

Establish Metrics

When planning for the project, figure out how you’re going to measure its progress, and then stick to this method as you report on the project throughout its life cycle.

You want the report to be effective, so don’t obscure it with unnecessary details. Stay to the point, and just report on what needs reporting.

Your audience doesn’t want opinions or unsubstantiated facts. Do the due diligence, and make sure that you’re giving only what your audience wants.

Like consistency, keeping standards of a process and a template for reporting makes sure your report is clear.

There are project management tools that incorporate these best practices, streamlining the reporting process thanks to dashboards and automated reporting features.

Status reports are just one of the many reports project managers use to keep updated on the progress of their projects. Status is more general, while others focus on specific aspects of the project. Some of the more common status-reporting alternatives follow.

Tasks Report

Every project is made up of tasks, often lots of them. You need a report to keep track of them all.

Get all your project tasks collected in one place. Filter the report to show the status of each task to see if there are any roadblocks or bottlenecks holding up progress. You need to take care of issues before they affect your project’s timeline.

Timesheets Report

Teams log their hours on timesheets to submit to managers for payroll. Timesheets are also another way to track progress on a project by monitoring the hours logged on tasks.

View the timesheet of selected team members and know the hours they worked over a range of time using online project management software.

ProjectManager's timesheets are a perfect complement to project status reports

Availability Report

Keeping track of when your team can work when they have paid time off or there’s a holiday is critical to scheduling and workload management.

Know instantly who has too much work on your team and if they’re available to work. Team members are listed in this report with utilization rates. This data helps you reallocate tasks.

Workload Report

The workload is the number of tasks your team has been assigned. Keeping their workload balanced, so no one has too much on their plate, is how you increase productivity and morale.

See your entire team with the number of tasks they’ve been assigned. Know if someone has too many or too few tasks and balance their workload to get more done and not burn people out.

ProjectManager's workload management report

Variance Report

The variance is the difference between what you planned for the project and where you actually are in its execution. This is how you know if your project’s on track or not.

Set the baseline on the Gantt chart tool when planning and get data on your current schedule. Then, compare it against where you planned to be at this point in the schedule.

ProjectManager is a cloud-based software with one-click reporting that seamlessly integrates with planning, scheduling and tracking features. Get real-time data that can be filtered and shared across eight different project reports. With us, you can use one software for all your project management needs.

Companies such as the Bank of America, and organizations such as NASA and the US Postal Service, have used us to manage big and small projects. Over 10,000 teams worldwide get more control over their work and become more productive using our software.

If you want to simplify the reporting process and are looking for a tool that with online Gantt charts , kanban boards to visualize workflow and a dashboard for a high-level view of project metrics, then try our tool free with this 30-day trial .

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Status Report Resources

  • Project Reporting Software
  • Project Dashboard Software
  • Free Project Report Templates
  • Communications Plan Template
  • Project Dashboard Template
  • 5 Lifesaving Project Reports
  • How to Track and Report on Projects
  • What Are Project Deliverables?

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Guide to Project Monitoring and Control Phase of Project Management

By Kate Eby | March 8, 2022

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Monitoring and control provide project managers with real-time status reporting that informs decisions and maintains communication among stakeholders. Project managers use monitoring data to determine if work is on task, on budget, and delivered on time.

Included on this page, you’ll learn how to create a project and control plan and best practices for implementing the plan .

What Is Project Monitoring and Control?

Project monitoring and control helps you measure project performance. Use the process to look at the project plan, review project status, identify potential problems, and implement changes when necessary. This phase coincides with the execution phase of the project lifecycle.

You can use this phase to keep a project on schedule and within budget while also managing risk and avoiding scope creep. At the end of the monitoring and control phase, the customer accepts the completed project deliverables.

What Is the Main Purpose of the Project Monitoring and Control Phase in Project Management?

The primary purpose of monitoring and control in project management is to identify problems before they occur and make adjustments. These changes may require reevaluating and updating the project plan.

how to write a project monitoring report

Alan Zucker, Founder of Project Management Essentials, LLC , who has more than 25 years of project leadership and management experience in Fortune 100 companies, identifies the purpose of monitoring and control: "Project managers regularly track performance focusing on cost, schedule, and scope. If the project is off-track, the project manager takes corrective action."

Importance of Project Monitoring and Control

Project monitoring and control are essential to completing a project on time, on budget, and within scope. Monitoring and control processes identify deviations from the project plan. Project monitoring and control ensure that performance is seamless, efficient, and on track. 

Alan Zucker describes the importance of project monitoring and control for delivering a successful project: "Project managers know that no project proceeds perfectly according to plan. We must be diligent in tracking performance to see if it meets our expectations for success. If not, we must determine what is needed to keep the project on track."

Project Monitoring and Control Process

The monitoring and control process tracks performance metrics to keep a project on schedule, on budget, and within scope. The process helps project teams discover problems before they occur. 

  • Monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Monitoring KPIs keeps project deliverables on track and performance up to date. Project managers use data on timelines, budgets, and quality to enable better decisions, make changes to avoid problems, and capitalize on opportunities. 
  • Monitor Change Requests: Measuring project performance data helps reveal whether the project is on track or if changes are necessary. If the project is off course, then a change request will be submitted and implemented to make a course correction. 
  • Monitor Project Scope: This step helps ensure that any changes to the project scope are verified and documented. You’ll need to update any relevant documents, such as a project scope statement and work breakdown structure . You’ll also want to determine any timeline and cost adjustments that are relative to a scope increase that can cause a shift in strategy.
  • Identify Risks: Ideally, risk identification should occur throughout a project; when risks arise, you have the relevant information available to make the right decision. 
  • Communicate with Team Members, Stakeholders, and Clients: Maintaining regular communication keeps projects on track and helps avoid misunderstandings that cost time and money. It’s vital that stakeholders and team members receive all relevant information in a timely manner.

How to Create a Project Monitoring and Control Plan

A project monitoring and control plan integrates factors such as success, scope, schedule, resources, risk, and costs. The plan is developed during the  project lifecycle’s planning phase . 

  • Outline the project. Establish scope, schedule, and budget baselines for benchmarking according to the project plan. The plan defines project goals, resources, and milestones. 
  • Break down the project into subtasks or units of work . A work breakdown structure is a useful tool that project managers can use to create subtasks and manage work. This visualization helps project managers track and simplify performance and deliverables. 
  • Execute the project plan, and report and analyze to identify variances. Determine if variances are acceptable and continue to monitor them. Find the cause of unacceptable variances and make adjustments.

How to Implement Project Monitoring and Control

Project managers use three to five key performance indicators to report monitoring data and define objectives to keep the project on track. KPIs must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

  • Monitor Project Parameters: The project plan will include the scope of the project and measurements for success. Project managers use KPIs to track schedule, effort, and cost and to ensure they align with the project plan. 
  • Monitor Stakeholder Involvement: By positioning and communicating with the project team, management, and clients, you keep everyone engaged and on task. 
  • Monitor Risk: When you complete risk assessments throughout the life of the project, you avoid issues and enable mitigating negative impacts on the project timeline and budget.
  • Monitor Project Performance: Project managers use KPI dashboards to identify problems and measure work progress.
  • Take Corrective Action to Control Progress: Project managers use the project plan as a baseline to control progress and track changes until resolution or the project enters the closure phase.
  • Monitor and Manage Data Documentation: Documenting performance and changes in the project keeps stakeholders involved, mitigates issues, and informs future projects.

Project Monitoring and Control Best Practices

Project monitoring and control best practices require constant attention to detail. These best practices can empower project managers and teams to balance time, cost, and budget.

  • Define Project Management Team Roles: Make sure that team members know the expectations and the timelines to meet.
  • Identify a Point of Contact: When problems arise, there should be a dedicated person who is responsible for tracking, documenting, and monitoring any issues. 
  • Determine the Frequency of KPI Reporting: When developing the project plan, decide how often you’ll conduct KPI reporting and stick to that schedule. This data is essential for monitoring and control performance.
  • For schedule variance (SV), subtract planned value (PV) from earned value (EV). 
  • For budget variance (BV), subtract the money spent from the planned budget for each line item and divide it by the original budget to calculate the percentage.
  • For cost variance (CV), subtract actual cost (AC) from earned value (EV).
  • Determine if Variance Cause Is Common or Unique: Work continues without change under expected and acceptable variance. If the variance is caused by the unexpected, identify and implement the proper change. 
  • Scrutinize Change Orders: Review documented change requests with the project team to approve or reject them.
  • Monitor and Control Scope Creep: Mitigate scope creep to maintain project parameters and recognize that project change may impact outcomes.
  • Conduct a Rigorous Approval Process at Completion: Make sure to document and file all approvals appropriately.

Zucker adds, "Soft skills are often missed, so focus on communication and effectively maintaining stakeholder interest. Projects can benefit from a fresh perspective, and an advisory board of specialists provides oversight and guidance for project managers."

Project Monitoring and Control Techniques

Project managers depend on monitoring and control to track, review, and report on project performance. They rely on this phase to make informed decisions, avoid crises, and maximize performance and opportunities. 

Project monitoring and control techniques address three areas in project management:

  • Project Plan Monitoring: Use the critical path method (CPM) to identify essential project milestones and keep deliverables on schedule.
  • Project Budget Monitoring: Use earned value management to assign project tasks according to their cost.
  • Project Status Monitoring: Use project status reports to standardize the reporting process and identify completed tasks, key takeaways, risks, and real-time progress.

Project Monitoring and Controlling Strategy

Successful projects require diligence and precision in monitoring and control, so having the right strategy can make all of the difference. A good monitoring and control approach looks at quality, risk, and stakeholder engagement levels and communicates all project outcomes.

These tips can help you adhere to a project monitoring and control strategy:

  • Establish a cadence and well-defined process for managing change requests. 
  • Tailor performance reporting to project needs. 
  • Do not overburden the project team with information requests. 
  • Position stakeholders where they are needed most according to their expertise. 
  • Prioritize performance data that is actionable and requires a decision. 
  • Take into account how decisions impact the schedule, budget, and scope. 
  • Establish a transparent decision-making process and communicate and document outcomes.

Project Managers Rely on Smartsheet for Project Monitoring and Control

From simple task management and project planning to complex resource and portfolio management, Smartsheet helps you improve collaboration and increase work velocity -- empowering you to get more done. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed.

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time. Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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How to write a project report: [templates + guide] 

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Writing a project report is an essential but often overlooked contributor to your project’s health.  However, without the use of automation and templates, it can be a little time-consuming to collect and organize the relevant data that the project generates.

In this post, we’ll explore the basics of project reporting. We’ve included some useful templates and tips to create clear and helpful project reports in less time.

If you want to start creating better project reports using monday.com, sign up today.

What is a project report?

A project report is a document where you share details about different areas of your project. Depending on the report type , your audience, and your intention, the details you showcase might differ.

Project reports can be broken down by time— daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly— or a number of other factors like risk, budget, and project management style. Bottom line? They simplify the process of gathering and disseminating information about key information on the project. For instance, a typical report might include:

  • Resources you’ve used so far
  • How project time is being spent
  • How you’re doing against key performance indicators (KPIs)
  • Workload and team availability

What is the purpose of project reporting?

Reporting gives you, your team, and your stakeholders the ability to track project progress against the original plan. The main goal of a project report is to improve decision-making, to help you make sense of your project data, and decide what your next steps should be. This in turn can impact your budget, timeliness, and project success.

It also plays a vital role in your stakeholder engagement strategy, as it keeps everyone informed on the progress of projects they’re interested in. Those are just a few of the reasons why project reporting has become the most common activity among PMOs (Project Management Offices).

