Considering that 70% of projects fail, you need to up your project management skills. That includes updating stakeholders regarding the project assigned to you and your team.
Using a progress report template gives your brand an edge when creating presentable progress reports.
But here’s the big problem:
Creating progress reports can be time-consuming. It can take a while to collect and organize data into a deck that the higher-ups will easily understand.
Fortunately, this post discusses how to use a progress report template to your advantage. It also shows you 12 progress report templates you can set up yourself using Visme.
Finally, it shares tips on how to develop and flesh out your progress report using templates. This way, you can communicate your project status and make everything transparent to stakeholders.
But before we jump into the templates, let’s define what a progress report is, and we’ll take it from there.
A project progress report allows you to present the status of a project. Like any project management tool, it can finetune the way you work on a project.
The progress report’s main objective is to make information transparent and visible. As a result, it breeds trust between you, your team and your clients.
And when trust is in the picture, you can expect a 50% increase in productivity. Those involved will also experience less stress, more energy, better engagement and satisfaction.
Here are other benefits of creating a progress report:
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all progress report format. However, a typical progress report should help you describe a project’s progress. It should share information about the amount of work lined up, in the current queue and already completed.
And to help you relay this information in your report, it needs to have the right elements. This enables you to report to serve a clear purpose and deliver the right impact.
That said, below are the elements you need to know about:
Are you in a hurry to create a professional progress report? Then, sign up for a Visme account. We have a host of free progress report templates for you to choose from.
This way, you don’t have to start from scratch. Just edit them using our platform’s design features to create your report in minutes.
Without further ado, below are examples of progress reports you’ll find in Visme:
Share information about your company’s sales performance with this captivating project report sample. It captures details such as sales targets, tasks accomplished and the ones not accomplished, issues faced and recommendations.
With this template, you can update your clients about your sales and present actionable recommendations on maintaining (or boosting) team performance.
Elevate the performance of your marketing team with this eye-catching progress report template. The bright text color placed on the dark green background promotes a rich visual contrast, making key information stand out.
Notice how this progress reports format uses shapes, progress bars, charts and tables to effectively present data. Visme has thousands of visual aids to help make your information beautiful
Use this progress report example to keep track of your daily performance. You can also use it as the basis for improving your performance the next day.
This weekly progress report template can help you stay on top of your weekly goals. Edit this progress report sample to capture your own information so clients understand your performance for the week.
Sum up your team’s monthly progress with this template. List down the significant milestones you have accomplished.
Evaluate the activities and performance of different teams using this progress report example . With this template, you can also show clients that the team is up to speed and each member is hitting their goals.
Strengthen your professional relationship with your clients. Update them on a project’s status and other essential details.
Training employees can be challenging. But, it won’t be the case if you create an easy-to-understand report and even walk them through processes.
Use this template to present a product development progress report. It can help you showcase the features of how the process is going. You can also get creative and show a finished version of a product.
Allow clients to understand all the processes involved in software development with this work progress report sample. Ease their minds and present the significant details.
Design an attractive contractor progress report to communicate ideas better. Report the project status, project scope, resource allocation and other important information.
There’s no limit to what you can achieve with Visme. Feel free to tweak this work progress report template for other unique purposes, such as checking in on the performance of each department involved in a project. Also, you can leave feedback for team members and invite them to respond to comments and more.
Here’s a standout template, among other progress report examples. You can use it to update clients about the project and business.
This business report template also works for tracking the progress of work across teams of all sizes. Make sure to feature hard-to-miss details and discuss how to strengthen business performance.
Wrap up your day with this progress report example. Jot down the essential details and refer to them to see how you can improve your performance.
Project progress reports should be handled carefully. If you go at it with utter recklessness, it will only lead to massive misunderstandings that might delay and jeopardize the overall progress and quality of the project.
Below are discussions about the best ways to handle progress reports.
According to a study, 77% of people don’t trust the data presented to them — unless they verify it beforehand. It’s not surprising, considering how people can sometimes present assumptions, implications, and predispositions.
What is the best way to address concerns with possible false data? Communicate with the direct source.
Opening the lines of communication does at least two vital things. One, it acknowledges if the data holds truth. Two, it encourages people to follow up on other essential details about the data.
