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Project Status Reports

This guide to status reports is presented by projectmanager, the project management software trusted by 35,000+ users. make a status report in minutes.

What Is a Project Status Report?

What is the purpose of a project status report, types of project status reports, status report vs. progress report, how to write a project status report, project status report template, project status report example, what should be included in a project status report, what is project reporting software, benefits of project reporting software, must-have features of project reporting software, how to make project status reports in projectmanager, best practices for presenting project status reports, other types of project management reports, try our project reporting software for 30 days.

A project status report is a document that describes the progress of a project within a specific time period and compares it against the project plan. Project managers use status reports to keep stakeholders informed of progress and monitor costs, risks, time and work. Project status reports allow project managers and stakeholders to visualize project data through charts and graphs.

Project status reports are taken repeatedly throughout every phase of the project’s execution as a means to maintain your schedule and keep everyone on the same page. The status report for a project generally includes the following:

• The work that’s been completed
• The plan for what will follow
• The summary of the project budget and schedule
• A list of action items
• Any issues and risks, and what’s being done about them

Related: 12 Essential Project Reports

The true value of a project status report lies beyond its use as a communication channel. It also provides a documented history of the project. This gives you historical data, so the next time you’re planning a similar project, you can avoid any missteps or bottlenecks.

Because project status reports cover so many topics, they were historically time-consuming to create. Fortunately, modern project management software like ProjectManager expedites the all-important status reporting process. Try our automated project reports and simplify your project reporting.

Create a project status report with just a few clicks with ProjectManager— Learn more.

There are several reasons why project managers create status reports. Here are some of the most important.

• Help the project management team keep track of costs, tasks and timelines
• Compare the budget and time forecasts with the actual costs and task duration
• Improve communications across the organization
• Simplify the communication process
• Keep stakeholders informed
• Deliver key messages to the intended target audience
• Improve organizational support for your projects or your team

If you’re reporting to stakeholders, you don’t want to bog them down with unnecessary details. Keep your status reporting presentation light and to the point.

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• Status Report Template

Use this free Status Report Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

You might create daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly status reports depending on your project management requirements. Here’s a quick overview of when it’s best to use each of them.

Daily Status Report

A daily status report captures what each member of the project team has worked on over the course of that day. It not only highlights what they’re working on currently but addresses any issues that are preventing them from completing their tasks. It includes a summary of today’s work and what was accomplished the day before.

Weekly Status Report

A weekly status report is like the daily status report except it covers a full work week rather than just one day. It includes the name of the project, the date of the status report, a summary outlining what work was done over that time period and the action plan for what to work on for the next week. There will also be a section to list any challenges, risk and mitigation plans to respond to them.

Monthly Status Report

A monthly status report provides a similar update on a project or projects but over a period of a month. It provides leadership with relevant information to better manage the project or projects. As with other frequencies, the team reports on what they’ve accomplished, the month is recapped and the next month’s activities are outlined.

Quarterly Status Report

A quarterly status report is a short and easily digestible snapshot of the project over a period of time, in this case, four months or a quarter of the year. It covers the same territory as the other status reports and is likely to include graphs and other visuals to make all the data easier to grasp.

There are many different types of reports you can generate when managing a project. Some of them are more for the project manager and others for the stakeholders, owners or clients to keep them updated.

We’ve been talking about a status report, but it shouldn’t be confused with a progress report. While a status report has data on the progress over the period of time which is being reported, there’s a wealth of other information beyond the mere progress of the project.

A progress report , on the other hand, details the specific tasks and milestones that have been completed to show that the project is making progress in sync with the project schedule. Like a status report, it’s used to keep managers and stakeholders updated.

Writing a project status report is an essential project management task. Whether you generate one weekly, monthly or quarterly, the steps are essentially the same. Here’s how to write a project status report:

• Determine the objective
• Target your audience (Clients, team members, sponsors, etc)
• Choose the format and type
• Collect your data
• Structure the report
• Make sure it’s clear

Because a project status report follows a basic outline, it can be helpful to use a project status report template. However, a project status report template is only a static document. Using project status reporting software integrates with all your project management tools for greater efficiency.

ProjectManager’s free status report template for Excel— Download now.

To better understand the process described above, let’s take a look at a project status report example. For this simple example, we’ll create a weekly status report for a home construction project using our free project status report template.

Imagine a construction contractor who is in charge of building wall frames, installing the insulation, electrical wiring, drywall and interior painting of a brand-new house. A status report example, following our free status report template, would begin with basic project planning information, such as the project name, new house, reporting period would be between Jan. 1-7, the report dated Jan. 9, project manager Joe Johnson and project sponsor Jack Dell.

Next is the summary, which highlights the key accomplishments. In this case, it would be the installation of wall frames. The section after zooms into the progress of the project. It starts with smaller action items that are needed to build the wall frames.

These action steps also include the date when they were done and a RAG status . That is a red, amber and green indication of the level of confidence and control over that part of the project. The owner, or team member who did the work is named and any comments not already addressed can be added.

Following that is a section on upcoming work. Here you can add the action items related to electrical wiring, such as marking locations for cable boxes, electrical outputs and threading cables through the wall frames. The section following that will list project deliverables , which in this case will be the wall frames, which are the tangible output that’s been completed during the reporting period.

The next section is on the project’s health. It notes the budget spent over the period and what percentage that is in terms of the overall budget. There’s also an overview of the project schedule , scope and quality control and assurance.

The section after that lists the risk management issues. It lists the risk, its severity, response and owner. Maybe there’s a possibility that the materials or equipment required for electric wiring won’t be delivered on time. This risk would likely be high in terms of severity as it’ll impact the project schedule. To mitigate this, another company may be contacted to see if they’ll deliver on time. You’ll also note who on the team is watching over this risk.

You’ll conclude and add any recommendations if needed. This will provide stakeholders with a clear picture of the status of the project.

How Do You Ask for a Project Status Report?

A project status update is usually distributed on a regular schedule, but sometimes people want to see a status report immediately. You can ask for a project status update via email, but you don’t want to come across as rude. To request a project status report, you should ask in a professional manner and place your request through the proper channels.

A friendly reminder is never a bad idea, as it maintains a connection, especially if you can offer something of value in return. If you’re using project management software , then you can always get an instant status report by checking the project dashboard that tracks various metrics.

The ProjectManager dashboard delivers your project status instantly. Pull from schedules, budgets, resources and more without the possibility of human error. Then, customize your display and filter information to show only what you want to see, such as remaining resources, project health, tasks and costs. A dashboard can be an excellent alternative to the traditional project status report.

Get real-time project dashboards that you can easily share with stakeholders— Learn more.

The different elements of a project status report organize the different parts into a cohesive whole. The objective of a status report, of course, is to keep stakeholders informed and expose areas of the project that need greater organizational support.

To better communicate these things, be sure to touch on all the following when you compose your project status report.

General Project Info

To start with, you’re going to need to just put down the basics. What is the project name? Who is the project manager? What is the number of resources? All this information is essential, if obvious, to track the paperwork. Don’t assume your stakeholder is familiar with all this information. It’s especially useful when you’re doing historical research for future projects. Roll it into your status report template , if you have one.

General Status Info

Again, you’re going to want to stamp the report with data that will distinguish it from the other project management reports . So, here you want to include what date the report was generated, who the author is and so on.

