Progress Reports

Project monitoring and accountability are the main objectives of progress

reports. The typical progress report gives some summary of the project goal,
states the progress made toward that goal during the reporting period, discusses
significant costs and scheduling issues, and lists future objectives to be carried
out. Generally, progress reports are prepared at intervals, most frequently at
quarterly intervals of the fiscal year. The intervals are often specified in the
initial project proposal.
Consultants use progress reports to maintain contact with sponsors. Research
organizations use progress reports to inform funding organizations, government
or commercial, of their work progress. Internal research workers use progress
reports to report on their work to managers and others within their own
organizations. Progress reports are useful tools for management in keeping track
of work progress in their groups, and they also furnish researchers a structure for
monitoring their own commitments and levels of support.
Format of Progress Reports
The general format of progress reports varies widely from an informal
business letter giving an update on work accomplished to the highly detailed
formal structure required by funding agencies at specified intervals. The
sequence of information is often as follows:

1. Front matter.( The front matter is the "envelope" of your document. The

elements that make up the front matter introduce the reader to the body of your document. )
Project title, funding source, contract number, funding period, report
date, research organization, and funded staff

2.Body
(The body of a document consists of all material necessary for the document to fulfil its explicit and implicit goals of
informing or convincing the reader, establishing trust, and documenting actions or procedures.

The body of a document may include the following sections:

Introduction
 Background

Theory

Design and Decision Criteria

Materials and Apparatus

Procedure

Work Plan

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

Recommendations)

Project summary, overview, report of progress, problems (cost or schedule

issues), future work

3.End matter
(End matter consists of material outside the main body of the document that may furnish useful references to the
reader. Three of the most common types of end matter are
 References

Appendixes

Indexes ).
References, attachments

Progress Reports – Structural Overview

1. Introduction

Review the details of your project’s purpose, scope, and activities. The introduction may also contain the following:

• date the project began; date the project is scheduled to be completed

• people or organization working on the project

• people or organization for whom the project is being done

• overview of the contents of the progress report.

2. Project status
This section (which could have sub-sections) should give the reader a clear idea of the current status of your project. It should
review the work completed, work in progress, and work remaining to be done on the project, organized into sub-sections by time,
task, or topic. These sections might include

• Direct reference to milestones or deliverables established in previous documents related to the project

• Timeline for when remaining work will be completed

• Any problems encountered or issues that have arisen that might affect completion, direction, requirements, or scope.

3. Conclusion

The final section provides an overall assessment of the current state of the project and its expected completion, usually reassuring
the reader that all is going well and on schedule. It can also alert recipients to unexpected changes in direction or scope, or
problems in the project that may require intervention.

4. References section if required.

How to Write a Progress Report

Ask your supervisor if they have a template that they want you to use. Supervisors that manage many
projects find it easier to keep track of all the information if it is presented in a consistent format. Write
your report in concise, simple language. Progress report styles vary. However, most reports require
the following sections:

1. Project information. State the project name, any project ID codes, the names of all the
researchers involved, report date and anticipated completion date.
2. Introduction: This is a summary of your Write a short overview of the purpose of the project and
its main objectives. You could add a summary of the results obtained so far, future goals, how
 much of the project has been completed, whether it will be completed on time, and whether you
are within the budget.
3. Progress: This section gives details of your objectives and how much you have completed so far.
List your milestones, give details of your results, and include any tables and figures here. Some
stakeholders like a completion rate which can be given as a percentage.
4. Risks and Issues: Discuss any challenges that have arisen or that you Describe how you plan to
solve them. If you need to make changes to your project, give reasons in this section.
5. Round off with a reassuring paragraph that your research is on schedule. Give a summary of
goals you will be working on next and when you expect to complete them.

Progress reports are an essential part of the research. They help to manage projects and secure
funding. Many stakeholders need to know that you have completed certain stages of your project
before releasing further funds.