A graph representing the most popular activities undertaken by PMOs

( Image Source )

5 steps to create a useful project report

Project reports can be useful – or they can end up as a 20-page PDF that lives in a drawer somewhere. To put together a report that your project stakeholders can use to gain insights, make decisions and optimize processes, take the following systematic approach to writing your project reports:

1. Define the purpose and scope: Clearly establish the goals, objectives, target audience, and information needs of your project report. 2. Gather and organize data: Collect and organize all relevant data, ensuring its accuracy and reliability. 3. Structure and outline: Create a clear and logical structure for your report and outline the key points you want to cover. 4. Present information effectively: Use clear and concise language and visual aids like graphs or charts to present the information in an easily understandable, visually appealing manner. 5. Review and revise: Proofread your report for any errors or inconsistencies, ensure that it addresses the defined purpose and scope, and revise as necessary to improve clarity.

The different types of project management reports [with templates]

You can split project reports into different types and categories. Here are five different types of project mangement reports, with monday.com templates you can customize for your unique project and team set-up.

1. Project status report

Probably the most frequently used, a project status report offers a general overview of the current status of your projects. A project status report answers the question: “How likely is it that we’ll complete this project on time without overrunning costs?”

These reports analyze whether you’re meeting project goals and key performance indicators. With our single project template , creating a status report is easier than ever.

How to write a project report: [templates + guide] 

2. Resource workload report

Resource workload reports help you visualize what your team’s working on, when they’re working on it, and how much work is left. These also reports help you understand how your assets are being used and make sure your actions are aligned with the overall objective.

Our resource management template helps you organize all your assets, locations, and people into one place and track every action with accuracy. You can also manage your resource allocation initiatives and make sure you don’t assign the same resource twice in multiple tasks.

resource management screenshot in monday.com

3. Portfolio report

Portfolio reports take a look at all your projects and consolidate all the data into a single document. These reports capture high-level milestones, status, progress, and highlights of your portfolio strategy.

With our portfolio management template , you can track unlimited projects on a single board and get a quick snapshot of their health and profitability.

Portfolio management screenshot

4. Task list/Time-tracking report

Time-tracking reports, also known as timesheets, help you measure how your team is spending their time and spot potential bottlenecks.

With our team task list template , you can bring in your entire organization, assign tasks to peers, track time and measure the project progress at a glance.

monday.com's team task tracker screenshot

5. Expense report

A project might seem healthy – until everyone starts reporting expenses  at the end of the time period. With our expense tracking template , you can proactively manage your cash flow regardless of your accounting skills (or lack thereof!)

expense report in monday.com

Want to try out these templates – and much more? Check out monday.com today.

FAQs about Project Reports

What are the benefits of a project report.

A project report provides a comprehensive overview of a project’s objectives, progress, and outcomes, serving as a valuable documentation and communication tool. It allows stakeholders to assess your project’s effectiveness, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions based on reliable data.

What are the main types of project reports?

The most commonly used types of project reports include:

  • Progress reports
  • Resource management reports
  • Project portfolio reports
  • Time-tracking reports
  • Evaluation reports
  • Final reports

What are the main components of a project report?

This will depend on the project and the type of report you’re using, but project reports might include:

  • Project objective
  • Project scope
  • Project milestones
  • Project expenses or budget
  • Project schedule and timeline
  • Project progress
  • Resource management
  • Risk assessment
  • Stakeholder communication
  • Financial summary

How to create insightful project reports with monday.com

monday.com makes it easy to create effective project reports. Try it for yourself and see:

Business operations

Here’s why monday.com can make your project reporting better:

  • Track project data in a centralized location, so you have all the information you need to make useful reports.
  • Use monday.com’s customized visualization tools to visualize and summarize project data the way you want to see it.
  • Set up dashboards to see all of your projects at a glance.
  • Take advantage of monday.com’s reporting functionality . You can choose between built-in report templates or customized reports if you have more specific requirements.
  • Share your reports with project stakeholders , team members, or even clients directly from monday.com.
  • Our embedded communication tools let you collaborate on your reports in real-time, gather feedback, and address any questions or concerns.

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How to Write a Project Report: Step-By-Step Guide [+ 4 Free Templates]

By archtc on December 26, 2017 — 21 minutes to read

  • How to Write a Project Report: Step-By-Step Guide Part 1
  • Project Report Templates: Free Download Part 2
  • Additional Resources Part 3
  • How to Dramatically Reduce Time You Spend Creating Reports Part 4

At some point during the implementation of a project, a project report has to be generated in order to paint a mental image of the whole project. Ultimately, a project report must maximize the insight gained with minimal effort from the reader. Apart from describing its results, it must also explain the implications of those results to the organization and its business operations.

How to Write a Project Status Report:

The most common type of project report, a project status report provides a general state of the project to its stakeholders. It quantifies work performed and completed in measurable terms. It compares this with an established baseline to see if the project is on track or; if adjustments have to be made if the project is behind its schedule. It keeps everyone on the same page and manages each other’s expectations.

Project status reports are accomplished to serve the following purposes;

  • to keep an updated flow of information in relation to the project’s progress
  • to immediately address issues and concerns that may come up at any point of the project’s implementation or duration
  • to document reasons for changes and adjustments made to the original plan for the project
  • to monitor fund utilization and to ensure that the project expenses are still within the budget
  • to serve as a basis for decision-making and addressing problems
  • to keep track of the team’s performance and individual contributions
  • to act as a uniform procedure for communicating project development to the stakeholders.

Status reports are most effective when they follow a standard form with predefined fields that need to be regularly updated. Doing so will save time and provide consistency and predictability of the information the stakeholders will receive about the status of the project.

WHAT TO INCLUDE

For a status report to be comprehensive, it must include the following elements:

Summary/overall health of the project, facts on the project progress, target vs. actual accomplishments, action(s) taken, risks and issues, keys to an effective project status report.

  • Submit the report on time . A status report is time sensitive and sending it late defeats the purpose of such a report.
  • Giving complete but inaccurate information is just as bad as giving accurate but incomplete information . Since stakeholders rely on the status report for a heads-up on the project, and its content is used as the basis for decision-making, it is critical that the report provides both complete and accurate information.
  • Do not cover up bad news or adverse reports as these are all part of the transparency of the status report . Keep in mind that being open with the stakeholders, whether the project is sailing smoothly or not, will benefit both the team and the client, since any problems there are will be immediately given attention and solved.
  • Be proud of the team’s accomplishments, after all, this is what the clients and the stakeholders will want to know about .
  • Anticipate questions from the clients or stakeholders and be prepared to answer them .
  • Be familiar with the culture of the organization and respect the information hierarchy they observe . There are instances when the CEO wants to be the first to know about the contents of these reports before cascading it to his downlines. On the other hand, middle managers will want a head start on these reports so they can also anticipate and prepare for any reaction from the top executives.
  • Craft the status report in such a way that there will be no information overload . It should contain necessary information that the stakeholders need to know. Lengthy reports will consume not only the writer’s time but also that of the reader. Too many details also give an impression of micro management.

Risk Registers

All projects, or any activities of business, face risks. It is just a matter of how an organization identifies, assesses, analyzes, and monitors these risks. With a Risk Register, an organization is equipped with a tool to better respond to problems that may arise because of these risks. It helps in the decision-making process and enables the stakeholders to take care of the threats in the best way possible.

A Risk Register, also called an Issue Log, is iterative because it will be updated periodically depending on how often the team identifies a potential risk. It may also be updated if the characteristics of the existing potential risks change as the project progresses. 

The Risk Register document contains information about the following:

Risk Identification

  • Risk Category:  Grouping these risks under different categories is helpful. Doing so will provide a way to make a plan of action that will address most, if not all of the risks falling under the same category, saving time, effort, and resources.
  • Risk Description:  Provide a brief explanation of the identified potential risk. The description can be done in a variety of ways depending on the level of detail. A general description can be difficult to address while giving too much detail about the risk may entail a significant amount of work. Three factors to consider when making a risk description are: the way these risks are going to be managed, who will handle them, and the reporting requirements of the person receiving the risk register.
  • Risk ID:  Assign a unique identification code to each risk identified to track it in the risk register easily. Create a system of coding in such a way that the category to which the said risk belongs is easily identifiable.

Risk Analysis

  • Project Impact: Indicate the potential effect of the assumed risk on different aspects of the project such as budget, timelines, quality, and performance.
  • Likelihood: Referring to the possibility of the risk occurring, the likelihood can be expressed qualitatively—high, medium, low—or quantitatively, if there is enough information available. Whatever criteria are to be used, assign a number—with the highest value corresponding to that which is most likely to occur.

Risk Evaluation

Using the table above, the identified risk can be ranked this way:

  • Risk Trigger: These are the potential risk events that will trigger the implementation of a contingency plan based on the risk management plan. This plan should have been prepared prior to the development of a risk register.

Risk Treatment

  • Prevention Plan: This enumerates the steps or action to be taken to prevent the risks from occurring.
  • Contingency Plan: On the other hand, the contingency plan determines the steps or action to be taken once the risk events have occurred. This program also contains the measures to be taken to reduce the impact of such risks to the project.
  • Risk Owner: The person responsible for managing risk, and the implementation of the prevention and contingency plans, it can be anyone among the stakeholders—members of the team, a project manager, or project sponsors.
  • Residual Risk: Sometimes, a risk cannot be entirely eliminated after treatment. Part of it may linger throughout the duration of the project, but once it has been treated, it can be considered as a low-level risk.

Keys to an Effective Risk Register

  • The first risk register must be created as soon as the project plan and the risk management plan has been approved . This initial risk register must be integrated into the project plan.
  • Active risks during a particular period must also be included in the project status report .
  • Risk management is an iterative process which is why the risk register must also be updated from time to time . Updates can be made when new risks are identified or there have been changes in the risks already in the register.
  • The numerical value assigned to the likelihood and severity levels must remain constant throughout the duration of the whole project .
  • Likewise, any terms used must be defined, and this definition must be utilized consistently .

Project Closure Report

As the end of a project, a Project Closure Report signals its culmination. Its submission officially concludes a project and implies that funds and resources will no longer be needed, and everything will go back to its status prior to the implementation of the project.

This process is critical as it will officially tie up all loose ends and prevent confusion among stakeholders.

This particular type of project report summarizes information on the project results, the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the project delivery process, and the feedback from the stakeholders. Each performance metric includes an assessment and a narration of how the team performed on such metrics.

This performance metric describes how the team utilized the budget in carrying out the project effectively. Under this performance metric, the following aspects are measured:

Component Breakdown

Budget variance, explanations for key variances.

Describe how the team implemented the project within the expected time frame and schedule.

Overall Project Duration

Schedule variance, the explanations for key variances, change management.

This metric refers to the team’s ability to handle and manage changes throughout the project’s implementation effectively. It is measured through the following:

Total Number of Changes

The impact of the changes, the highlight of changes, quality management.

This particular metric refers to the team’s ability to observe and comply with quality standards during the project’s implementation.

Total Number of Defects Identified

The explanation for resolved defects, risk and issue management.

This metric deals with how risks and matters that occurred during project implementation were handled and resolved by the team. Key points to include are the following:

The impact of the Risks and Issues to the Project

Human resource management.

This refers to the team’s ability to carry out the project effectively.

Project Organization Structure

This metric looks at how the stakeholders participated in the project.

Decision-makers

Communication management.

Under this metric, communication throughout the duration of the project is assessed.

Communication Management Plan

  • Summarize essential feedback collected . Describe the method by which these comments were gathered and who was solicited for feedback. Also include how they responded to each question and briefly discuss which items received great responses from the participants and which ones got few answers.
  • Take note of common themes or trends of feedback gathered .
  • From the feedback gathered, also take note of any opportunities from this feedback and discuss how these opportunities can be applied to future projects, or in the organization itself .

Lesson Learned

  • Give a brief discussion of what the team learned when carrying out the project . Among these learnings, discuss which ones can be applied to future projects and how it will impact not only those future projects but also the whole organization.