Milestone Review

Milestones are the major phases of your project. They’re a good way to break up the larger project into smaller, more digestible parts. The milestone review lets you note where you are in terms of meeting those milestones (against where you planned to be at this point) in the project’s life cycle.

Project Summary

One of the main purposes of the status report is to compare the project’s progress with the project plan estimates. To do this, include a short summary of the forecasted completion date and costs of the project . This allows project managers to control the project’s execution and measure success. Be sure to include the activities that are facing issues and how those problems might impact the project’s quality, resources, timeline and costs. Explain what you’re planning to do to resolve these issues and what the results will be once you have fixed the problem.

Issues and Risks

Risks are all the internal and external factors that are a threat to your project. They become issues once they affect your project budget , timeline or scope. List the issues that have arisen over the course of the project to date. What are they? How are you resolving them? What impact they’ll have on the overall project? Apply the same questions to the risks that you’re aware of. Have they shown up? If they have, what are you doing to get the project back on track?

Project Metrics

It’s important to back your report up with hard numbers to prove the statements you’re making. You should have established the metrics for status reporting during the project planning phase .

It’s impossible to know if your project is succeeding without measuring its effectiveness. These metrics are a way to show you’re on track and evaluate what, if anything, needs attention.

Project reporting software is used to automatically collect project data, analyze it, and display the results to help project managers make better decisions when managing a project. The software gathers information from different sources within the project and converts them in spreadsheets, graphs and charts.

Depending on the software, reporting data can be filtered to highlight areas of the project that you need to see at that time. Reports can be generated on various aspects of the project’s progress and performance, such as time, cost, workload, etc.

Reports are also used to keep key stakeholders, such as sponsors and clients, updated on how the project is doing, and therefore, should be shareable.

Having a quick and easy to use tool that instantly pulls up important project data, organizes and displays it simply and clearly helps you keep stakeholders updated. With all the information at your fingertips, you can also make better decisions.

Not all reporting software is the same. To get more bang for your buck, make sure that whatever tool you choose has the following features:

• Converts complicated data into useful reports
• Filters to show only what information you want
• Allows you to create reports on specific time periods
• Share reports and keep stakeholders updated
• Update instantly for greater accuracy
• Monitor actual progress against your plan
• Report on program or portfolio of projects

Project status reports are just one of many reports that are offered by project reporting software, but you’ll also want to make sure the product you choose has the following features as well.

Get Instant Status Reports

As important as reporting software is, you also need to regularly check on the progress of your project as it occurs. A dashboard will provide that high-level view, collecting data and displaying it in graphs and charts to show a variety of project metrics.

See the Most Current Info

Dashboards and reports capture the project at a particular time, and like a snapshot, capture a past point in time. However, if you’re working with an online reporting tool, the data it collects is displayed in real-time—and the decisions you make will be more informed.

Generate Reports on Every Aspect

A status report is a key gauge of how your project is performing, but it’s only one perspective. For the full picture, you need to measure progress and more for many angles. Seek out reporting software that also measures task progress, workload, timesheets and more.

Easy Export With Stakeholders

Creating reports is only the beginning. You need to share them with stakeholders, who need to have a broad strokes picture of where the project currently is. During presentations, you want to be able to easily print out a copy or export a PDF to email them.

Fast and Easy Reports

Making reports shouldn’t be time-consuming. It often means complex equations to figure out progress, variance, workload, etc. The best reporting software automates these functions, so you don’t need a math degree or even a calculator to manage your project.

Gain Details for Actionable Insights

Dashboards are great for high-level views of the project, but reports must provide a deeper dive into that data in order for managers to make the critical decisions to steer the project towards a successful end. You want reports that are in depth and cover the entire project.

Project reporting software is a tool to monitor and track project metrics in real time and then collect that data in a report that’s easily shared with project members.

ProjectManager is an award-winning tool that organizes projects and teams by monitoring and reporting on progress and performance. Watch this video to get a better idea of how to create project status and other types of project management reports with ProjectManager.

Using the reporting feature of ProjectManager allows you to see the status of project milestones and summary tasks if you filter the report to include them. Reports can be previewed before being exported to a PDF, Excel, CSV or printed. Every report can be customized by selecting the data and columns you want to include.

Here are some of the reports you can create once you have the project management software.

Project Status Report

As mentioned above, the project status gives an overview of where your project currently is, and lets you determine if the project is on time and under budget . It shows the tasks that are due on the week it has been generated, and which are overdue.

Here’s a quick rundown of the options when generating a status report in ProjectManager.

Get the key elements of your project condensed in short to capture the high points in your schedule, budget and costs for stakeholders. You can provide project updates at any time for your team, clients and sponsors.

See which tasks are overdue and when their deadline is to never lose track of your progress and stay on schedule. ProjectManager allows you to assign activities to your team members and communicate with them in real time.

Milestones & Summary Tasks

Note which milestones have been completed to better track the project’s progress. View where you are in terms of completing summary tasks or subtasks on your schedule.

Planned vs. Actual

Know your project variance by tracking the actual progress on the status report, which is compared to where you planned to be at that point in your schedule.

Portfolio Status Report

A portfolio is a collection of projects that one manages. They must work together in alignment with the overall strategy of the organization.

See the health of your full portfolio, and if they’re meeting their schedules and budgets. Get lists of your project managers, team and tasks to better determine your portfolio’s overall health.

Project Plan Report

The project plan is the map that guides your activity when managing a project. This report lets you know whether that plan is being met by your actual progress.

Keep your project on track, within budget and know how far you are from completion. Get an overview of your schedule and a list of all the tasks and when they should be done.

Project Dashboard

Different from the previous reports, which are static documents that are exported as a snapshot of a project, a dashboard can serve as a contemporaneous look into the project.

Get real-time status reports using our project dashboard . Every facet found in a status report is automatically updated across the six metrics of the dashboard for a high view of your project’s performance.

Portfolio Dashboard

Much like the project dashboard, the portfolio dashboard serves as a real-time view, except for a collection of projects rather than a single one.

Set up a portfolio dashboard by creating a folder in the overview projects section. Add projects you want to measure and your portfolio dashboard will track their costs, workload and more.

Whether you’re presenting your weekly status report in a meeting, or sending a weekly email update, it’s a good idea to know the best practices when reporting on a project’s progress before jumping into a presentation of your report.

Communicate

Project status reports are only a single facet of your communication plan . Don’t rely on it fully to communicate everything, but use it to deliver the right data to the right party at the right time.

Know Your Audience

Project status reports are vehicles for communication, but if you’re unsure of the destination, then you’re not going to deliver the goods. Stakeholders such as clients and sponsors want to know the big picture, while team members will be more interested in specifics.

Consistency

Use the same format, distribution cycle and method. Don’t mix things up. That only disrupts the effectiveness of the communication aspect of the report.

Establish Metrics

When planning for the project, figure out how you’re going to measure its progress, and then stick to this method as you report on the project throughout its life cycle.

You want the report to be effective, so don’t obscure it with unnecessary details. Stay to the point, and just report on what needs reporting.

Your audience doesn’t want opinions or unsubstantiated facts. Do the due diligence, and make sure that you’re giving only what your audience wants.

