Status reports are brief, but a detailed account of the work accomplished and are presented to the customer on a regular basis, depending on what was agreed upon at the start of the project.
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Aside from work done, it also identifies questions or problems encountered by the team and how they were able to address or overcome the problem. It also contains the targets or deliverables for the coming week.
The customer may ask for a status report in the middle of a reporting period, or anytime in between, so the service provider should be prepared and ready anytime.
Delivering a regular status report for the client does not only provide updates on the progress of the project, but it also enhances the relationship between the customer and the project manager. As their relationship becomes stronger, they become more open with another.
Both of them becomes more confident in expressing their concerns or voicing out their opinions in whatever matters related to the project.
- How to Write a Client Status Report Part 1
- Client Status Report Templates: Free Download Part 2
- How to Make Status Reporting 10x Easier Part 3
- Additional Sources Part 4
Part 1
Keys to Effective Client or Customer Status Report
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Make the Report Professionally Crafted.
No spelling or grammatical errors. In addition, all information it contains should be accurate, as misrepresenting anything on the project will just backfire at some point.
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Have Visibility and Transparency.
Keep in mind that the client’s only access to the project is the status report to make sure that each status report contains as much information as possible. Make sure, though, that the information you include in the status report is relevant to the project and the customer. Consequently, putting in unnecessary information may result in confusion.
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Report Personal Issues and Concerns.
Hiding it will not produce any good result. Also, asking for help does not mean that the project team is incompetent. There are just things that are beyond the capacity or authority of the team and these things might need attention from the client.
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Identify the Readers of the Report.
How detailed your report will depend upon who will read the status report or to whom it will be presented. If the report is read by top executives on client side, it must present the big picture of where you are regarding project progress and what is the major accomplishment of the project so far.
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Project coordinators (client side) would require a more detailed status report, as they will also be reporting to their superiors, as well, and they need to have as much information that you have on the project.
As writing a project status report for the customer becomes regular, doing it will gradually become easier for the project manager.
Part 2
Client Status Report: Download
Free online tools for work:
1. Fluxes.com — Free Project and Task Management Software
2. Status.net — Software for Daily and Weekly Status Reports
Click Here to Download Client Customer Status Report Template DOC
Click Here to Download Client Customer Status Report Template 2 DOCX
Click Here to Download Client Customer Status Report Template 3 DOCX
Free online tools for work:
1. Fluxes.com — Free Project and Task Management Software
2. Status.net — Software for Daily and Weekly Status Reports
Part 3
How to Make Status Reporting 10x Easier
How to configure status reports on status.net:
Step 1:
- Create a “Client Status Report” applet — customize our preset forms or easily create a new form in minutes.
- Setup reminders if you want your team members to receive automatic reminders when their reports are due.
- Configure who will submit reports by choosing the “Participants” tab.
Step 2: Users will click the “Open Submission Form” button to fill in and submit the report.
Data such as the report type, date and name will be added automatically.
As soon as a new status report is added, participants with “View” rights can view it in real time.
Options:
- Set the applet as “Team-wide” if you want all team members to view each other’s status reports.
- Alternatively, you can make every participant to view his/her own reports only. Manager/stakeholders will view all reports.
- Add, remove, and assign new team members at any time.
Step 3 (Optional): Generate a report and export it to PDF.
(Skip this step if you share status reports online and don’t print them.)
Click “Generate Report”.
Done!
Benefits:
- Make reporting easier with auto-fill:
Fields such as date, name, report type, and formatting are inserted automatically by software. - Consolidate reports automatically:
Reports created by your team members can be consolidated easily. - Save time with auto-layout:
No need to spend hours in Word or Excel perfecting the report’s layout because it exports your updates into a beautifully crafted file with a couple of clicks. - Peace of mind with auto-reminders:
No one forgets to fill in their status reports because status.net sends timely reminders according to the schedule you chose. - Decrease time and effort spent on monthly, quarterly, and yearly reporting thanks to powerful filtering and export features.
- Optionally, enrich reports with the latest updates automatically added from web apps your team uses (such as popular free task management software Fluxes.com, and other project management tools, version control systems, support systems, financial applications, etc.) by connecting these apps to your status applet.
- Quick sharing:
Status reports can be either
– exported to files and printed, or sent by email;
– shared with the manager online (in real time);
– shared online (in real-time) as company-wide or team-wide status reports, i.e., all team members share their progress with each other — spend less time on meetings.
Sign up now to make status reporting easier for your team.
Part 4