Other Metrics

Other points of interest may not have been captured in the Project Status Report and may be included in the Project Closeout Report. Some of these factors include:

Duration and Effort by Project Phase

Benefits realized, benchmark comparisons, keys to an effective project closure report.

  • The closure report is mostly a summary of all efforts related to the project . It is important to ensure that all highlights of the project have been properly documented so that retrieval of these reports is easier and all efforts will be acknowledged.
  • Emphasize the high points the project delivered, how efficiently it was done, and what has been learned from the process.
  • If there are notable variances during the project implementation, make sure to provide a fact-based explanation on it . In addition, the impact of this difference must also be described.
  • A critical point in a project closure report is establishing the link between the project performance, the lessons learned, and the steps that will be taken by the organization for its continuous improvement . Aside from the project deliverables, another valuable output of a project is the learnings derived from the process and how it will be translated into concrete concepts applicable to the business processes of the organization.

Executive Summary

A little bit different from the types of project reports previously mentioned, an Executive Summary  is a distinct kind of report which uses different language. It is a high-level report which aims to provide a bigger and deeper understanding of the project—how it will benefit the organization and how it will fit into future business strategies. It is written with a busy executive in mind, someone who has a lot of important things to do and may find reading a lengthy piece of prose a waste of precious time. Factual and objective, this particular type of project report must be able to provide a realistic status of the project, as business executives understand that everything may not go according to the plan.

Some may confuse an executive summary with an abstract but, in reality, they are clearly distinct from one another and serve a different purpose.

An abstract is usually written for academic or scientific papers. It is written with a topic sentence which, generally, gives an overview of what the article is about. It is, then, supported by two or three supporting sentences which support the main idea of the topic sentence.

An executive summary, on the other hand, is composed of different sections discussing almost every significant aspect of an undertaking. It consists of sequentially arranged key points supported by conclusions and recommendations. Check our in-depth article on how to write an effective executive summary .

Things to Remember in Writing Project Reports

Here are some of the principles that need to be observed in writing an effective project report;

Write for the reader

The report should have a structure, ensure that the report is evidence-based and is supported by data, make it as objective as possible.

There is a clear distinction between facts and opinions . These should never be used together, especially if the report is dwelling on a failed project. The report becomes subjective if it reflects personal opinions of the writer. Make it objective by eliminating all parts which are not based on facts and real events. If it is really necessary to include a personal view or opinion, make sure to explicitly identify it as such. A separate section of the project report may be devoted to the writer’s personal opinion to keep the rest of the report unbiased.

There are a number of ways project reporting helps an organization, a team, and even the project itself and here are some of them:

It tracks the progress of the project

It helps identify risks, it helps manage project cost, it gives stakeholders an insight on how the project is performing, project report template: free download.

project status report

Click Here to Download Project Status Report XLSX

project update report

Click Here to Download Project Update Report DOC

project updated report 2

Click Here to Download Project Update Report 2 DOCX

general project report

Click Here to Download General Project Report DOCX

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Templates on ProsperForms:

project status report form template

Edit and use this template

monthly status report form template

Additional Sources

  • How to Write an Outstanding Weekly Report + Free Template Download
  • Project Status Dashboard and Project Tracking
  • How to Create a Project Meeting Template + Free Download

Project.co

How to Write a Project Report In 5 Easy Steps (Template Included)

Last updated on 31st January 2023

In this article we’re going to teach you how to write a project report in 5 easy steps.

Did you know that only 64% of projects meet their goals ? That means 36% fall short. And when projects don’t meet their goals it can result in a lot of headaches for your company.

The reasons why projects fail are plentiful but it typically comes back to poor planning or a lack of organisation. 

A solid project report can eliminate these issues and ensure you stay on track to complete your goals.

So, let’s take a look at how to write a project report in 5 easy steps…

Article Contents

What is a project report?

A project report is a document that contains helpful information so that teams can ensure their project stays on track, runs successfully, and completes on time. 

There are different types of project reports that are used at different periods throughout a project’s lifespan, but they all contain similar data that covers things like progress, tasks, roadblocks, stakeholders, and financial information. 

Why is a project report important?

Project reports are important for many reasons. A project report gives your project a sense of direction that can help you maintain consistency throughout the project, even as it passes between different people and teams. Your project report will also be a great document to refer back to if things get difficult, so you can stay on track. 

Even in the first instance, before your project kicks off, a project report can help you to manage your budget, workload, and any foreseen risks. It can also give stakeholders insight into the specifics of the project to help manage expectations from the start. 

Types of project report

There are many different types of project reports that will help you manage different aspects of your project. For example, a resource report will help you to understand the resources you’ll need for the project, how much resource you have at your disposal, and will also help you to predict when your resources will need to be replenished. 

Other examples include: risk assessment reports (to identify potential risks), board reports (to update investors/board members on project progress), and cost-benefit analysis reports (to help you measure benefits against the costs associated with them). 

Now, let’s dive into 3 of the biggest, most important types of project reports.

1. General project report

This is your first project report. It should cover predictions and plans for how you expect the project to go, and give you a clear sense of direction when it comes to things like budget, timelines, and everything else you need to keep track of in order for your project to be considered a success. 

2. Progress report

A progress report – as you may have guessed – comes in the middle and helps you document your progress. It’s important to keep reassessing your project to see if you are where you expect to be and to help you make adjustments along the way. 

A progress report is also very useful for managing stakeholder expectations and keeping them informed on how the project’s going.

3. Project completion report

As you wrap up your project, a project completion report can be a great way to reflect on what went well and what went wrong. This can not only help you wrap up the current project neatly, it can also inform future projects and ensure you don’t make the same mistakes twice.

How to write a project report in only 5 steps

There are many different types of project reports. So, of course, the writing of each one will differ slightly depending on who they are aimed at and what the content of the project report is. 

However, there are still some core steps to follow for each. Let’s take a look at how to write a project report in 5 steps. 

1. Start with the basics

At the very top of your project report should be a simple table that includes all of the core information for the project. Here’s an example: 

Project report table

The table for your project will probably vary slightly to this, but hopefully this gives you an idea of the most important top-level information to include. 

Underneath this table you should have a short summary of the project. This can be just a couple of sentences that sum up the objectives and goals. Think of this kind of like an elevator pitch for the project. 

2. Cover your objectives

Now it’s time to go into more detail. List out each objective for the project, including what you need to do to achieve each one. 

For example, let’s pretend our project is to create a brand video. There are many objectives, such as: 

  • Write a script
  • Storyboard the video 
  • Record a voiceover
  • Shoot the video
  • Edit the video
  • Come up with a plan for promotion 

Each objective will need to be completed in order to go on to the next. And each objective requires different resources and skill sets. All of this should be recorded, in detail, in your project report. 

3. List your obstacles

Next, list any predicted obstacles or risks. This may feel like a waste of time because of course you’re going to be avoiding risks and obstacles as often as you can. However, it’s important to be aware of the potential roadblocks that might appear so that you are prepared to handle them without slowing down. 

Some example obstacles for the brand video project could be: 

  • Equipment breaks
  • Weather ruins a shoot
  • Editing takes longer than planned

Next to each obstacle, jot down a quick plan for how you would solve this issue if it happened. For example, for “weather ruins a shoot” your potential solution could be to “choose a backup location”.

4. Create a project timeline

With any project, it’s important to know how long everything’s going to take. This is the best way to estimate how much time, money, and resource is required. 

A project timeline will help plot a path forward. To create a project timeline all you need to do is break down each objective into tasks and add a deadline for each task. It also helps to add an owner to each task, so you know who the point of contact is for each section of the timeline. 

This can be tricky to manage but becomes so much easier with a project management tool, like Project.co . When you create a project on Project.co, all of your clients and team members can see everything that goes on with the project in one centralised place. This includes tasks that can be allocated to team members, assigned a date, and a status – so everyone involved in the project can see how it’s progressing: 

how to write a project monitoring report

You can also add comments, attachments, priority tags, and more. 

Plus, it’s easy to keep track of several tasks at once by using the calendar view: 

how to write a project monitoring report

Other views available are kanban, list, and scheduler. 

5. Cover project communication

Somewhere on your project report you should include a link to your communication guidelines . This will help everyone involved on the project to understand what’s expected of them when it comes to communication, for example what tools to use and how to communicate. 

This can help your project run more smoothly and create a better result for everyone. According to our Communication Statistics 2022 , 95% of people feel that the businesses they deal with could improve when it comes to communication and project management . 

Writing a project report: 7 top tips 

1. Be clear

The perfect project report is clear and concise. Try your best to leave no room for errors or misunderstandings, and write in short definitive sentences. 

Being clear is especially important when it comes to timelines and targets. It can be helpful to plot out your tasks in a visual way, like a kanban view . This will make your project timeline easy to scan and understand.  

2. Be thorough

While it’s important to be clear and concise, it’s equally important to be thorough. Try to include as much relevant information in your project reports as possible.

One of the main functions of project reports, particularly project status reports, is to inform stakeholders on the progress of the project. So the more thorough you can be, the better. 

3. Be appropriate

A project report is an internal document that’s likely going to be shared between many different departments or teams in your business, so it’s important to make sure your language is appropriate. 

Keep the culture of the business in mind when writing your report. Use the same kind of tone and language that you would in other internal communication documents. This is especially important when you consider more than a third (35%) of businesses have lost an employee because of poor internal communication . 

4. Be honest

Your project report is not the place to sugarcoat anything. You should be honest, and brutally so. This means giving accurate and realistic figures, deliverables and deadlines. 

A project report should be a factual account so that everyone has a clear understanding of the data and knows exactly what to expect from the project. 

5. Be quick

It may seem contradictory to tell you to be thorough and quick with your project reports, but this just means don’t overload people with unnecessary information. Be succinct and to-the-point with every aspect of the report, from points of contact to resources and any potential roadblocks. 

The idea is for your project reports to be as easy to digest as possible, especially if you’re supplying busy stakeholders with a steady stream of ongoing status reports. 

6. Be prepared

No project runs perfectly, so it can be helpful to be prepared for bumps in the road. You might want to leave an ‘other’ or ‘notes’ section at the bottom of your report where you can jot down anything that’s changed along the way. 

It can also help to leave room for slight adjustments in your timeline. Just a couple of buffer days here and there can really reduce stress for your teams, and also help ensure your deadlines are more realistic. 

7. Be proud

When you’re carefully documenting things like risks and problems, your project report can become pretty gloomy. So it’s important to even it out by also celebrating your team’s achievements. 

Every project has ups and downs, and by giving as much attention to the ‘ups’ as you do the ‘downs’ you can boost team morale and this can be reflected back on your project. 

Free project report template

As promised, here is your free project report template ! 

To use this document, make sure to hit File > Make a Copy to save it as your own. This way you can make edits and personalise it to perfectly fit your needs. 

Final thoughts

A solid project report can act almost like a map that clearly directs you towards your end goal, helping you to avoid risks along the way and take the best route to success.

In addition to a project report, a project management platform can also help you to maintain your focus and manage your project with ease, thanks to centralised communication and complete visibility of all your work. Click here to get started for free .

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How to Write a Project Status Report [Template Included]

Sean Collins

How do you tell the difference between a good project and a bad one?

Look at the project status reports.

  • Bad project status reports – your team or client gets lost in pointless data, doesn’t know what work was done, and receives no insightful comments.
  • Good project status reports – your team or client sees critical data summaries, easy-to-understand insights, and an overview of the work done.

Projects get complex fast, and the tasks stack up quickly. It’s challenging for PMs to keep on top of everything.

Project management meme

That’s where project status reports can help.

In this post, you’ll learn how to create a project status report that tells the true story of each project (template included).

Let’s get started!

What is a project status report?

Project status reports are timely updates on the progress of your projects. They are the best way to track, record, and review the ongoing status of a project. 