Like consistency, keeping standards of a process and a template for reporting makes sure your report is clear.

There are project management tools that incorporate these best practices, streamlining the reporting process thanks to dashboards and automated reporting features.

Status reports are just one of the many reports project managers use to keep updated on the progress of their projects. Status is more general, while others focus on specific aspects of the project. Some of the more common status-reporting alternatives follow.

Tasks Report

Every project is made up of tasks, often lots of them. You need a report to keep track of them all.

Get all your project tasks collected in one place. Filter the report to show the status of each task to see if there are any roadblocks or bottlenecks holding up progress. You need to take care of issues before they affect your project’s timeline.

Timesheets Report

Teams log their hours on timesheets to submit to managers for payroll. Timesheets are also another way to track progress on a project by monitoring the hours logged on tasks.

View the timesheet of selected team members and know the hours they worked over a range of time using online project management software.

Availability Report

Keeping track of when your team can work when they have paid time off or there’s a holiday is critical to scheduling and workload management.

Know instantly who has too much work on your team and if they’re available to work. Team members are listed in this report with utilization rates. This data helps you reallocate tasks.

Workload Report

The workload is the number of tasks your team has been assigned. Keeping their workload balanced, so no one has too much on their plate, is how you increase productivity and morale.

See your entire team with the number of tasks they’ve been assigned. Know if someone has too many or too few tasks and balance their workload to get more done and not burn people out.

Variance Report

The variance is the difference between what you planned for the project and where you actually are in its execution. This is how you know if your project’s on track or not.

Set the baseline on the Gantt chart tool when planning and get data on your current schedule. Then, compare it against where you planned to be at this point in the schedule.

ProjectManager is a cloud-based software with one-click reporting that seamlessly integrates with planning, scheduling and tracking features. Get real-time data that can be filtered and shared across eight different project reports. With us, you can use one software for all your project management needs.

Companies such as the Bank of America, and organizations such as NASA and the US Postal Service, have used us to manage big and small projects. Over 10,000 teams worldwide get more control over their work and become more productive using our software.

If you want to simplify the reporting process and are looking for a tool that with online Gantt charts , kanban boards to visualize workflow and a dashboard for a high-level view of project metrics, then try our tool free with this 30-day trial .

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Status Report Resources

• Project Reporting Software
• Project Dashboard Software
• Free Project Report Templates
• Communications Plan Template
• Project Dashboard Template
• 5 Lifesaving Project Reports
• How to Track and Report on Projects
• What Are Project Deliverables?

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The Ultimate Guide to Project Status Reports

By Kate Eby | May 18, 2017 (updated May 1, 2024)

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In this article, you’ll learn the elements that go into successful project status reports, depending on your audience. You’ll also hear from business leaders on what makes the most effective project status report. In addition, we will share examples of templates you can customize to create your own reports.

What Is a Project Status Report?

A project status report is a document that summarizes a project’s overall progress against the projected project plan. 

The goal of a project status report is to keep all stakeholders informed of progress, to mitigate issues before they arise, and to ensure that the project will land within the designated time frame.

A project status report helps to improve communication across an organization, as everyone is kept in the loop on how the project is progressing. It also helps to simplify the communication process with a single, formalized report that everyone can refer to to stay up to date. 

Additionally, a project status report improves the organizational support for your project by maintaining tight communication among team members to ensure all goals and objectives are met.

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The Purposes of Project Status Reports

One of the many benefits of using a project status report is that it forces an organization to agree to certain project milestones and measures of progress at the very beginning of that project. A project manager gathers those important criteria and creates a project status report that will prove useful to everyone who needs to see it.

Project status reports also facilitate the following:

• Create and enable buy-in from stakeholders
• Provide transparency into the progress toward milestones
• Help identify issues and risks, so course correction can happen quickly
• Pinpoint the progress of work done by individuals, teams, and resources, so you can rotate out and bring in staff in a timely manner. For example, UX designers start early in a web design project by mapping out the site architecture and wireframes. The work of copywriters and designers follows, and so on.
• Provide a high-level gauge of project health
• Prevent unpleasant surprises (to team members, clients, and stakeholders)
• Furnish a method for keeping project members and leaders accountable
• Provide a paper trail 
• Prevent scope creep
• Present the right information to the intended audience(s)

Chris Daniel has overseen projects for major corporations and the U.S. government and runs a training program for project managers to study for the PMP certification. He says that project status reports haven’t changed much in the past couple of decades, a fact illustrating that the basic elements of a status report remain relatively unchanged.

“The basics are critical to include in any project status report. It’s especially important to show how budget and scope are tracking, as well as any risks and roadblocks that may have come up.” - Chris Daniel, CEO of Regroup Consulting and project management trainer. He continues, “Starting with a template is fine, but of course the first thing a project manager is going to do is modify it to reflect the relevant details of that specific project.” 

Project Status Codes

Project status codes are streamlined codes or phrases that identify where a project is in its overall progression of the project. 

Project status codes can quickly help team members and stakeholders identify whether a project is active or dormant, as well as what stage of the project plan it is on.

Types of Project Status Reports: Know Your Audience

Project management experts recommend a weekly status report (WSR) for immediate team members and stakeholders, a monthly or bi-monthly status report for high-level managers and stakeholders, and a periodic, ultra high-level status report for CEOs, directors, and others who want to see highlights and top wins.

You can use any format, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Microsoft Project, and more. Next we’ll take a closer look at each type of project status report and its relevant audience.

The Weekly Project Status Report

In general, a project manager maintains this report at all times, even before it’s due for regular delivery, so if a manager wants to see it, the project manager can provide it within an hour.

The usual audiences for this report include the project team members, the project manager’s manager, a resource manager, and perhaps the main stakeholder. 

The weekly project status report should include as much pertinent detail as possible and contain more detail than reports delivered to other audiences. The goal of the weekly project status report is to give those most involved in the project a thorough view of how the project is progressing. The report tracks the budget, indicates milestones, enumerates risks, etc.

The Monthly Project Status Report

A monthly or bi-monthly project status report can help higher-level managers feel engaged and in control of projects that their project managers are running. This audience doesn’t require the same level of detail that a weekly report does (for instance, who is doing what or how long it takes). 

This audience wants the best high-level view of the project’s progress. Higher-level managers are interested in tracking the budget, the spend, the quality of deliverables, and the nature of risks or roadblocks. Note that if a project manager does have a significant risk, setback, or roadblock, they shouldn’t wait for the monthly report to communicate that problem to their manager. Nothing in these monthly reports should be hugely surprising to these executives, except possibly nice wins, efficiencies, and compliments from fellow stakeholders. These high-level executives need to feel informed, so if their managers ask them about their projects, they’ll be equipped with the top-level talking points. Being up to date also allows decision-makers to take action, if necessary.

The CEO-Level Project Status Report

While not every project or company may require this kind of project status report, many project management experts think the CEO-level report can be key to buy-in and visibility from the top echelons of a company’s management.

Chris Daniel mentions key elements to making this particular type of status report a success. “This audience is responsible for multiple projects, so they want to see only the truly top-level highlights,” Daniel notes. “For the impact you want, you’ve got to have the sizzle. That means you need to build a visually appealing deck (in PowerPoint or Prezi) that calls out data visually. You should also include accountability for action items — who is doing or will be doing what moving forward.

