Communication is the lifeblood of any project’s success, but without a reliable means of keeping stakeholders informed, even the most well-executed plan can quickly unravel.
Project status reports are critical tools for project managers looking to provide stakeholders with a clear, concise, and consistent view of project progress.
We’ll explore what makes an excellent status report, why it matters, who should be responsible for it, and how often it should be produced. With the right tools and mindset, you can create status reports that tell a compelling story and keep everyone focused on the project’s objectives.
What is a project status report?
A project status report is an essential tool for keeping key stakeholders informed on the progress of a project. This includes updating the project’s current status and flagging any potential risks or blockers that may impede progress. This regular communication is crucial to ensuring that team members and everyone involved have confidence that the project is moving forward, even if there are challenges to overcome.
In addition to updates on progress, providing information on the project’s budget status and work in progress can be helpful, but this will depend on your project methodology or approach. For projects that are based on time spent like in the image below, it is easy to include metrics like hours spent versus hours budgeted to determine how far along you are in terms of budget.
However, in my experience, to gain a true understanding of the overall status of a project and spot any budgetary concerns, it is more helpful to review specific upcoming tasks and determine how many are left to be completed. This approach can help you deduce if there is enough budget remaining or if you need to adjust the scope of the project without causing undue panic or alarm.
When to send a status report
I usually work on a fixed-cost project with an agile approach—this means things can change, and the scope can flex if we learn new things along the way, but we also need to ensure any changes remain within the agreed budget.
An update at the end of each sprint is an excellent way to round things out and can include links to designs and/or a staging site so people can see the progress for themselves. If we’re not working in sprints, we typically still work in bursts so I would send an update after each burst.
If you have a full project communication plan, you can define when status reports should be expected. For example, you might decide to share weekly project status reports with your clients.
6 tips for reporting on project status
Here are tips to make sure you get the most out of your project reports:
1. Keep it simple and concise
The projects I manage are generally run by busy people working on multiple projects in addition to their regular responsibilities. So my priority, if I want them to read and digest a status report, is to keep it as simple and accessible as possible.
I don’t necessarily know who will be reading this report—it might be my project sponsor, who is already very close to the project, or the CEO, who wants to know if everything is ok. So it needs to cater to those audiences (and others).
2. Make sure the project team contributes
The person leading the project (usually a project manager) is responsible for producing this status report. Still, a project is a team effort, and the PM should be getting input from across the team. Using a template makes this process much easier, as everyone knows what information they need to provide each time.
3. Be kind
We may be project managers, but what we’re actually managing is humans. Sending an update that focuses solely on numbers, milestones, or project risks will not help your point of contact. They’re facing pressure from their stakeholders and need you in their corner.
Making sure your project status report is as clear and concise as possible will go a long way towards doing that. Make sure the action items are clear actions and don't throw anyone under the bus.
For example, if you’re still waiting on those brand guidelines from the client, pop it in there as a blocker but keep it friendly—don’t say “Despite several emails requesting the brand guidelines, they still haven’t been sent, and therefore, the project will be delayed.” Where possible, send an email, then hop on a call with the key stakeholders to run through it and answer any questions.
4. This is a summary of what you already know
If it’s not easy to pull this together, it should be a little red flag waving at you. Use your project management tool or project planning software to do the heavy lifting for you—what’s been done, what’s up next, and what needs to be reviewed. Ask the following questions:
- What due dates and milestones are looming?
- What are you blocked on?
- How confident are you that you can complete the deliverables within the timeframe and budget?
If you don’t know this data, the status report will reflect that.
Using a project planning tool like Float, you can easily pull this data from the Report tab.
The reports show an accurate picture of the budget (both spent and remaining), timeline, and phases.
If you’re over budget, the figures are displayed in red to alert you to the problem like in the image below 👇
You can also find information on your team and the tasks assigned to them so you can identify if any work is taking longer than it should and fix blockers. If you track your team’s time, you’d be able to see logged hours and see if team members are over- or under-servicing the project.
5. Don’t use the status update to inform people that the project is on fire
While status updates can help with risk management and mitigation, it’s best to avoid communicating that a project is in a crisis through a routine status update. Instead, involve vital project stakeholders close to the project to discuss the situation and find solutions. By keeping the right people informed, you can work together to get the project back on track.
6. Adjust your approach as needed
Once you’re happy with your project status summary, pop it into an email with a light, breezy message. You may have a regular status call booked in, and you’re sharing this update ahead of that call so everyone can read it beforehand (amazing!), or your client is happy to do it over email (love that for you!).
If there’s something a bit thorny, offer to jump on a call to discuss things if they’d like. Remember that clients are people too.
Use these free project status report update templates
This template has two versions: one for agile projects and one for waterfall. Choose the one that fits best with your type of project (it may even be a hybrid!) and modify it to suit your reporting process. Each template includes project information like the project name, budget status, key milestones and project needs and blockers.
Project status template for agile projects
I like a Google sheet for an overall project update when working with sprints because it’s easy to share, and you can use a new tab for each sprint to create a new update. This makes it easy to see progress happening from sprint to sprint.
➡️ Download to your computer from File > Download
Project status template for waterfall projects
For more traditional, waterfall-type projects that don’t use sprints, you can use the same guiding principles of this status update but fit it to your project milestones or regular time intervals. This helps stakeholders know what to expect.
Additionally, in a waterfall project, you will work to a fixed scope, budget, and timeline, so it’s more important to watch for risks, delays, and blockers because these can throw off an entire project.
➡️ Make a copy in Google Sheets
➡️ Download to your computer from File > Download
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FAQs
Some FAQs about project status reports
A progress report is an update that outlines project details, like what’s been done so far, what’s currently in progress, and any challenges or changes. It’s a simple way to keep everyone on the same page and ensure the project stays on track.
With a tool like Float, you can update the project schedule in real-time, and stakeholders are instantly notified. This makes it easy to communicate changes without sending extra emails or waiting for a meeting.
Yes. A progress report looks at key metrics and covers what’s been achieved and what’s in progress, while a status report gives a bigger picture of the project health, including risks, roadblocks, and next steps.