At a glance, this might look like time tracking , but project status reporting goes deeper. It can include the scope of the work, the challenges, the team members involved, and the financial realities of the project.

Why is a project status report important?

Having worked at an agency, I know from experience that creating project status reports isn’t something project managers spend a lot of time on.

We often found projects would face issues all the time. But there was a noticeable difference in how projects were managed when we started creating project status reports for the more complex projects.

They were the best way to keep the team and clients aligned and in the loop as projects progressed. We could course-correct the project if we spotted signs the project was at risk of going over budget or not being delivered on time.

Reports were also helpful as a reflective tool to identify what went to plan and didn’t.

Other benefits of a project status report include the following:

What should a project status report include?

Project status reports will look very different depending on your industry, team size, and target reader. 

They can be created solely for your manager, team, or client. Try to keep this in mind when introducing your project status reports. Everyone will need to be on the same page regarding their purpose.

Let’s look at the critical fundamentals of any project status report.

Let’s dive a little deeper.

Timelines and milestones

Every project is a collection of tasks that must be completed within a specific timeline. That’s why every one of those tasks, or group of tasks, can work as a project milestone — signaling if the project is on track. 

For example, let’s say you are running a YouTube marketing campaign and must create 2 videos per month. 

What do those videos involve? 

  • A meeting to schedule the day of filming
  • Hiring the actors

In a project management tool , every one of these tasks can become a milestone with its deadline, time, and budget allocation. Hitting project milestones help prevent projects from going over budget, keep a project on track and deliver it on time. 

You should be reporting on project progress via milestones and look to see if they are being hit on time or not. 

Project milestones can be tracked using either a project tracking spreadsheet or project task management software .

A project tracking spreadsheet is a useful visual tool to track each task’s progress against the original project timeline . The spreadsheet should include all tasks, their status, the task owner, and the project progress percentage.

Note: you can download our free project tracking spreadsheet below.

how to write a project monitoring report

How does the spreadsheet work?

  • Add your list of project tasks
  • Assign a task owner for each item
  • Set start and end dates for each task
  • Track the progress of each task using the status dropdown menu

how to write a project monitoring report

Once you’ve added all of your project tasks, you can start tracking how much time you or your team spend on each one via the ‘Tracker’ tab.

how to write a project monitoring report

This will automatically update task actuals in the ‘Project’ tab and tell you if the project is over or under budget — based on the estimated hours you enter.

how to write a project monitoring report

There is also a progress bar and percentage on the spreadsheet to let you know how close the project is to completion.

how to write a project monitoring report

You can use a Work Breakdown Structure to better understand what tasks are required to complete for the project.

Spreadsheets are pretty good for managing projects — but only if you’re a spreadsheet wizard. 🧙

Alternatively, you can better track project milestones using project management software . Here’s how to do it using Toggl Plan .

  • Click on a date in the header you wish to add a milestone to
  • Add a name that’s easy to understand for everyone
  • Choose a color to know what project the milestone belongs to.

how to write a project monitoring report

This will make project milestones visible to everyone working on the project. 

The goal here is to offer easy-to-understand signals of what has been completed and what has been delayed. Giving you the information you need to make project adjustments where required.

Check out this video below to start creating and tracking project milestones in Toggl Plan.

Note: skip to 3:18 to learn how to add a project (plan).

Project financials

Getting the client to approve the project budget needed is the easy part. What’s harder is making sure you stay within budget.

This will typically mean keeping track of costs such as

  • Labor costs
  • Billable hours
  • Project expenses

You may already be tracking similar costs using a project budget spreadsheet, or if you’re using the spreadsheet from above, you can add the ‘estimated hours’ for each task. 

This will then give you the total cost for each task based on your hourly rate.

how to write a project monitoring report

You or your team can start tracking time spent on each task within the ‘Tracker’ tab.

how to write a project monitoring report

This will automaticity update the ‘Actual hours’ and ‘Actual cost’ columns in the ‘Project’ tab — letting you know if the task is coming in or over budget.

how to write a project monitoring report

Alternatively, you can ditch the spreadsheets and use time tracking software to track project financials.

Toggl Track allows you to track your billable and non-billable hours and team labor costs to assess the profitability of every project.

You can easily find your billable and non-billable hours per project by looking at the Project Dashboard and viewing the Billing Amounts chart.

The Billing Amounts chart shows the project’s progress against the Fixed fee amount set for the project. 

Billing amounts chart in Toggl Track

Below this chart, you will see a bar and a pie chart representing current data containing total clocked hours, billable hours, and remaining hours (based on the project estimate ). 

Clocked Hours chart in Toggl Track

There’s a good chance your project will miss key milestones and surpass the estimated timeline if your team spends too much time on non-billable work. So catching this early can be a lifesaver.

Forecasted hours in Toggl Track

You can also look at the Insights Dashboard to get a glimpse into the profitability of your project and team. 

You have options to view the total earnings made from each project and how your labor costs stack against that.

Toggl Insights Feature

Reporting on this type of information will help you better understand and manage the costs associated with each project. Allowing you to make adjustments where necessary. 

Resource management is one of the most demanding challenges for project managers.

With fewer people and tighter budgets, you have very little wriggle room to ensure that projects are delivered successfully.

To help keep the project on track, you may need to ask yourself:

  • Do I need more resources for this project?
  • Is each employee maximizing their time on the project?

The key ingredients here are your team’s capacity and billable utilization . 

Let’s take a look at how you can get access to this type of information.

Team capacity

Knowing how many hours your team has available each day can help you to reallocate resources if someone is struggling or needs extra support.

This can be done by using a resource planning spreadsheet . Search ‘resource planning template’ on Google. You should be able to find one that works for you.

how to write a project monitoring report

Alternatively, you can view your team’s available capacity inside Toggl Plan . 

Here’s how.

  • Select your team under the Teams dropdown
  • View the timeline to visualize your team’s workload capacity

Team timeline with the Availability overview panel

This will give you a high-level view of your team and their available hours each day.

This is done by adding time estimates to each task and comparing that to the user’s daily working hours.

Note: working hours are set per day inside of workspace settings.

Billable utilization

Billable utilization measures the percentage of available hours that employees spend generating revenue. 

  • Billable Utilization % = (Number of Billable Hours / Number of Available Hours) X 100%.

For example, let’s say an employee has 40 available hours to work in their week. That’s their available capacity. 

But they’re only hitting 30 hours a week.

Their resource utilization is 75%.

But out of the 30 hours they work, only 10 are billable hours (client work).

Their billable utilization is 25%

What does this tell you? 

The employee is only working 75% of their total available hours. And only 25% of their available hours are spent on work that generates revenue. 

Here’s how to view a variation of billable hours utilization using Toggl Track .

  • Go to the Reports Dashboard
  • Filter by Team member
  • Select time period

You will see a billable utilization percentage* next to the total billable hours for that team member.

Detailed Report in Toggl Track

*The percentage of billable hours in the screenshot above is based on the total hours worked. Not total available hours.

Reporting on your available resources will help you to

  • Understand if you can allocate more work to a team member or if you need to hire more resources as your team is at maximum capacity.
  • Identify areas where you can audit a team member’s time to see if you can get more billable hours out of them or if they need extra support.

Both of these will help you to make the proper adjustments to ensure the success of your project.

Toggl Plan has a native integration with Toggl Track .

The integration provides an easy way to start and stop timing your tasks from within Toggl Plan, and automatically pass the data through to your Toggl Track workspace. It’ll only take a couple of minutes to connect your accounts and get started.

Check out the video to learn more.

Changes and scope shift

Many things might cause your project to change in scope. Regardless of the why or how, documenting those changes is crucial.

how to write a project monitoring report

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Has the timeline changed?
  • Has the scope changed? 

If yes, then ask yourself why. 

  • Have you uncovered more work than you initially planned for?
  • Has the client requested additional work outside the project’s scope? 

You’ll be better equipped to make the best decision for the client and the project by getting the answers to those questions.

  • Team performance

Monitoring team performance throughout a project’s lifecycle helps keep the project on track and boost team morale.

You need to know how well your team members are doing their job. 

  • Who needs help? 
  • Who is performing like an absolute superstar? 

Perhaps the team member that is performing well deserves to be celebrated.

And the underperforming team member? 

Perhaps they need extra training. Or maybe you’ve chosen them for the wrong task and need to reshuffle resources if you want to get the best out of your team. 

The best way of monitoring performance is by analyzing the data first.

Some key areas to monitor include.

Keeping a close eye on this data will help you analyze your team’s performance. Giving you the information you need to make better staffing decisions for other projects.

Risk management

We often plan a project with this overly optimistic mindset. We forget to consider X — or even worse, we knowingly sweep X under the rug, thinking it won’t happen to us.

Before you know it, you’re mid-project and starting to feel the heat.

This is fine meme

The first step is carrying out a project risk assessment before a project starts. 

But sometimes, not everything can be identified or planned for. So you may find yourself having to put out a few fires.

Reporting on any project issues will help you to better navigate through the project and help to prevent them from happening again in the future.

How to write a good project status report — the 4 N’s

The project manager’s paradox is knowing how to source and analyze data and when to ignore it.

How you report on each project is entirely up to you.

But remember to be clear on who the audience is with your project progress reports. This will help you to deliver them with the appropriate information and tone.

We’ve put together a project reporting template based on four key elements (the 4 N’s) we think you should be reporting on.

Grab it below!

Project progress report template

Note: you will need access to the critical project metrics/data outlined above to write an effective report.

The 4 N’s of a project status report

Now let’s dive into what each one means.

Regarding numbers, there are two main elements to focus on: 

You have to focus on your expenditure for every part of the project and compare it to the costs you planned at the beginning. Then you have to do the same with your scheduling plans.

Let’s say you’re working on a marketing campaign that will last two months. 

Within the first month, you are expected to: 

  • Create ten posts
  • Spend 60% of your budget

Examine and monitor your project metrics and determine how they compare to the project’s planning. When you find differences, you use the narrative to explain why the changes occurred and what they mean for the project going forward.

Let the numbers grab their attention and draw their interest. Then they will pay attention to the narrative of your project report. 

You should also use charts and graphs to make the numbers more digestible. 

Considering that a project report is supposed to be full of facts and numbers, focusing on the report’s narrative might seem like a vague tip. 

But it isn’t. 

Consider this statistic: only  5%  of people attending a presentation remember statistics, but 63% of people remember stories. 

We’re not suggesting that you flex your creative muscle and go all ‘once-upon-a-time’ on your project report. But you shouldn’t overwhelm people with numbers.

In your narrative, try to provide any necessary back-story or analysis behind: 

Each of these elements depends on all the  other  elements of the project. They’re all interconnected, and that’s where narrative comes into play. 

Let us give you two examples, focusing on an Instagram marketing campaign. 

In the first, you focus only on the statistics, so you write in your project report: 

  • We’ve only booked 60% of the influencers. 
  • We only have 20% of the budget left.

Based on these two facts alone, it might seem like you’re not very good at your job. It might seem like the project is destined to fail. 

But now, let us show you how narrative can change the entire perception of the situation. 

We have booked 60% of the influencers because we decided to switch tactics and focus on creating content ourselves. The last option was less effective than anticipated. 

The budgetary situation considers all our costs for the project’s duration—because creating content ourselves is cheaper, we expect to complete this project 10% under budget. This money will be used to buy more sponsored ads on Instagram. 

Now, doesn’t that sound like an entirely different story?

Projects need people to succeed. So it’s worth spending time analyzing the team members chosen to bring the project to completion. 

You can identify the underperforming team members and try to determine why. But you also identify the excellent team members and celebrate their successes.

But in your project report, depending on how often you report, you should also outline if you need to reallocate resources.

Is anyone sick? Is anyone going on vacation? More importantly, does anyone  need  a vacation? 