“Interpreting the data from your previous weekly or monthly reports is also critical for this audience. The CEO is looking to the project manager for guidance and recommendations,” Daniel continues. “This report should have a maximum of six or seven slides. Anything else can go into an appendix. And it’s critical to include a Frequently Asked Questions slide of about five questions, so a project manager can demonstrate he has already anticipated questions and provided succinct answers.”

The Monthly Team and Resources Status Report

If your company and teams are handling multiple ongoing and overlapping projects, it’s also useful to create a separate team and resources status report. The audience for this report includes resource managers, team directors, and others managing various types of resources. 

This report should capture the work of different resources. It should also indicate when resources are due to roll off or join the project. For example, after UX designers create wireframes, they may reduce the hours they’ve devoted to a web project, while developers begin to increase their hours, taking the information from the wireframes (and design and content) and beginning to build web structure and pages.

This report gives resource managers insight into when their staff members may be devoting more or less hours to your project, so they can allocate resources appropriately.

The Stoplight Project Health Status Report

This kind of project status report is gaining popularity as many companies realize that packing endless data points into weekly or monthly reports only burdens the project manager. A wide range of businesses are transitioning to a more simple project status report.

This newer report visually represents the health of a project by color-coding different elements with a traffic light image: green for on-budget and on-target; yellow for potential risks being posed; and red for true roadblocks, overspending, and the like.

Chad Sauter is the Director at Conway MacKenzie and has managed projects for many years. Sauter comments that his company used to require extremely detailed project management status reports but now finds  them unnecessary: “We try to stay away from complex reports now. This gives us more time to spend on actually working on the projects,” he says.

Sauter’s company uses a red/yellow/green status report for nearly all its projects. “We won’t waste any time talking about elements that are green or in good shape. The color-coding gives everyone a quick sense of what is and isn’t urgent to address,” he concludes.

Skot Carruth, CEO of Philosophie Software , agrees that simpler is better: “Successful projects require trust and close collaboration. When you start overloading project managers with reporting requirements, they become more like machines than creative problem solvers.

“When PMs know their goals and metrics,” Carruth continues, “they can simply tell us if they are on track or not. When they aren’t, we’re here to help them instead of punish them… Incorporating values such as trust and collaboration are more important to successful project management than any reporting tool.”

“When PMs know their goals and metrics, they can simply tell us if they are on track or not, and when they aren’t, we’re here to help them instead of punish them.” - SKot Carruth, CEO, Philosophie Software

Many executives believe that when detailed status reports are necessary, it’s vital to be able to capture dependencies. “These can be time-intensive to identify, but that level of insight is important for problem-solving. In recent years, budget, costs, and time/scheduling have become front-and-center in status reports,” Sauter remarks.

In summary, a weekly project status report captures the critical developments and activities of a project and is usually delivered to those closest to the project, i.e., team members, client stakeholders, managers of the team members, etc. Delivered with less frequency and detail, higher-level project status reports target those in the company who want to be kept apprised of a project’s health but not its minutiae. CEOs and other high-level executives want to see only highlights, especially with callouts on cost savings, stellar performance, and other positive elements.

How to Track Project Status

To track project status, follow these easy steps to ensure your project is completed on time:

• Create a Project Plan or Project Outline: Before you officially start your project, create a rough outline of your project from start to finish, including all key details, resources, and time constraints.
• Determine Specific Goals: Identify what you want to accomplish with this project, whether it be a new marketing campaign, a product deployment, etc.
• Document Key Milestones: Determine key parts of your project timeline that you want to pay specific attention to — and that you need to hit on time.
• Establish Clearly-Defined Deadlines: Ensure you and your team have a good sense of all the deadlines that must be met in order for your project to land on time.
• Check on the Project Regularly: As your project kicks off, continue to check in on the progress regularly, referring to your project plan to check progress against projected timeline.

Get started with a free downloadable project status template .

Project Status Reports in Project Management

Project status reports are very commonly used in project management to track and manage a project as it moves through its timeline.

As a project manager, you may want to answer the following questions within your project status report:

• What are the goals of the project, and will we be able to meet them?
• Will the project be completed on time and on budget?
• What successes should be highlighted?
• What challenges could we potentially run into?
• What learnings should we try to get from this project?

Challenges with Project Status Reports

Creating project status reports can be challenging and risky. Here are some of the risks to consider when creating project status reports and status report templates:

• Forecasting Costs, Scheduling, and Estimating Are Guesswork: Project managers can still only make educated guesses about these components of a report.Risks Can Be Identified but Not Always Quantified: For example, a company might know that another project will be starting during the time frame of your existing project, but no one may know the exact timing or breadth of that second project. If it’s smaller, the risks it poses to your project in terms of staffing and other resources may be minimal. If it’s larger than expected, it could pose a significant risk.
• Going Simpler Is a Strong but Risky Trend: There’s a greater chance of overlooking details that may be or become important.
• You Might Leave a Key Person Out: Even under the most well-intentioned circumstances, not everyone who needs to may have buy-in or visibility.
• You’re Relying on the Strength of Your Report: Any report is only as useful as the information that goes into it, as well as the actions taken as a result.

Elements of Project Status Reports

To make project status reports as useful and relevant as possible, there are key components that you should include. You may add more types of information, but these are the mission-critical elements that a project manager should be aware of:

• Project Details:  List project name and project code, if applicable
• Team: List project manager and other key team members
• Status Date: Also include cadence (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.)
• Schedule of Project: Have you met all of this period’s milestones?
• Scope: Has the project stayed in scope during this period?
• Budget: Is the project on, under-, or over-budget?
• Quality: This may not be applicable to every report during every period, but it’s worth capturing if there are issues.
• Dependencies: What factors are the team waiting on before being able to move forward?
• Issues and Roadblocks: What roadblocks have come up during this period? Give a brief description of what they are, what you’re doing to remedy them, and who owns them.

These components may vary depending on the audience, but at the very least, the detailed weekly project status report should contain these elements. Moreover, the project manager should be able to speak about any of these factors if asked.

How to Create a Status Report

It’s critical to get clarity on project goals, budget, milestones, deliverables, and team members from the outset.

That way, a project manager can guarantee that weekly and monthly status reports are always rolling up to and supporting the mission and vision of the entire project, even as staff members need to accomplish detailed tasks on a weekly basis. 

It’s also crucial that the template establish explicit buy-in and measurement from the beginning. As a project progresses, small tweaks are to be expected, but the major cornerstones of monitoring should not change significantly. 

At the same time, you can set and reset expectations as needed, as unforeseen circumstances arise and require attention.

Lastly, a project status report should be sharable, but the project manager has final ownership.

Benefits of Project Status Report Templates

You can save a lot of time by using templates to create project status reports. Of course, all project reports require tweaking and editing to properly reflect the project’s individual ingredients, but a template can be a strong starting point. There are several benefits to using project status report templates:

• Free: Many templates are available free online.
• Printable: You can distribute reports for meetings, huddles, and those stakeholders who would like a printable copy.
• Professional Appearance: Using a template that’s already been designed to look professional gives a project manager leverage.
• Clean Design: As mentioned above, project status reports should be easy to scan and intuitive to interpret, even for those who are several places removed from the project.
• Customizable: The most useful templates will allow a project manager to add and subtract fields and items as needed for each project.
• Collaboration Features: Web-based templates can give all team members access to the status report, so they can see where things stand, as well as contribute updates, if desired.
• All Tasks in One Place: A template can ensure that you’re hosting every piece of a project in one place.