Here are tips that can help you with this:
Regarding collaboration, Visme enables your team to work on the progress report together. From your account, invite team members to your design project created on the platform.
From here, ask collaborators to enter the information they’re monitoring for your report in the document. By getting everybody to contribute to the presentation, you can finish the report ahead of time and clearly relay the message to clients.
The great thing about this feature is that people invited to the design project can work on the presentation simultaneously and anywhere. This allows your team to finish the presentation ahead of time.
Well-analyzed data is essential. Without the correct data, you won’t know what’s happening. You also won’t get to look into the strengths and weaknesses of a project, identify exploitable opportunities, and more.
But while data analytics is invaluable to the success of a project, it’s a double-edged sword. It can work for you or against you.
If you don’t interpret data correctly, the use of data on a progress report can go to waste. And as an extension, the progress report itself won’t be helpful to your client or you.
Here are tips that can help you with this:
To help you flesh out your data in a compelling way, use Visme’s data visualization features.
They let you turn numbers and statistics into graphs, tables and charts. These widgets help your audience process the information much easier, resulting in a more presentable progress report.
From your Visme account, you can drag and drop data visualization widgets onto the project and input the data straight from there.
Next, design the widget to achieve a uniform look and feel that matches your presentation.
Problems result in worse or even more problems. And while their onset can be unavoidable, it doesn’t mean you should just let them go unsolved. If you do, these problems will snowball into something you can’t handle anymore.
Thankfully, a project progress report allows you to address these problems from the start.
While it can be unsettling to talk to clients about product issues, do it anyway. Discuss those problems, why they can cause setbacks, and why you must prepare for them.
Here are tips that can help you with this:
Like data visualization, Visme lets you drag and drop media files onto the project to give it a personal touch.
You can choose from its selection of animations and GIFs to add to your project or upload a file from your local file.
Just make sure that the media files you will feature here align with the tone and voice of the progress report. You don’t want to alienate your audience by placing a GIF they don’t understand.
Let your progress report reflect up-to-date data. Not only does it make your project progress report more professional and respectable. But it also leads to more time savings and better efficiency.
Besides, featuring outdated data defeats the purpose of a progress report. A progress report should help you relay information about a project’s progress — if a project is going smoothly or if there are any problems.
Now, imagine how you can pull it off with outdated data.
Here are tips to help you with this:
This way, you don’t overwrite your previous report and create a new one while keeping the same design layout.
A progress report typically includes an introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction outlines the project's purpose and goals. The body details completed work, ongoing tasks and upcoming activities. The conclusion summarizes overall progress and next steps. This structure helps you communicate project progress clearly and concisely.
A progress report template is a pre-made document that features placeholders for key sections needed in a progress report, such as project specifics, challenges and achievements. It serves as a guide, making sure you cover all the necessary details. Most templates have a customizable design and layout so you can adapt them to your company’s unique requirements and branding guidelines.
Here are some guidelines for writing a progress report:
The main parts of a progress report include an introduction, scope of the project, any challenges or hurdles, details about the specific tasks to be completed, project dates, including start, current and end dates, project overview, and a summary of the key takeaways or solutions.
A progress report focuses on advancements made towards project goals over time, highlighting completed tasks and future plans. It's typically more detailed and forward-looking. A status report, on the other hand, provides a snapshot of the project's current state at a specific moment. It's usually shorter and more focused on immediate issues and metrics.
Inarguably, a project progress report is important. It enables you to track your project’s progress, realize its strengths and weaknesses, gain insights for improvement and more.
Besides, without a project progress report, clients will be left hanging — without knowing how their project is going.
But, while important, some people may set aside the need to make a progress report. That’s because making a progress report is no easy feat.
Fortunately, that won’t have to be the case anymore. Now, you can turn to Visme.
Visme is an online design and layout tool that can help you create your project progress report. It can also help you make presentations, documentation, digital content, etc.
In Visme’s library, you’ll find tons of premade templates, elements, and designs to choose from that will make your progress report pristine, neat and presentable.
With the tool, you can rest assured that your product will always be clear, clean and aesthetically pleasing.
So what’s holding you back?
Sign up to use Visme, choose a project progress report template, and create your next progress report fast and easily!