Employees that are burnt out are of no benefit to anybody. You should take the chance to note who has been working the hardest and who will be taking a more prominent role in the project’s next stage. 

Tracking time in timesheets is an option here. But manual timesheets aren’t always the most accurate. 

Features like Toggl’s  Summary Report  can be helpful here. It can show you who’s been working the most and provide accurate weekly data on their working hours.

Features like Toggl’s Summary Report can be helpful as they can show you who’s been working the most and provide accurate data on their working hours every week.

Summary report in Toggl Track

You can also audit your teams time within this report. With a time audit , you no longer have to do a manual roll call to ensure everyone in the workspace has logged time for the week.

Time audit feature in Toggl Track

Note: You may want to keep reporting individual team members’ performance between yourself and your manager/team. But reporting on the other three elements for your client is a great way to build trust. 

This is the section where you tell the story that the narrative and the numbers might have missed out on. 

Which part of the picture might be missing out from the report? What kind of challenges might the team be facing that outsiders might be completely oblivious to? 

Perhaps the team detected an opportunity, and you would consider expanding the scope of work. 💰

Or perhaps there are other external challenges out of your control. For example, a client is requesting work out of scope or taking an age to get back to you with critical documents or files.

These nuances need to be included in the report because as the project progresses, project managers and team members begin stumbling into unexpected factors that might impact the project’s overall success. 

It is important to point them out, explain their causes, and suggest potential solutions to overcome those obstacles.

Project status report template

This project report template is meant to streamline the project reporting process. We want to ensure it’s used to highlight the critical elements described above. 

This will help to ensure everyone keeps on track with what they need to be doing and to help you make adjustments before it’s too late.

Note: feel free to change the headings and the report’s overall structure. You may want to only report on projects internally or with your client — which may influence what you report on.

When should you write a project status report?

Honestly? It depends. 🤷‍♀️

There are two main factors to consider: 

  • The length of the project
  • The size of the project

When it comes to the length of the project, we are mainly referring to the intervals at which project reporting has to be done. 

A multi-year project might only require a status report every quarter or every six months. But a project that lasts six months? Monthly reporting is probably a good cadence.

While keeping management or your client informed of the progress is essential, project reports often take time. So creating them too often might be considered wasteful. 

But then there is the second element to consider — the project’s size.

Straightforward projects like creating a one-page flyer probably don’t need much reporting. 

But something as complex as a website build, mobile app, or branding campaign may require regular updates. So writing a project report every month or quarter is worthwhile. 

But don’t go overboard with project progress reports. Too much project reporting can be problematic. You don’t want to drown yourself with admin work when your time could be better spent on profitable work. Try and apply some common sense.

Feel in control with project reporting

Don’t stress over creating project reports too much. It’s usually more straightforward than it’s thought to be. Consistent and accurate project reporting helps significantly if you regularly work on complex and lengthy projects. 

They will also help you to manage better: 

  • Scope creep

Knowing how to write a project report and taking advantage of its information can be the difference between a successful project and a soul-destroying one.

Sean Collins

Sean is a Content Marketer at Toggl. He's been involved in SEO and Content Marketing since 2017. Before working for Toggl, Sean ran SEO at a digital marketing agency—so he's all too familiar with time tracking and project management.

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How to Write a Project Management Report

A project management report is a summary overview of the current status of a project. It is a formal record of the state of a project at a given time. The exact form and details may vary depending on your company and project management office requirements. Many businesses have their own project management report templates their project managers adhere to.

Depending on the size and complexity of your projects, a project management report may be required weekly or monthly. It is provided to all project stakeholders to help keep them up to date with the progress of the project and any pressing challenges it may be facing. 

Project management reports are useful for all sorts of different types of projects across a variety of industries. For example:

  • A marketing project manager could provide a regular project status report to the entire organization so they can keep tabs on how the company rebrand is progressing
  • A software development team might use resource reports to effectively plan a sprint and ensure they have the resources they need
  • An executive might present a project risk report to the company’s board of directors to get guidance and help navigating potential issues and roadblocks
  • A project manager could use a project performance report to monitor the project budget, schedule, and success metrics, and share that crucial information with leaders
  • A leadership team could use a time tracking report to understand how the team’s time is being used and how the team could become more efficient

That’s only the beginning. There are numerous types of project management reports that can be used for an assortment of project goals and scenarios. 

Most project management reports are single-pagers but may have appendices or links to more information for stakeholders who wish to delve into the details. However, project reporting can be much more in-depth in some companies and circumstances.

But regardless of the specific report, the point remains the same: Project management reports are intended to provide a clearer understanding of a project — whether it’s only getting started, in progress, or just wrapped up. 

Project management reports are as unique as projects themselves.  

Whether you’re creating a one-page report or a comprehensive one, Wrike is the must-have tool for project planning, monitoring, and reporting.  

What is included in a project management report?

As you figure out how to prepare a project report, you’re bound to have one big question: What should you include?

The information you include in your project management report will largely depend on the type of project, the scope of the project, your organizational processes, as well as your goal in generating a project report in the first place. 

Understanding and appropriately allocating project resources will likely require more detail and a far more comprehensive report than providing a straightforward status update. And in general, more complex projects typically require more complex project reports. 

With that said, there are some standard elements that apply to project reports across nearly every industry, organization, and type of project. Whether you need them all or only a few, here are some key characteristics to consider when creating your own project report. 

Identifying project information

Think of this as the “basics” of your project. While it might seem like overkill to include it in every single project report you create, doing so (ideally, near the top of your report) gives people the necessary context they need about the project before reviewing the report.

You’re essentially laying the groundwork for them, which is especially important for people who might not be privy to every single report or who only need to be kept updated at a high level. They aren’t as close to the project, so they likely require regular refreshers.

  • Project name: Give your project a name to quickly and easily identify it. Resist the urge to get too creative — instead, name your project something instantly recognizable and intuitive (for example, “CompanyXYZ Website Revamp”).
  • Project number (if it has one): If your company uses project numbers or any other identifying code, include that on each report as well.
  • Name of project manager: If and when people have questions after reviewing the report, this means they can quickly understand their best point of contact for more information. 
  • Project sponsor(s): Your project sponsor is the person (or people) at the senior leadership level that’s providing resources and overall support for the project. For many people, it’s easy to confuse this person with the project manager. So, listing the sponsor on each report provides clarity about those roles.
  • Start date of the project: Timing matters for projects. Including the project’s start date at the top of the report helps people instantly glean how long the project has been progressing and how much time has already been invested. 
  • Expected end date: Projects don’t stretch into eternity (at least, they shouldn’t). Including the project’s anticipated end date with the start date means people can understand the overall timeframe of the project.
  • Customer name and information: If you work in professional services or any industry where you’re doing work for customers, the customer’s name and other identifying details should be included on the project report. That helps ensure accuracy in reporting and also makes file management a little easier. 
  • Date the project report is released: Particularly for long projects, you could generate many reports throughout the process — maybe even dozens of them. Dating each project report means you can maintain a paper trail and ensure those reports are easy to refer back to and make sense of in the future. 

Key metrics of project success

Exactly what metrics you report on will depend on the intention of your overall report. For example, a project risk report will dedicate much more space and detail to potential threats to the project while a project status report will focus far more on the tasks that have been completed and what’s still left to do. 

It’s important to include some project success metrics in each report you generate. Much like the basic identifying project information, it’s helpful context for any team members or stakeholders who review the report. Think of it almost like the project’s highlight reel. It’s a quick rundown of project performance that should be included at the beginning of your report (after the identifying information) or at the very end, depending on your report formatting. 

  • Schedule progress against plan: Is the project ahead of or behind schedule? How far ahead or how far behind? This helps people understand a more realistic timeline as well as how much time is left for the project.
  • Current cost versus budget: Is the project under budget or over? How much over or under? It can also be helpful to include a few notes or bullet points about how the budget or project plan will be adjusted or managed moving forward, particularly if you’ve already experienced severe overages.
  • Current scope compared to plan: Has the project scope changed since the project began? If so, how? Understanding how the scope evolves throughout the project will make it easier for everyone to manage resources and expectations.
  • Planned versus actual resourcing: Are any resources missing or overallocated? How will you secure or reallocate resources moving forward?
  • Overview of risks: Are there any high risks that need to be managed?
  • Current quality findings: Has quality testing been done? Were there any issues?

Additional information to include

  • Project change management : This is usually an update of any pending and approved change requests for the project.
  • Actions taken: This provides a high-level summary of key actions taken and decisions made since the last project report. It can also include accomplishments, such as milestones recently met.
  • Decisions required: If there is a crucial decision that needs to be made, this is the right place to share it, whose decision it is, and when it’s due. An example could be sponsor approval for the project management plan .
  • Upcoming milestones: Deliverables due soon and milestones approaching are communicated here.
  • Task lists : This is a list of all the tasks to be completed to deliver the project successfully. Task lists should have the start and end dates of the included tasks.

Types of project management reports

Below is a list of the most important project management reports you may need to track and report on your project status.

Time tracking reports

Time tracking reports show what projects your team members are spending time on. This helps you improve project management and communicate adequately with stakeholders about a project ’ s progress. Time tracking reports provide useful data to improve scheduling and resource management and boost revenue, especially in professional services agencies and companies.

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Project status reports

Project status reports communicate how a project is progressing within a specific period. This helps to keep stakeholders updated on the project ’ s progress and any emerging issues with cost, scope, schedules, or risks. You can easily compare a project status report to the project baseline or project plan to assess how well it is doing. Project status reports typically include the work that ’ s been completed, a summary of the project’s costs and schedule, a plan for what is to follow, and any issues and risks.

Project health reports

Project health reports provide a snapshot of the status of a project. This helps to share how well or poorly a project is doing. Project health reports show what ’ s been done, what ’ s on schedule, and what ’ s overdue. They make it easy to communicate to team members and stakeholders about the overall health of a project. A project health report makes it obvious if you ’ ve stayed on track or deviated far from the project plan. It brings to the forefront the most important tasks to tackle to get a project back on the intended path. Different teams and companies may have unique ways of organizing their own project health reports.

Project risk reports

Project risk reports identify and categorize risks in a project based on their severity and likelihood of happening. This helps prioritize issues and eliminate harmful risks before they cause irreparable damage or project failure. Project risk reports communicate problems to stakeholders so they can take action. The goal of project risk reports is to catch and identify project risks before they occur.

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Variance reports

Variance reports show how a project has deviated from the project plan or baseline. This helps compare how a project is doing with the project plan and reduce any chances of project failure. With a variance report, project teams can monitor actual and planned performances and ensure they are on track with the project scope, costs, and schedules. This helps mitigate risks and implement change management procedures where necessary. Variance reports also aid in planning for future projects.

Resource reports

Resource reports are helpful for managing available resources and planning a successful project. You can use them to adjust workloads and make decisions to make the project workflow more efficient and effective. Resource reports take costs, schedule, and scope of work remaining into consideration to make the best resourcing decisions for the project and team. It’s easy to see how much team members have on their plate and redistribute work to achieve the desired results and complete the project.

How often should you report on projects as a manager?

There’s no set cadence for your project reports. However, when determining how often you should send a project report to the team or other stakeholders, here are a few important elements to think through: 

  • How long is the project’s timeline? For a project that spans many months, reporting daily would be overkill. But for a project that only spans a week or two, a quick daily report could be warranted. The duration of your overall project is one of your most important considerations when figuring out how often to create and share project reports. 
  • What are client or stakeholder expectations? Are you creating deliverables for clients that expect frequent communication? Or have stakeholders expressed that they’d like regular weekly updates? Keep in mind that being a project manager is ultimately a service position, so you’ll need to consider other people’s needs, expectations, and preferences in terms of reporting cadence.
  • How much has the project changed? Whether the project scope has ballooned, broader organizational goals have shifted substantially, or the team recently achieved a significant project milestone, major and consequential changes to the project almost always warrant a report and an update to stakeholders — even if it’s not your “regularly scheduled” time to send one. 