Project Status Report Templates

While using templates to create project status reports can be a true time-saver for project managers, it’s important for PMs to plan ahead and customize the template to fit the needs of the whole project. This way, the status report template you created at the beginning of a project can remain relevant and useful throughout the course of that project.

Here are some project status report templates to help get you started:

Weekly Project Status Report Template - Excel

Download Weekly Project Status Report Template

Excel | Smartsheet

Project Management Dashboard Template - Excel

‌ Download Project Management Dashboard Template

For additional options, check out our collection of free project report templates.

Best Practices for Project Status Reports

To create the most effective project status report that keeps everyone up-to-date on the most relevant project information, take these tips into consideration:

• Write a first draft — then correct it.
• Edit your status report as needed.
• Make everyone aware of the status report, along with any updates.
• Ask for feedback on how to provide the best view of project status.
• Use consistency across all project status reports.
• Report on metrics that matter most to the project — and to key stakeholders.
• Use visualization, like charts and graphics, when possible.
• Avoid adding too much detail.
• Make the status report accessible to everyone, at all times.

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When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time. Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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Project Status Reports: 9 Easy Steps & Examples [+ Template]

If you're getting bombarded with questions about your project that you can't answer, your project status reports might be lacking (or nonexistent). Learn how to create status reports (& get a template!) to keep clients and team members up-to-date throughout the project life cycle.

A project status report is a way to convey what’s going on with your project to those not involved in its day-to-day activities. Project managers typically use project management software to create status reports that keep clients, project team members, and other stakeholders up-to-date throughout the project life cycle.

The best project status updates are:

• thorough and informative without overwhelming your audience
• appealing enough that project stakeholders take the time to read it

What Is A Project Status Report?

A project status report is a document that provides a point in time snapshot of where your project is at. It includes the business-critical efforts, progress, and risks associated with a project.

While the format of project status reports may vary, typical components include:

• A project summary listing work completed
• Forecasts for what comes next
• Updates on project budget and timeline
• Any action items/to dos
• A report on risks, issues, and planned mitigations

Project managers use project status reports to:

• Streamline communication efforts across an organization and its various stakeholder groups
• Make it easier to gather and disseminate information about key elements of the project (think of it as an “executive summary” view)
• Ensure key stakeholders have necessary information for decision making
• Amplify key messages and goals around the project
• Act as a recordkeeper of past events, actions, and decisions

Types Of Project Status Reports

Project status reports may occur at different time intervals (ex. weekly, monthly, or quarterly). Project managers may also tailor reports based on different target audiences (internal vs. external). Here’s how to think about the project reporting process.

Weekly vs. Monthly vs. Quarterly Status Reports

The reporting period used for your status report affects the type of information to include. Here’s a breakdown of what to include in weekly, monthly, and quarterly status reports.

Weekly Status Reports

A project manager should maintain a weekly status report document constantly, jotting in updates and stats as they happen in real time. 

You will most likely have a day of the week in mind for when to send it; however, the magic of a weekly report should be that it can be ready within the hour if a client requests it.

Monthly Status Reports

A monthly- or bi-monthly status report should be a “bigger picture” document that can quickly get upper management caught up on progress and developments. 

Leave out minute details and focus on what matters to leaders: budget, costs, the status of deliverables, and any project risks or roadblocks.

Quarterly Status Reports

Since quarterly status reports cover an extended period of time, you’ll want to be mindful of their length. Come up with 3-4 top-level priorities or goals to report, focusing on quantitative progress rather than big ideas. Make it an “elevator pitch” of your project work to date.

External vs. Internal Status Reports

As with other deliverables, you’ll need to tailor status reports to their audience. Your client likely prefers different content in their status report than your internal team. Adjust your reporting to reflect these wants and desires.

External Status Reports

Since these reports are likely to be client-facing, they are likely to be more formal. The tone should be straightforward and honest, but also optimistic. 

If you present an issue, follow it up with a proposed solution or set of solutions. Proof your external status reports with several people prior to distribution.

In terms of content, orient the report around high-level goals, as external stakeholders won’t necessarily care about minutiae. Focus on a broad array of issues pertaining to the status of the project, rather than delving deep into any one topic (unless the client has requested further detail).

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Internal Status Reports

The tone can be more transparent here. If you’ve hit the panic button, it’s fine to let your team know why. Also, a vibrantly upbeat report is appropriate if you want to accentuate a job well done. No need to hold back.

This report will also be more in-depth, fixating on individual task management and items that are of value to your team. Internal reports may, sometimes, focus on fewer issues and simply do a deep dive where it’s needed most.

Why Are Status Reports Important?

The best project status reports create accountability and ownership within your team. They uncover issues, mitigate risks, and—most importantly—ensure you’re on track with your project goals.

For clients, they:

• Give confidence that the money they’re spending is delivering value
• Work as updates for their superiors on project progress
• Justify future funding requests
• Serve as a paper trail to safeguard against risk

Project managers create project status reports after finalizing the project plan , once project work is underway. Typically, you send project status reports on a weekly or monthly basis. You can even send them daily, if necessary.

You can deliver project status reports in a variety of formats, including via Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, Google Docs, slides, or graphical format. I once led a project where we sent a daily status report via WhatsApp.

The danger is that, if project status reports are treated as a matter of rote, they can default to a check-the-box exercise that nobody reads. 

IMO, it’s a project manager’s responsibility to create accessible and meaningful project report templates that keep a pulse on project progress, celebrate accomplishments, and serve as a conversation starter to unblock issues and drive projects forward.

How To Create A Project Status Report

Here’s a step-by-step guide detailing how to sit down and create a status report.

1. Gather Your Data

Before you write a report, you have to collect the information you need to share. This means pulling data from various sources so that you have a full picture of the project timeline, budget, ongoing events, and other important items.

• Your project timeline is a great first place to look for information. Include any project events or actions, with dates, in the order that they occurred. Your timeline will also remind you of any upcoming deadlines that you should highlight.
• Compile financial information . You will most likely be reporting on costs incurred versus available budget. Pull from team member timesheets, expense reports, bank statements, estimates , and whatever else it takes to get a complete financial picture.
• Determine project status . You'll need to let your client and/or team know whether the project is healthy, stalled, or in crisis. Assess project health and call attention to status changes, from red (bad), yellow (okay, with some potential issues), or green (good).

Author's Tip

If you’re using project management software or project tracking software , all the above information is easily accessible, saving you scraping data from four or five different places.

Most tools also include the ability to set up a dashboard that you can screenshot or share directly with stakeholders. The data on the dashboard will update automatically, so you don’t need to do any compiling before sharing.

2. Check In with Your Team

Validate the information you have collected with your team members for accuracy. See if they have any additional updates or details to add.

If you’re doing your job right, you'll have built up trust with your team members to get an honest assessment of where your project is headed.

3. Source a Status Report Template (optional)

You don’t have to create a status report from scratch. Like many types of documents, there is a wide range of templates available for you to use if you so choose ( including ours, available through DPM membership ). Simply swap out the template logo for your company logo, and voila—you’re ready to start reporting!

