How to Make a Status Report Worksheet – 2 Templates
Let’s say that you’re working on a company project that’s of huge significance. Obviously, your manager would want to keep track of your progress to make sure that there are no problems and that everything is going according to sample plan. So, how are you going to go about this?
Well, the best way for you to inform your manager is by creating a status report worksheet. With this, you’ll have everything listed down in regards to what you have to do as well cross out what you have already done. This article is going to focus on how you’re going to create such a document.
Employer Status Report Template
heartlandpaymentsystems.com
Project Status Report Template
asiapacificpartnership.org
The Contents of the Status Report Worksheet
Although this may seem like a chore to make, creating one is actually a great way for you to communicate with management. No matter what kind of company project you’re working on, management will definitely appreciate that you’ve listed down everything that you need to do in detail as well as knowing the fact that you’re actually able to work on the project. Just be sure that you’re detailed while writing down what you need to do. You may also see printable worksheets.
So, to ensure that you’re able to keep management on track with your project progression here’s what your status report worksheet should contain:
1. The Costs and Schedule
No matter what kind of project you’re working on, your managers are going to want to know how it’s coming along in terms of budget and timeline. Start outlining your report by gathering information about how the project is doing financially. Then you’re going to jot down on the worksheet as to whether or not the project’s progress is on track in terms of sample schedule.
2. State Problems
This is only assuming that your project has any problems, but let’s be realistic and say that there are. Let’s say that you realize that there are issues with the project costs and the schedule. The one thing that you should never do is to hide these problems from your manager because eventually, they will find out. So instead, point out these issues as well as what’s working well with the project. You may also see financial worksheet templates.
3. State Solutions to these Problems
If there will be problems in the project that management won’t particularly be happy about, then you need to find solutions to fix them. So the moment that you are able to spot any project issues, then you will have to provide your solutions on how they should be fixed. Outline how your solutions are relevant to both time and cost. Just make sure that once you get the green light to do whatever solution that you have come up with, you execute them as soon as possible. You may also see project worksheet templates.
4. Give the Report a Header
You can’t have a well-made status report if you don’t have a header. Be sure that you write this down on your worksheet as you want one that contains a brief summary title and the date. Since the header is supposed to be short, this doesn’t have to be on a separate title page. If you’re going to send this via business email, just give a clear subject line so that your manager will immediately know its content before he/she even opens it.
- Remember that you should always provide dates so that you’re clear on the period that you’re working on
- If your company has any specific formatting guidelines, then be sure that you’re able to follow them or you’ll be facing some serious problems. You may also see worksheet templates.
5. Create the Executive Summary
Managers want to see the most important information as soon as possible. So, creating an executive summary will help give them everything that they need to know in regards to a brief outline of how well the project is progressing.
- Try to make sure that your manager will be able to get all of the information that he/she needs by reading through the first minute of reading your report
- If your manager likes what he/she sees right from the very beginning, then that may just be enough. And if they find something in the executive summary that could tell them there’s a problem, then they can just skip past all of the other sections and go straight to the more detailed section regarding the issue.
6. Provide Relevant Details
List all of the major accomplishments of the project so far, focusing mostly on the milestones as well as the important data that you have been able to gather. When providing these details, try to point out the results of what you have been able to do and not just what you’re trying to do. Emphasize all the good that you have done on the project, but be sure to point out the problems in a detailed manner if they’re the ones that you cannot just ignore. You may also like free worksheet templates.
7. Organize these Details
This is where you can tailor the report to your manager’s style. By knowing your manager’s style, you can make sure that you have a status report that’s to his/her liking and one that he/she is able to completely obtain all of the information needed as quickly as possible. If you’re not exactly sure as to what style suits your manager, then focus on drafting a brief, direct summary using a style you know well.
- If your manager is one that likes to focus on the bigger picture, then you can have your status report label one section as “accomplishments”, another saying “challengers”, and the last one as “solutions”
- If your manager is the type to enjoy a chronological order, then you can make a project status report that starts off with “this week’s progress” and the next section stating “what will happen next”
8. Make Use of Bullet Points
As stated many times before, you want to have a printable status report wherein it will be easy for your manager to go through and get everything that he/she needs to keep track of the project. If your status report contains nothing but paragraph after paragraph, then it’ll take too long and your manager doesn’t want to waste his/her time reading it when he/she should be doing other important things. So by having information placed in bullet points, it will allow the manager to scan for information quicker. Just make sure that you have the right balance and not overuse them.
- If in the event that your manager points out that he/she wants a status report that consists of nothing but detailed paragraphs, then it’s best that you forego bullet points altogether. You may also like income & expense worksheets.
9. Add Visual Elements (If Desired)
There are some managers who might enjoy a couple of visual elements as it could help them explain how a project is doing. For example, if there’s a section of a project that isn’t doing so well, then you can place a red mark to indicate that there are problems. If you’re behind, then you can place a yellow mark, and a green mark if it’s doing okay. Be sure that you point out what these visual elements mean so that your manager won’t be confused. You may also see sample worksheet templates.
10. Proofread and Edit the Report before Submission
Even if your status report is short and simple, you still want to make sure that there are no errors as all they can is provide you with a bad image. Make sure that you go through your status report to spot any errors that you may have missed out. Also, don’t just rely on electronic spelling and grammar checkers to help find these problems for you. You should look everywhere for things that can be taken out (such as irrelevant information or pointless use of adverbs) to keep the report lean and direct. If you think that you may have missed out on a couple of problems, then you can always have another person involved in the project to help spot them for you. Just make sure that this person is someone you can trust and is someone who has the authority to view whatever information you have on your status report.
When you’re done with everything, make sure that you’re able to create simple status reports at least once a month all the way until the project is completed. Or if you think that doing it weekly or bi-weekly is the way to go, then it’s best that you do so. Reporting at least once a month is usually a good idea, to keep your manager informed. Be in touch with them if you aren’t sure about when status reports should be submitted. However, if your manager tells you that he/she only wants you to give a status report when he/she asks for it, then you be sure that you follow instructions.
If you would like to learn more about how to create a sample status report or anything related to this particular topic, then all you have to do is go through our site, find the articles that contain the information that you need, and use whatever you have been able to gather to help you and your business out.
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