If you still feel unsure about how often to report on projects, have a conversation with the project team and any relevant stakeholders to get their insights on a cadence that would keep them informed without making them feel overwhelmed.

Tips for effective project reporting

When writing a project management report, it is essential to keep the following in mind:

  • Be concise and share results and outcomes: Don't focus on details your stakeholders don't need to know. Try to use bullet points, not paragraphs. If you create a 10-page document every week, no one is likely to read it. Plus, you won't have time to manage the actual project.
  • Understand your audience: Make sure the project report is not too technical and avoid jargon. Otherwise, your stakeholders won't be able to understand it.
  • Provide context: Don't just say a deliverable will be two weeks late. Share how it will impact the rest of the project and what actions are being taken to resolve it. Stakeholders need to know how significant the problem truly is.
  • Be clear about any asks: If you require your stakeholders to do something, make sure you explicitly mention who is responsible, what they are responsible for, and when it needs to be done.
  • Make it visual: Use project management software that offers project management report templates . This allows stakeholders to quickly identify which projects are struggling and what areas they are struggling with before reading further into the project report. Executives may receive dozens of project management reports (or more) every week, so making your project reports easy to read is crucial.

Project management report example

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How can Wrike help you with project management reports? 

Learning how to write a management report for your projects might seem daunting, but using the right software can make all the difference in the reporting process — whether you’re reporting on a small project or are tasked with enterprise project management . 

Wrike has all of the features you need to make every type of project a success, including reports . These reports are completely customizable and make it easy to gather all of the data you need from your tasks and projects and generate a helpful summary that you, your team, and all of your stakeholders can easily understand.

No more combing through spreadsheets or scrolling through endless email threads to find and compile the information you need. Wrike will gather your project-related information right from the source and save you all of the mundane and tedious work that’s usually synonymous with reporting. 

And if you’re tired of reports being lost, misfiled, or even hitting the recycling bin after a cursory glance, Wrike makes storage and management of your reports easy too. You can access and view all reports created by or shared with you by simply clicking “Reports.” It’s painless to find the information you need and you also have the peace of mind that you can always refer back to those reports in the future. 

Ready to jump in with project reporting that’s more helpful and less of a hassle? Get started with a two-week free trial of Wrike today and see how simple project management reports can be.

Further reading

7 Stakeholders to Consult Before Starting a New Project

Stop Projects From Derailing With Wrike’s New Report Templates

What It Means to Be a Digital Project Manager

How Successful Teams Use Project Management Software

Basic Project Management

  • Project Charter
  • Project Management Stakeholders
  • What is a Project?
  • Work Breakdown Structure
  • Project Objectives
  • Project Baseline
  • Project Management Scheduling
  • Project Management Work Packages
  • Project Management Scope
  • Scope Creep

Advanced Project Management

  • What is PERT?
  • Network Diagram
  • Risk Management
  • Cost Estimation
  • Feasibility Study
  • Monte Carlo Analysis
  • Project Integration
  • Cost Management
  • PMI Project Management
  • What To Do With Certification
  • Certification
  • Become Certified
  • PMP Certification
  • Best Certification

Software Features

  • Critical Success Factors
  • Capacity Planning
  • User Role Access Permissions
  • Time Tracking
  • Budget Tracking
  • Request Forms
  • Work Assignments
  • Version Control
  • Dependency Managements
  • Project management Milestones
  • Project Management Software
  • Project Management Tools
  • Project Management System
  • Gantt Charts

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What Is a Project Report?

Why are project reports important.

Read more: What is Project Management? Definition, Types & Examples

Examples of Project Reports

Tips for creating useful project reports.

  • Pinpoint the purpose: Understand the purpose of the project report and what you are being asked to convey.
  • Know the audience: Who are you creating the report for, and what they want to know about the project?
  • Choose a report format: Choose whether it will be a presentation, a link to a file, or a printed document.
  • Draft the report: Create a rough draft of what you are preparing and review it carefully. Make sure you are including all of the details you want to share with the team, and reach out to team leads to fill in any gaps before finalizing.
  • Consider layout: Give the report a good structure and effective layout. Make it easy to spot the most important information first at a scan, and list other details as secondary.
  • Highlight key content: If a report is more than a few pages in length, create a table of contents and subheadings for easy review. Readers should be able to quickly find key information.
  • Proofread: Use simple and easy-to-read language that is free of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors.

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Monitoring and Evaluation Academy Of Excellence

  • M&E BASICS

Report writing format for Monitoring and Evaluation Reports

how to write a project monitoring report

Monitoring and Evaluation of Projects is crucial in measuring whether results have been achieved (IMPACT, OUTCOME and OUTPUTS). For effective communication of findings, there is need to compile a Monitoring and Evaluation Report to stakeholders. In this article, we will discuss the report writing format for Monitoring and Evaluation Reports.

To gain an understanding of the tips to effective report writing, please refer to the video below:

Why reporting is necessary?

When a project has been implemented from start to finish, the achievement in project results must be well documented. The best way to document such achievements is through effective reporting. Reporting of findings is best achieved through the Monitoring Report or the Evaluation Report.

The Monitoring Report communicates findings on the results achieved at the output level. The findings from the Monitoring Report help inform continuous tracking and corrective action as the the Project is running. The Evaluation Report communicates findings on the results achieved at the outcome and impact level. Evaluations are conducted to measure the overall success of the Project especially at the end of Project implementation.

To best understand the different levels of results, refer to the Logical Framework Matrix below:

how to write a project monitoring report

How to write a report?

Writing a report requires that you first understand what exactly you want to communicate to your stakeholders. When communicating M&E findings, there is always need to report on all findings as they appear on the logframe. You must always have in mind the key performance indicators when reporting findings to stakeholders.

The reporting format used when compiling a report is listed below:

  • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • INTRODUCTION
  • METHODOLOGY
  • RECOMMENDATIONS

The cover page is the frontmost part of the document that presents the title of the Report. Further to that, the cover page must also give the date the report was compiled and also the name of the author. In the image below is an example of the title page for an Evaluation Report.

how to write a project monitoring report

Executive Summary

The executive summary is that section of the report that gives a brief overview of what the report is about. This section is meant to present to the reader what the whole report is about without having to read the whole text. For a reader, this is important because in cases where time is limiting, the reader can gain the main findings of the report. Incases where there might be need for detail, they can read through the contents in the main body.

If you are writing the executive summary for the very first time, one tip to being effective is write the executive summary after you have completed the main text all together. This ensures that you capture the summary using the lens of a reader and not the writer of the Report.

Introduction

The introduction is the opener of the whole report. It is a the section of the report that presents to the reader what the report is about and why it was necessary to write. In the introduction, the writer also gives a background of why the report is being written. The introduction should be coherent with the title and theme of the whole report. To understand this better, look at the example below:

Title of Report: Progress Report on the Implementation of the 2022 – 2026 Poverty Reduction Project in Ethiopia

Introduction: In 2021, the European Union (EU) working alongside the government of Ethiopia partnered together to embark on a Poverty Reduction Project in selected districts in Ethiopia. The Project is entitled the 2022 – 2026 Poverty Reduction Project which is to run for five (5) years in six (6) selected regions namely Gumuz, Gambella, Sidama, Tigray, Afar and Amhara. The overall goal of the project is to reduce poverty in the selected regions by 30%.

In the month of July, 2023, a team of Project Staff working alongside representatives of the EU and Government of Somalia embarked on a Monitoring mission to assess the progress achieved in terms of poverty reduction. This report presents the findings of the Monitoring Mission that was undertaken by the Project Monitoring Team.

This section of the report details what the report aims to achieve or rather, the aims of conducting the activity that is being reported on. The objectives are concise and straight to the point. For example, lets say the title of your report is “ Report on Project activities for the 2nd quarter “. In your objectives you will write as follows:

Overall Objectives : To assess the results achieved from implementation of Project activities in the 2nd quarter.

Specific Objectives:

(1) To determine the level of income of the project beneficiaries;

(2) To determine the level of access to safe drinking water by members of the communities

(3) To determine the challenges faced in meeting the targets

(4) To provide recommendations.

Methodology

The methodology describes

The word “methodology” just means “how” something is done in a in order to gather the findings. More specifically, it’s about how a researcher plans a study in a way that makes sure the results are true and reliable and answer the goals, objectives, and questions. More specifically, how did the expert decide:

(1) What type of data to collect (e.g., qualitative or numeric data)

(2) Who to get the information from (the sampling method)

(3) How to collect it (the method for getting the data)

(4) How to conduct data analysis

The methodology is important to include in the Monitoring or Evaluation Report to help readers appreciate what methods were used to conduct the activity.

In every monitoring or evaluation report, the most important section is the findings. The reason being is, the findings section provides information on the progress made in relation to all the indicators of the Project. The Key Performance Indicators are variables that will highlight to stakeholders as to whether targets are being achieved or not (whether progress is being achieved or not). If a project has 10 indicators, then all the 10 indicators must be reported on.

When compiling the Monitoring Report, the results that must be communicated are indicators that measure output and outcome. This is because in most cases, change for output level results happens in the short term while for outcome level results, it can happen up to a year. Because these are short term changes, the M&E Officer, Specialist, Manager or Director must take deliberate effort to regular track whether any change is actually taking place in order to recommend corrective action in the short term.

When compiling the Evaluation Report, the results that must be communicated are indicators that measure outcome and impact level results . The outcome level results can also take long to see results. The same goes with the impact level results. Below is the hierarchy for the different level of results:

OUTPUT LEVEL RESULTS: Change happens upto a year

OUTCOME LEVEL RESULTS: Change happens between 1 to 3 years

IMPACT LEVEL RESULTS: Change happens between 3 to 5 years.

Useful tips to consider when reporting:

Tip 1 : Always think about your audience

When communicating your findings, think about the people who will read your report. Keep in mind that the whole essence of communicating information is to ensure that management and stakeholders alike can use this information to make evidence based decisions and take corrective action. In writing your report don’t be too academic especially if the audience have little understanding on academic jargon.

Tip 2: Only report on the Key Performance Indicators

Every project has its own set of indicators and deliverables that it intends to achieve. When reporting your findings, always ensure to communicate the progress achieved in relation to the indicators. Below are a set of examples:

Example 1: Number of trainings conducted

The findings show that the total number of trainings conducted in the first quarter of 2023 were 150. However, the this fell short against the targeted number of trainings of 200 per quarter.

Example 2: % of people living in poverty

The findings show that the percentage of people living in poverty in the year 2023 was 15% compared to 25% at the start of the project in 2021. This improvement can be attributed to the interventions of the Project.

Tip 3: Mention the challenges

When reporting, always mention the challenges that were faced in achieving the targets. Mentioning the challenges will ensure that that corrective measures are undertaken to resolve the challenges. For each key Performance Indicator mention the challenges in clear terms.

Tip 4: Mention the recommendations

For every target that was not achieve, outline the recommendations. The recommendations will help management determine what steps must be undertaken to ensure that the targets are achieved.

This section of the report details the interpretation of the findings and what they exactly mean. The discussion must be written with a view to articulate to the audience what the findings actually mean and whether progress has been achieved or not.

In this section the report should explain whether the objectives of the Project had been achieved or not. Based on the findings, it must be outlined in the conclusion what targets where achieved, and the targets that were not achieved. Most importantly, the conclusion must state whether the overall and specific objectives of the Project was achieved.

Overall Objective: To reduce poverty by 20% among the rural communities

i) To improve income by 10% among the rural communities

ii) To improve agriculture productivity thus ensuring food security

iii) To empower members of the community with knowledge and skills

In the conclusion it must be stated clearly whether these objectives were actually achieved. The conclusion therefore may be written the following way below:

The findings show that most of the targets were achieved. However, while this was the case poverty had only reduced by 5% against the desired target of 20%. This was mainly attributed to the lack of adequate assimilation of knowledge and skills by the members of the rural community.