4. Outline Key Segments

If you’re not using a template, for your own sanity, create an outline for your project status report. It’s way too easy to forget something or go off on a tangent. Your outline will help keep things on track.

• The report summary dictates the tone and direction the rest of the report will take. Example : This report summarizes the status of the marketing project for Killer Kombucha. It discusses the status of the drip email marketing campaign, with a focus on in progress design tasks and segmentation of audience lists.
• Jot down 2-3 key items and/or project milestones that you plan to address in your report. You won’t be able to touch on every little detail of your work, so you should pick a coherent focus. Examples : E-blast header image approved, awaiting body text revisions from the client, and finalized audience segmentation recommendations.
• Notes & links : Anything else to add? An external link to reference? Have a thought that doesn’t fit in elsewhere? Leave yourself a note here.

5. Write An Ugly First Draft

Once you have your outline, now it’s time to create an ugly first draft of your status report. This concept comes from “ Everybody Writes” by Ann Handley and has useful applications throughout project management.

Basically, this is where you word vomit everything you know about the project. This is the time to reflect on past performance and anticipate what happens next.

This exercise is important because it allows you to consider and digest project happenings without constraining yourself to have to edit and format along the way.

6. Edit Your Work

Once you’ve taken a break, come back and edit your status report with fresh eyes. Make sure it's accurate and free from errors.

Sending high-quality reports shows your clients and team that you’ve put time and thought into the status report. Simple mistakes can send the message that you don’t care.

Double-check that your status report includes the following:

• Project name/client name
• Project vision
• Project health
• What was recently completed
• What you plan to complete next
• Issues/roadblocks
• Upcoming tasks and milestones
• Add in anything you forgot, or that’s changed since your first draft.
• Cut the word fat. Can you state things more clearly? Can you be more direct?
• Can you get it down to one page? This is not required, but doing so reduces the risk of information overload.

7. Send and Deliver

Here are some tips before sending to ensure that your team and your client receive it positively.

• Add sugar : Distribute the report to your team and clients with a little “sugar”. Be complimentary. Be kind. Go out of your way to deliver this status report with a dose of written cheer and avoid sounding like a robot. Including a thoughtful note versus a link to “look here” increases the chance that stakeholders will react positively to your report.
• Deliver alongside a status meeting : It’s common to issue reports concurrently with a meeting. The report is the agenda for the meeting, guarantees that stakeholders review the contents, and becomes a “leave behind” item. While not required, this offers an opportunity for the team and/or client to discuss the project and any challenges or concerns. Reissue the status report if changes are made during the meeting.
• Effective ways to send a status report : Slack, email, Basecamp, Asana —choose a method and stick to it. I would encourage you to avoid sending across multiple media to: 1) ensure the audience knows how and when it will be delivered and 2) reduce the time it takes you to prepare the report.

8. Confirm Receipt and Engagement

Make sure your client and team members review the report so that it remains an effective tool for project communication.

As part of your distribution:

• Ask your audience to acknowledge that they’ve read the report within 24 hours and prompt them to pose any follow-up questions that may warrant a synchronous discussion. A simple “got it” or thumbs up emoji via Slack is a great way to collect feedback.
• Follow up directly with anyone who doesn’t respond. Avoid calling out stragglers via reply all (this is not the way to promote project engagement)!
• Check in occasionally with your audience to see if there’s anything you can cut, include, or augment in your project status reports to better serve your team members and clients.

Listen to my podcast episode about making status reports useful here:

How Often Should I Update A Project Status Report?

You should update project status reports as often as you deem it necessary to convey important project information without being overly repetitive. This depends on project duration, complexity, and client preference.

• If your project only includes a handful of stakeholders and features 1-2 deliverables per month, a monthly status report is probably sufficient.
• If your project changes quickly day-to-day and your clients are constantly pestering you for updates, you’ll probably want to formalize a weekly or even daily status report to communicate progress.

What Does A Project Status Report Include?

In your status report, you’ll likely want to include the following information:

1. Project Name / Client Name

Make sure you record WHO the report is for and WHAT the report entails (i.e. what project). This key project information is baseline data for any progress report.

2. Project Vision

This should be a simple sentence defining your project and its primary goal/vision. This section shouldn’t change much over the project life cycle .

• Drive qualified customers to “purchase” kombucha via mobile devices based on an improved user interface.
• Increase online kombucha sales by implementing a drip email marketing campaign.
• Launch a website by June 2018 that allows customers to purchase Killer Kombucha and reflects Killer Kombucha as having the highest quality & best-tasting product in its category.

3. Project Health

There are a few different ways you can spin this, but I like the “stoplight” method, where green is on track, yellow means there are some issues, and red signifies something is at risk. 

Definitions (and supporting notes) are helpful to explain the color coding. (Make sure you use alt text to name the colors!)

• Green : We’ve obtained approval on drip email designs. No budget concerns at this time.
• Yellow : The drip email designs need significant revisions based on client feedback; therefore, the final delivery date has been delayed by 1 week.
• Red : The drip email campaign has drastically shifted direction since project kickoff . We’ve set up a meeting next week to realign on project scope .

Include project spend and timeline in the project health section to keep your client and team apprised of performance. Directionally, it helps you to spot trends so you can prevent your project from going off the rails.

4. What We Completed This TIMEFRAME

List these updates in bullet format. Keep them short and simple. They’re not Jira tickets. Don’t explain the “how” but rather the “what.”

• Obtained approval for 3 drip email designs
• Completed handoff to development team and confirmed delivery timeline

5. What We Plan To Complete Next TIMEFRAME

Present a clear, precise task list in bullet format.

• Develop 3 emails
• Perform internal quality assurance (QA) and testing
• Pass off to client for QA and testing

6. Issues/Roadblocks

This is where you can raise any red flags or obstacles that may threaten project progress.

• If we do not obtain client feedback by 2 June, we will be in jeopardy of not being able to send the email to consumers the same day as the product will be available in stores.

7. Upcoming Tasks & Milestones

Summarize what’s on the horizon for the project. Is there anything that the reader needs to review? What’s coming up next?

• dd/mm: Client QA & Testing
• dd/mm: Email Deployment

Here’s what the final product looks like:

Optional Items To Include Based On Your Project

• Links to your project schedule
• Links to completed deliverables
• Action items
• Funny gifs, links to team playlists, etc.
• Weekly thank yous or shout-outs to team members and clients
• Links to relevant articles/industry trends

Don’t Include Any Of This

• Throw shade

Project Status Report Template

The project status report template in DPM Membership can be used for delivering weekly project status reports or monthly project status reports.

Project Status Report Example

In addition to the template, I thought it’d be helpful to include a filled-in sample so you can understand what a successful project status report should look like.

Below is a screenshot of the first page of a sample status report. Become a DPM Member to get access to the complete version.

Benefits of Project Status Reports

When done correctly, project status reports are valuable tools for:

• Updating internal and external stakeholders on project progress via a uniform communication channel so that everyone is on the same page
• Sharing information asynchronously with a wider audience, saving time on meetings and maximizing production time for knowledge workers. Although you may want to review the project status report live with your client, other stakeholders in the organization may benefit from having the option to review it on their own time.
• Surfacing potential risks for further discussion before they become issues (and also documenting those risks to give you a paper trail in case stakeholders are unwilling to take action).