TO BE CONTINUED

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how to write a project monitoring report

Monitoring visit report template

The purpose of a monitoring visit (sometimes called a supervision visit or a field visit) is to make sure that project activities are implemented the way they are described in the plan. It normally involves meeting with the people running the project, meeting with the participants, and observing the activities.

At the end of a monitoring visit, it is important to prepare a report that describes what you found. These reports will document any discrepancies between the plan and actual implementation, as well as improvements made by the project team.

Monitoring Visit Report Template Screenshot

This monitoring visit report template is appropriate when:

  • You need to report the results of a monitoring visit, supervision visit, or field visit.

This monitoring visit report template is NOT appropriate when:

  • Your organisation or donor already has a standard template for monitoring visit reports (in which case use their template).

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How to write an M&E framework – Free video tutorial & templates

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How to Write a Solid Progress Report for Project Success

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Progress reports are like project status updates that help everyone involved understand how things are going. Writing a solid progress report is crucial for keeping your project on track and ensuring its success. In this guide, we’ll break down the process of creating a great progress report, making it easy for you to communicate your project’s progress effectively. We have also included progress report templates for you to get started right away.

Progress Report Template

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What is a Progress Report

A progress report is a document that provides an overview of the status, advancements, and achievements of a project or task. It typically outlines what has been accomplished, what is currently in progress, and any challenges or obstacles encountered. Progress reports are commonly used in various settings, such as work, education, or personal projects, to keep stakeholders informed about the project’s developments and to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the current state of affairs.

Progress Report Templates to Keep Track of Project Progress

Daily Progress Report Template

Project Status Report Template

Project Status Summary

Project Dashboard Template

Project Status Summary Template

Why You Need to Use a Progress Report

A progress report promotes a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement in project management. Here are several reasons why a progress report is important.

Clear communication: Keeps everyone on the same page by sharing what’s happening in a project.

Tracking achievements: Highlights what has been successfully completed, boosting team morale.

Problem-solving: Identifies and addresses challenges, helping to find solutions and stay on track.

Decision-making: Provides real-time information for informed decision-making during the project.

Accountability: Holds team members responsible for their tasks and deadlines.

Learning and improvement: Creates a record of progress, facilitating learning for future projects.

Efficiency: Keeps the team working efficiently by preventing confusion and misunderstandings.

Collaboration: Encourages collaboration and coordination among team members.

Key Components of a Progress Report

The following components of a progress report collectively provide a comprehensive view of the project’s progress, challenges, and future plans, enabling effective communication and decision-making.

  • Introduction : Brief overview of the project, including its purpose and objectives.
  • Work completed : Summary of tasks or milestones achieved since the last report.
  • Work in progress : Description of current activities, tasks underway, and their status.
  • Challenges and issues : Identification and discussion of any problems, roadblocks, or challenges faced.
  • Achievements : Recognition and celebration of significant accomplishments and milestones.
  • Upcoming tasks : Outline of the next steps, tasks, or milestones planned for the future.
  • Timeline and schedule : Review or adjustment of the project timeline or schedule, if necessary.
  • Budget overview : Overview of the project’s financial status, including spendings and any budget changes.
  • Recommendations : Suggestions for improvements or changes to improve project efficiency.
  • Conclusion : A brief summary and conclusion, often including an overall project status assessment.

Challenges of Creating and Using a Progress Report

While project reports are handy for keeping track of project progress, they can pose some challenges.

Time-consuming: Writing a progress report can take time away from actual project work.

Communication issues: Making sure that everyone understands the report may be challenging.

Data accuracy: Getting accurate information for the report can sometimes be difficult.

Overlooking details: Important details may be unintentionally left out.

Balancing detail and brevity: Finding the right level of detail without making the report too lengthy can be tricky.

Tracking complex projects: Managing and reporting progress for complex projects may pose a challenge.

Ensuring regular updates: Getting everyone to consistently update progress can be a hurdle, especially in dynamic work environments.

Best Practices for Creating an Effective Progress Report

Creating an effective progress report involves following some best practices:

  • Keep your report clear and straightforward, avoiding jargon or overly complex language.
  • Highlight the most important information, emphasizing achievements and addressing challenges.
  • Use a consistent format and structure for easy comprehension.
  • Submit reports on time to make sure that the information is relevant and up-to-date.
  • Provide enough detail to convey the message, but avoid unnecessary information that may overwhelm.
  • Use charts or diagrams to visually represent data and trends for better understanding.
  • Include potential solutions when discussing challenges, promoting a proactive approach.

Create Your Next Progress Report with Creately

Simplify the process of creating progress reports and streamline project management, communication, and improve overall project success with Creately ’s visual collaboration platform.

Task tracking and assignment

Use the built-in project management tools to create, assign, and track tasks right on the canvas. Assign responsibilities, set due dates, and monitor progress with Agile Kanban boards, Gantt charts, timelines and more. Create task cards containing detailed information, descriptions, due dates, and assigned responsibilities.

Notes and attachments

Record additional details and attach documents, files, and screenshots related to your tasks and projects with per item integrated notes panel and custom data fields. Or easily embed files and attachments right on the workspace to centralize project information. Work together on project documentation with teammates with full multiplayer text and visual collaboration.

Real-time collaboration

Get any number of participants on the same workspace and track their additions to the progress report in real-time. Collaborate with others in the project seamlessly with true multi-user collaboration features including synced previews and comments and discussion threads. Use Creately’s Microsoft Teams integration to brainstorm, plan, run projects during meetings.

Pre-made templates

Get a head start with ready-to-use progress report templates and other project documentation templates available right inside the app. Explore 1000s more templates and examples for various scenarios in the community.

Comprehensive shape libraries

Create any visual aid from flowcharts to timelines with comprehensive shape libraries for over 70 types of diagrams including icons. Illustrate or make annotations easily with freehand drawing and format text without leaving the keyboard with markdown shortcuts.

Progress reports are indispensable in project management. They foster communication, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement. Make use of the progress report templates we have provided to track your progress and stay organized.

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

How at write a good monitors and evaluation how - guidelines and best practices

Jul 27, 2021.

Reporting is an integral part of any monitoring and evaluation plan or framework. Fine reporting enables organisations to communicate the value of their work and their impact whilst allowing them to demonstrate aid effectiveness and enhance benefits, collaboration, study both adaptation into their organisation and all the entire project cycle.

In this article, we will explain what control and appraisal reporting is, how it’s done or how your organisation can benefit away periodic reporting. Benefit, stay on our as we walk you throughout some of the best best from M&E reporting – M&E report formats and frequency, what to inclusion in your M&E submit and some top guidelines free experts up find you efficient your report process and letter reports that are credible and constructive.

What is monitoring and evaluation (M&E) reporting and how exists it did?

Notification exists the documentation and communication is M&E results to appropriate audiences at designation times. The key purpose of notification may be to account for funds disbursed, to offering rich data used and decision-making process or to improve aimed and coordination of capital and on-ground special. Reporting can be made during a project otherwise program level. Most M&E reporting include financial summary a a project as well as check on him progress and your, activities undertaken, inputs supplied, money disbursed, key findings, results, impacts, plus, conclusions and recommendations from aforementioned interventions ensure had been prepared from various monitoring additionally evaluation activities and data sources.  Sensitive plant biosphere reconstruction projects are underway. A partnership toward. Page 4. FY 2008 Monitoring & Evaluation Report. Chipsaw National Forest. 4.

The object on reporting is into give these collected and analyzed data as information or evidence to key stakeholders and investors to utilize furthermore to increasing their faith in the project and the implementing team.

Benefits of periodic monitoring also evaluation (M&E) reporting

Periodic coverage on M&E data helps internal associate and management teams to assessment and communicate your transparency and accountability to their stakeholders, partners, funders, beneficiaries and others. It enables their to identify and interpret the progress their interventions have made against their set aims and indicators press inherent effects in an community of get and is people. 

M&E reports also help the team to examination the effectiveness of their underlying assumptions, project activities, design, goal press suggest ways for future acclimatization and bug. Besides, M&E reports allow who our to identified and divide challenges they have encountered, unpredicted make that have born in the process, along with underlying reasons for under-performance or shortcomings of actual management both monitoring scheme real their default referrals and action plans for improvements of succeed work plans real sustainability of their results.  The APR is an assessment of a particular programme or project during a given year by destination groups, programme or project management, government and UNDP. It ...

M&E reports help to stakeholders, partners, donors and others involved in the project to grip a clear drawing about the performance of the project and its real impact on the ground, helpers them make evidence-based judgments to improve the current interval and design better projects in who future. These berichten also help one higher-up management teams to make adjustments to their internal operations and make recommendations for the status otherwise country level policy modification. Moreover, the provide from such reports also online to donors until direct aid and funding to where it’s need most – to address aforementioned bulk critical issues press helping the most endangered communities in need.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) report - frequency real formats

Each organisation is different both so are yours projects, hence every organisation is you own unique reporting system. M&E beziehungen can be produced press distributed on a every, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or on can annual basis. Weekly or bi-weekly related are usually concise and shared with the user team and several external stakeholders to keep they up to enter on the project progress against their targets, budget, all modifications made to the project or the implementing team etc. Even, monthly, quarterly bi-annual or annual reports are much more comprehensive and include more details additionally evidence on the progress of the intervention, project inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, teacher learned, recommendations et. These are shared with a wider community, in partners, financial and extra stakeholders.

Many organisations report the their M&E data in a traditional tale format stylish an form of paper reports. However, with the creation of electronic technology and approaches, many others are adopting newer and innovative mediums to report, similar as videos, recorded audio, reciprocal media, mapping, intelligence visualization, interactive dashboards, online presentations the extra. How frequent real in which format reports are produced and distributed depends on the organisation and it news system-. The output and format also depend on the nature of the project, its M&E plan and select frames, the resources ready, the requirements the the donors and the audience away which report – how also on whoever reporting info will to utilized etc.  

Mention that many formations report on their monitoring and evaluation activities together, but, there are exemptions. Includes some organisations, monitoring and evaluation notification is done seperate. Surveillance is done from implementing staff members or it’s undertaken more frequently over valuation. Valuation on the select hand could be undertaken by internal staff or external consultants.

View how TolaData’s programmable dashboards can add value to your organisation’s reporting processes. 

Some keys points the store in mind ahead writing your M&E report

  • Have you identified indicators for each project activity? Indicators required be relevant and easy to track, measure and report. Here’s how up create indicators that make sense. 
  • Have you identified key monitoring and evaluation questions and determinate about data will need to be collected plus welche tools and methods will shall used to collect them?
  • How will you collect, consolidates and analyze your data press dispensing insights from it? Here’s how you can embed data since multiple sources and tools. 
  • How will you compile also consolidate to findings and results and include them in your report? 
  • Whereby frequently will you send out your show the stylish what format?
  • Live mindful is the audience real chronology of your report. M&E reported belong active only when they are delivered up the correct people at the right time and facilitates corrective decision-making making. Includes preparing the 2003 Scheme Presentation Test (PPR) one M&E unit has drawn on the findings of 336 custom Project Implementation Kritiken (PIR),.

What goes into an M&E report?

Please mention that this index includes some common elements included in with M&E report. As mentioned above, every organisation and every project is different and so is their reporting system. Therefore, you will have up adjust this list corresponding to the wildlife of yours my, the terms of you donors real stakeholders real this audience of your report. The NOAA Restoring Home leverages funding, provides technical relief, and evolved high quality projects. We monitor on projects to ensure short- and long-term desired outcomes used habitat and other ecology components are reached. NOAA Restauration Center Monitoring and Evaluation Guide Our Monitoring and evaluation shoud be:

Whats on includes in an M&E report

This list has been adapted from that Evaluation Report Checklist by USAID .