Project Status Report Best Practices

Now that we know what a project status report is, what it includes, and how to make one, here are some do’s and don’ts to help guide you through the process.

To start, here’s a video summary:

• Accommodate different learning styles : Not everyone can read a text-based document and have the messaging stick. Include visuals, like Gantt charts and graphs, and external links in your status report to highlight important topics. The status meetings I mentioned above are helpful for clients that prefer talking it out and asking questions on-the-fly.
• Keep it simple, stupid! (KISS) : Keep the status report simple, for your client’s sake and yours. If a status report is taking way too long to create or read through, you are decreasing their usefulness and the impact they'll have on the project or stakeholders.
• Stay accountable by scheduling recurring status meetings : Schedule recurring status meetings immediately, not as you are ready for them, to hold yourself accountable to a deadline.
• Try to make status meetings more fun : Take a brief moment to catch up on non-work-related things. Break the ice with something casual and memorable, just stay away from “faux pas” topics like gossip or politics. Be an active listener and make an effort to converse in a way that feels natural, not like you have an agenda.
• Keep a status report perpetually in draft : Don’t leave your status report preparations until the last minute. Instead, create an in-progress draft that you can add to as events happen in real time. I keep a draft on my computer in case a client, supervisor, or stakeholder calls out-of-the-blue. This is especially clutch when you're managing multiple projects.

Project Status Report Tools

If you’re using project management software, the bulk of your key project data should be readily available to use in your report, such as budget used or hours spent. Here are a few of the top tools I’d recommend if you’re not using one already:

• 1. Wrike — Customizable, cloud-based project management software that has over 400 integrations and enterprise-level security.
• 2. Celoxis — Project portfolio management and collaboration solution for teams of all sizes.
• 3. Confluence — Confluence is a collaboration and project management software that allows teams to share information; manage retrospectives; and track tasks in a centralized location.
• 4. monday.com — A robust and popular project management platform that can be customized for almost any workflow.
• 5. ClickUp — Hyper customization that will help substitute some of your project management and productivity tools. In their words... one app to replace them all
• 6. MeisterTask — MeisterTask is a versatile project management tool designed to enhance team collaboration and streamline task workflows with intuitive, customizable boards.
• 7. Hub Planner — Powerful project management platform with an advanced resource scheduling tool for organization-wide resource allocation.
• 8. Zoho Projects — Low price point pm software with a user friendly interface and mobile version of their tool.
• 9. Miro — Collaborative whiteboard platform that enables teams to brainstorm, plan & manage agile workflows.
• 10. Microsoft Project — Most popular project management platform with a licencing option for offline work.

You can also find more specific reporting tools here.

What's Next?

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How to write a project status report that works for your team

Contributing Writer

When you’re juggling multiple projects with several stakeholders, it’s easy for things to feel out of control. You try to rein it in with strict deadlines, frequent meetings, and maybe even a bit of micromanaging . But what if the fix were as simple as a one-page document?

Meet the project status report, your new favorite tool for improving communication and ensuring the project is a success.

What is a project status report?

A project status report is a short document or memo usually put together by the project manager to update and inform stakeholders (teammates, leadership team, or clients, for example) about the progress of a specific project.

It can be delivered as a PDF, an email, a Slack message, or a more formal report created within a project management software. The project status report is sent on a regular basis—think weekly, biweekly, or monthly. It is brief, clear, and direct.

A project status report can include:

• Project name
• Reporting period
• Status (on track, off track, at risk)
• Achievements 
• Important metrics
• Action items/next steps
• Praise/shoutouts
• Stakeholders/project roles

Why does it matter?

According to Project Management Institute , “ the most crucial success factor in project management is effective communications to all stakeholders .”

Not only does a project status report communicate progress, but it also helps you and your team see the roadblocks and understand where some teammates might be overloaded—helping you better manage the project. 

On top of improved communication, a project status report can:

• Reduce the number of pesky “Hey, do you have an update on this?” Slack messages and emails you get.
• Decrease the number of meetings you’ll need to hold to bring everyone up to speed.
• Identify and correct issues before they derail the entire project.
• Increase collaboration and trust with your team and stakeholders.
• Reassure clients that you’re staying on top of things.

So if you want to succeed (and who doesn’t?), mastering the project status report is paramount. Let’s dive into the tips you need to nail your next report.

How do you write a project status report? Tips for nailing an effective status update

Use a project status report template or software.

Because this is a regular communication, create a template to save time and make your life easier. It can be as simple as an Excel doc or PDF. To really step it up, though, and gather all the necessary metrics in one place, invest in project management software .

For instance, quickly understanding workload is a breeze with Trello’s Dashboard view . It visualizes key metrics for your project—including cards per due date status and cards per member—through bar graphs, line charts, and pie charts. For advanced reporting in Trello, you can use a third-party tool like Bridge24 .

Identify all of the stakeholders

Figuring out who the project status report should be sent to is obviously important for delivery, but it’s also crucial because it will shape how you craft the report. Knowing your audience is the first step to writing anything effective.

Stakeholders usually include:

• Project team
• Cross-collaborative team

It may make sense to create a separate status report for each audience. For instance, if you’re designing a website for a client, you might create a status report for your internal agency team and a separate one for the external client.

Develop a regular cadence

Your project status report delivery schedule depends on project complexity, duration, and how quickly things are changing. Generally speaking, the longer, more complex, and more volatile a project is, the more frequently the stakeholders will need updates. If you find that a weekly project status report ends up looking the same week after week, then consider changing it to monthly. 

Cover the timeline, scope, and budget

These are the key pieces of any project, so it’s crucial to give a specific status update for each part:

• Timeline. Is the project on track to be delivered on time? If not, when is the new expected completion date? If you need to move the due date back, explain why.
• Scope. Is the project within scope? Be sure to include if new deliverables have been added.
• Budget . Is the project within budget? Include the overall budget, plus how much has been spent thus far.

Highlight achievements and milestones

What has your team achieved during this reporting period? Brief bullet points work fine, but quantify when possible. If applicable, try to show the positive impact these achievements have already had for your team, project, organization, or client.

Include important metrics

What metrics did you and your stakeholders decide would define success for this project? Include the latest metrics to cross-reference with the previous status reports. Examples of these metrics include conversion rate, sales, employee engagement, or number of new hires. Compare these metrics with the ones from your last update, and provide percentage changes if possible. 

Call out blockers

Blockers are those issues that are holding you back from making progress on your project. It could be that a team member hasn’t completed a task they own, or it could mean that supply chain issues have prevented you from purchasing necessary materials to complete the project. Regardless, it’s critical that you call out any blockers in your project status report. This gives a realistic view of what’s going on with the project, and most importantly, allows people to step in to remove the obstacles. After all, you can’t fix it if you don’t know it’s a problem. 

Indicate the overall project status

Based on the previous step, determine if the overall project status is:

• On track (green) – There are no issues holding the project back.
• At risk (yellow) – There are some roadblocks to delivering the project on time, on budget, and on schedule—but we have the solutions and are working on them.
• Off track (red) – There are some roadblocks to delivering the project on time, on budget, and on schedule—and we are still trying to find solutions. This requires immediate attention. 