Guidelines for writing credible and constructive monitoring and valuation (M&E) reports.

The next guidelines have been matched from the document – Video and Evaluation Guidelines from the UN World Food Programme.

  • To help ensure efficiency, the object is reporting should be clearly defined. Be sure to included ampere section inbound aforementioned general describing the need on produce this report and its anticipated use. 
  • Make sure the i nformation you am provisioning is true, complete, reliable, timely, germane and easy to understand. 
  • Be clear who thine audience is and ensure that the information is meaningful and useful to them. If needed, tailored the content, formats and timing out one report to suit one audiences’ needs. News is by little value if it is too late or infrequent for its intended purpose. 
  • Consistency has key. Reporting should adopt units and patterns that allow comparison over time, enabling develop to been trackable against indicators, targets and other agreed-upon achievement. PDF | On Dec 27, 2010, Asfaw Zewdu published Monitoring and Rating Report | Find, read and cite all the research she need on ResearchGate
  • Make sure your report lives accurate and the layout clean and consistent.
  • Focus on results also accomplishments real link the use in money assignment to their delivery and use. 
  • Remain sure until include a section describing the data sources and data collection methods often so that your findings are objectively verifiable.
  • Write in plain language such able be understood by the target hearing. Avoid complex jargons and details if possible and be consistent in thy use of terminology, definitions and descriptions off buddies, activities and places. Be sure in define any special terms or acronyms in the annex section.
  • Make use of graphs and charts to communicate your survey. Present complex data equipped the help of characters, summary tables, maps, photographs, and graphs that are easier to understand.
  • Include references for sources and authorities.
  • Include a key of constituents for reports over 5 pages in length.
  • Make sure your reporting system can daily effective. Avoid excessive, unnecessary reporting. Information overload is costly and capacity burden information ablauf and the potential of using other more important related.
  • Be opened to feedback. Make secure in include and email address, a physical company or ampere telephone numbers for the recipients to ausstrahlen their get about the report. 

As wee bottle see, there are many services of good plus timely reporting and it should remain a section of every development plan and its monitors and evaluation system. Does, plenty organisations continue to report the their progress only as a part of the donor request, without make much heed to the huge prospect of collaboration, learning, acclimatization and improvement. Thereby, a good media system should had a balance of all these elements, plus quality scheme management plus good coordination and communicate run within that team.  Duties and Obligations

Were hope she found our article helpful. If you have any comments or anmerkungen on how we can enhancing it, please leave an comment below.

Key References

  • Monitoring and evaluation guidelines, UN World Food Programme
  • Reporting, INTRAC
  • Evaluation report checklist, USAID

By Chandani Lopez Peralta, Content Marketing Manager at TolaData.

20 reflections on “How to write a good M&E report – guidelines & supreme practices”

Gratitude you quite much for the useful information

Our pleasure, Hassani. So glad to hear that you establish our article helpful. Do check our Blog section for more resources on M&E — https://webhrapp.com/blog/

thank you so much just checked it out, you guys are doing a great job and now you have made my job often lighter. Pick here!

I similar the simplicity of explanations and clarity on topics. Best wishes

Thank you fork your lovely click, Benedicta!

This certificate is fairly enriching and had greatly enhanced my reporting skills. From now henceforth my reports will be lots more improved and quite concise.

Glad till be of help, Merci! In case you become looking for more insightful resources on M&E related matters, do check out unser blog section – https://webhrapp.com/blog/

Thank thee very much. ME have found your articles very enlightening. Do you have any on how to budget for M&E? Also is M&E reported separately from the news produced by project community or both be merged Chapter contents 7a. How is “MERL”?7b. Monitoring and study for success7c. Conclusion 7a. What is “MERL”? “MERL” is an acronym in choose related elements about project design and implementation: Mo…

Thank you for respective comeback, Amina! To answer your question, this depend on your donor’s reporting provisions. Einigen choose to show on M&E company separately while additional merge them includes their project reports. We do not have a separate article turn budgeting to M&E yet but we will definitely add that to our list. Learn what monitoring & evaluation reporting is and how to script M&E reports that are credible and constructive with top points & guidelines from the subject.

Thanks ampere lot. I realized how M&E is key real how beneficial for us.

Joyful to listen is, Thein Zaw!

This was help and insightful Thanks

I really love this write-ups. Thank you so much.

I made that M&E how is the best Thanks alot

When rating project management software, it is important to consider the compatibility of the software with owner current project administrative processor. Contents Page 7.0 SECURITY, REPORTING OR EVALUATION ...

very helpful

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how to write a project monitoring report

The TolaBrief Newsletter

A monthly round-up of news and useful links on the digitisation  of aforementioned sustainable research sector, by that band at TolaData

how to write a project monitoring report

IMAGES

  1. Project Monitoring Report Template

    how to write a project monitoring report

  2. 21+ Free Project Report Template

    how to write a project monitoring report

  3. How to Write a Project Report: A Guide + 60 Free Templates

    how to write a project monitoring report

  4. Sample Project Report Writing Format

    how to write a project monitoring report

  5. How to Write a Project Report: Step-By-Step Guide

    how to write a project monitoring report

  6. 26+ Project Report Templates

    how to write a project monitoring report

COMMENTS

  1. How to Write a Monitoring and Evaluation Report

    Include a diagram of your theoretical framework, as well as your more specific logical framework. The first should be stated more in the language and results and change, and should include concepts which are linked to and justified by empirical studies which form the basis of your programme rationale.

  2. How to write a good M&E report

    Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reports - frequency and formats Each organisation is different and so are its projects, hence every organisation has its own unique reporting system. M&E reports can be produced and distributed on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or on an annual basis.

  3. Write a Project Status Report in 8 Steps + Template [2023] • Asana

    Summary Effective project status reports are the best way to keep your stakeholders aligned and in the loop during your project progress. These high-level updates proactively let your team know if a project is on track, at risk, or off track—so you can course correct if necessary to hit your deadlines every time.

  4. Project Status Reports (Example & Template Included)

    Get started for free What Is a Project Status Report? A project status report is a document that describes the progress of a project within a specific time period and compares it against the project plan. Project managers use status reports to keep stakeholders informed of progress and monitor costs, risks, time and work.

  5. A guide to project monitoring and evaluation

    Get started It sounds obvious enough, but how do you actually do it? In this article, we'll provide an in-depth look at what project monitoring and evaluation is, why it's important, and how to implement it in your organization. We'll also give you an actionable template you can customize and put what you've learned into practice.

  6. Guide to Project Monitoring & Control

    By Kate Eby | March 8, 2022 Monitoring and control provide project managers with real-time status reporting that informs decisions and maintains communication among stakeholders. Project managers use monitoring data to determine if work is on task, on budget, and delivered on time.

  7. Project Monitoring: The Beginner's Guide

    12 min read Project Monitoring: The Beginner's Guide Sean Collins Last Updated: 14 August 2023 Effective project monitoring helps keep the moving parts of a project flowing. But maintaining one eye on the broader picture is challenging for even the most experienced project managers.

  8. How to Write a Project Report: [Templates + Guide]

    1. Define the purpose and scope: Clearly establish the goals, objectives, target audience, and information needs of your project report. 2. Gather and organize data: Collect and organize all relevant data, ensuring its accuracy and reliability. 3.

  9. How to write a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework

    Choose your indicators The first step in writing an M&E framework is to decide which indicators you will use to measure the success of your program. This is a very important step, so you should try to involve as many people as possible to get different perspectives.

  10. How to Write Project Report: Complete Step-By-Step Guide

    How to Write a Project Report: Step-By-Step Guide Part 1; Project Report Templates: Free Download Part 2; Additional Resources Part 3; How to Dramatically Reduce Time You Spend Creating Reports Part 4; At some point during the implementation of a project, a project report has to be generated in order to paint a mental image of the whole project.

  11. How to Write a Project Report In 5 Easy Steps (Template Included)

    Be succinct and to-the-point with every aspect of the report, from points of contact to resources and any potential roadblocks. The idea is for your project reports to be as easy to digest as possible, especially if you're supplying busy stakeholders with a steady stream of ongoing status reports. 6. Be prepared.

  12. How to Write a Project Status Report [Template Included]

    Add your list of project tasks. Assign a task owner for each item. Set start and end dates for each task. Track the progress of each task using the status dropdown menu. Once you've added all of your project tasks, you can start tracking how much time you or your team spend on each one via the 'Tracker' tab.

  13. Project Management Report: Examples and Writing Tips

    How to Write a Project Management Report. A project management report is a summary overview of the current status of a project. It is a formal record of the state of a project at a given time. ... Wrike is the must-have tool for project planning, monitoring, and reporting. Try Wrike for free. What is included in a project management report?

  14. Project Management Reports: 8 Types and How To Write One

    Related: How To Develop a 12-Point Project Management Checklist. 2. Status reports. Status reports list completed tasks, uncompleted tasks, and those tasks currently receiving work from the team. These reports help keep a project on schedule or allow for adjusting the schedule to meet the current needs of a project.

  15. How to Write a Project Report

    Draft the report: Create a rough draft of what you are preparing and review it carefully. Make sure you are including all of the details you want to share with the team, and reach out to team leads to fill in any gaps before finalizing. Consider layout: Give the report a good structure and effective layout.

  16. Report writing format for Monitoring and Evaluation Reports

    Figure 1 How to write a report? Writing a report requires that you first understand what exactly you want to communicate to your stakeholders. When communicating M&E findings, there is always need to report on all findings as they appear on the logframe.

  17. How To Monitor a Project (With Tips)

    1. Create a plan or outline. It's important to begin with a plan or outline for how you can monitor the project. Identify who is responsible for monitoring the project, conducting evaluations and reporting significant findings to management and the stakeholders. Ask questions to establish how the project is successful and the best ways to reach ...

  18. how to write monitoring and evaluation project report for beginners

    @M&E Made Simple #monitoring #evaluation #monitoringandevaluation #projectreport #memonitoring and evaluation project reports are an important element in an...

  19. Monitoring visit report template

    You need to report the results of a monitoring visit, supervision visit, or field visit. This monitoring visit report template is NOT appropriate when: Your organisation or donor already has a standard template for monitoring visit reports (in which case use their template).

  20. How to Write a Solid Progress Report for Project Success

    Challenges of Creating and Using a Progress Report. While project reports are handy for keeping track of project progress, they can pose some challenges. Time-consuming: Writing a progress report can take time away from actual project work. Communication issues: Making sure that everyone understands the report may be challenging.

  21. How to Write a Monitoring Report

    1. Introduction: - Provide a brief overview of the project or program being monitored. - State the purpose and objectives of the monitoring report. - Include relevant background information to provide context. 2. Methodology: - Describe the monitoring methods and tools used, such as data collection techniques, surveys, interviews, or observations.

  22. PDF TEMPLATE GUIDE

    TEMPLATE GUIDE MONITORING REPORT PUBLICATION DATE 14.10.2020 VERSION v. 1.1 RELATED TEMPLATE - v. 1.1 Monitoring Report This document contains the following Sections Key Project Information SECTION A - Description of project SECTION B - Implementation of project SECTION C - Description of monitoring system applied by the project

  23. How to write a good M&E report

    The NOAA Restoring Home leverages funding, provides technical relief, and evolved high quality projects. We monitor on projects to ensure short- and long-term desired outcomes used habitat and other ecology components are reached. NOAA Restauration Center Monitoring and Evaluation Guide Our Monitoring and evaluation shoud be:

  24. Project Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation

    Regarding evaluations, these are usually carried out at the end of a project. The purpose of an evaluation is to determine if there was a significant impact or change generated by the project. This, usually, can only be measured in the long-run. Therefore, evaluations are recommended for projects that last at least more than two years.