Just because a project status isn’t green doesn’t mean your team is failing.

“You need to have reds and yellows,” explains Adriana Girdler on her project management YouTube channel. “If I come across a project that’s always in green status, I question it in saying ‘I don’t know if they actually know what’s going on’ because I’ve never come across a project that is constantly 100% in green status.”

To ensure clarity, however, it’s wise to define your status markers . “Yellow” to one person might mean that there’s a minor roadblock, but to another, it could mean immediate intervention. It’s best to quantify as much as possible. For example, you might decide that if a project goes more than 15% over budget, it’s a red status.

Share praise and shoutouts

Close on a high note by showing your appreciation for everyone who contributed to this project status report’s achievement, and be sure to call out each individual’s contribution.

This can do wonders for team morale and bonding. 2022 research by O.C. Tanner found a causal link between recognition and connection. In a study of 6,000 employees, it found that “failing to recognize a colleague led to the lowest rating of future support, colleague connection, and connection outside of work.” On the other hand, providing higher levels of recognition predicted higher levels of future support and connection.

Outline action items and next steps

When stakeholders are done reading a project status report, they should have no doubt as to what the next steps are and if they need to take any actions. List items that need to be completed, and give each item an owner and a due date.

Be flexible

Yes, we just gave you tips on what to include in your project status report, but here’s the thing: it’s your report, so choose to include (or exclude) anything you like! What works for my team doesn’t necessarily work for your team, and that’s okay. If it’s not helpful for you to quantify the timeline using percentages—leave it out. If you want to include a summary of project quality—go for it. Customize based on your unique needs.

Project status report example

Tips are great, but we all know examples are better, so here’s one to drive the point home. Let’s say you’re managing a website redesign for a client and want to update your internal team on the project.

• Project name: Website Redesign for Client – Internal Team
• Summary: The website is still on track to launch on September 1, but we’re at risk of some scope creep due to the client requesting more revisions than originally planned. We’re working with the client and our designer on this and expect to resolve it by the end of this week.
• Timeline: 75% completed
• Scope: Client has requested a third round of revisions, despite our original agreement of two. We’re working with the client and designer to ensure we have an accurate understanding of the client’s vision to avoid any further revisions beyond three.
• Budget: $15,000 of $20,000 spent
• Status: On track
• Achievements
• Finalized the homepage copy with client
• Created second round of mockups in Figma
• Client reviewed mockups and provided feedback for tweaks on design
• Photographer delivered headshots for team page
• Waiting on client to provide detailed feedback so we can better understand the need for a third round of revisions
• Designer is out on vacation for the next two weeks, so we’ll need to adjust the timeline to ensure we have mockups ready to build before in time for launch
• Our budget allowed for only two design revisions. We’re working with the client to increase the budget for a third revision.
• Action items
• Copywriter to write mission statement, values, and About Us
• Designer to send us new deadlines for third round of revisions
• Creative director to schedule client call next week for feedback on designs
• Copywriter did an excellent job at the homepage copy. Client loved it!
• Photographer delivered headshots way ahead of schedule, and they look great!

Project status report: Not just a superfluous step to forget

As a project manager , creating calm out of chaos is kind of your thing. While creating a regular report can feel like an unnecessary addition to your already full plate, remember, this simple document can cut down on meetings and messages, clear up confusion, identify and resolve issues quickly, and ensure everyone’s on the same page. Knowing that, who wouldn’t want to add a project status report to their PM toolbox? 

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An important and required responsibility connected to running a successful project is writing and delivering useful and comprehensive project status reports. Everyone, including project team members, stakeholders, management and CIO or CEO-level sponsors will have some level of interest in the details of work in progress.

There will be different audiences who need to know about and understand certain details of a project, so one report may be rewritten with varying language and format to satisfy those needs.

Read more: How to Write a Project Report

What Is a Project Status Report?

A project status report is a summary of the details of a project as it progresses along the timeline, including key milestones and goals with defined deadlines. The project manager writes this report with input from team leads and key team members.

The project manager is expected to understand these details and be prepared to speak to this progress on a regular basis, answering related questions throughout the project lifecycle.

Read More: What is Project Management? Definition, Types & Examples

What Is Included in a Project Status Report?

Standard project status reports should include some or all of the following:

• A summary of project details, including program and project name, start and launch dates
• A list of key team members, stakeholders, and project owners
• The status date and cadence of the report (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly)
• A summary of the project scope and budget
• A timeline of key and cross-project dependencies (if any) to show what must occur before something else can start
• Call-out of key issues and blockers to address, and what is being done about them

Benefits of Project Status Reports

Project managers write status reports to keep all project stakeholders up to date with the latest progress and details as a project moves forward. At a high level, it is a quick reference of key milestones and transitions between phases in the timeline.

Benefits of this report include creating easy visibility into successes and identifying blockers as they unfold. It also keeps communication simple and open across the organization.

Read more: Biggest Mistakes in Reporting Digital Marketing Project Results to Clients

Project Status Reports vs Project Health Reports

The differences between project status reports and project health reports are important to note, and may not be clear or obvious to those receiving these reports.

To recap, a project status report is a formalized report provided to project stakeholders that regularly reports on project status as a project moves through a project plan. It identifies things that have been completed and what is left and open. Over time, this report spells out a documented history of the project, from project kickoff to project completion.

The project health report is a separate report that identifies issues and risks in a project as they come up over time, so they can be addressed early. One benefit is to save time and money with early intervention and attention.

This report is different from the view of daily or weekly execution of tasks, in that it provides a higher view of the overall status; there is less task-based detail. It can also list and compare all active projects assigned to a project manager for a larger program view.

Project Status Report Cadence

The frequency of when to send project status reports can vary depending on the project and audience. The standard weekly status report traditionally follows and includes details from that week’s work, showing status updates and changes from the following week with new goals and action items identified for the following week.

A monthly report may be required to highlight what has been done month to date to C-level and executives to assist with the project planning, budgeting, and juggling of team resources decision-making for the upcoming months.

Some weeks it may make sense to check in with individuals separately, forgoing the weekly organized status meeting to just provide an updated report. The choice to do this instead comes when things are moving along and the project has hit a point where, for example, development is underway in a multi-week sprint and there isn’t much change from the previous week, as the teams tackle technical details day to day.

Project status reports empower project managers and teams to stay on top of project details, manage tasks and issues,` and continue to plan ongoing work intelligently and effectively. Grab a template to start, and customize the format and information to fit your needs. This will keep your projects running smoothly, and everyone involved aware of the latest details and status.

Read next: Best Reporting Software and Tools for 2021

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What Is a Project Status Report and How to Write It + Template

Project status reports are essential for keeping your stakeholders in the loop and updated about your project’s progress. 

When done correctly, status reports become invaluable communication and assessment tools that help you identify potential issues early and keep your project team aligned. 

In this guide you’ll learn how to write effective project status reports, how to avoid common pitfalls, and more about the benefits of having a good status report template handy.

Table of Contents

What is a project status report?

A project status report is a document that presents the current state of the project to stakeholders in a clear and concise manner, and measures the project’s progress against the baselines provided in the project management plan . 

The purpose of the project status report is to update stakeholders on how the project is going and keep them informed about any emerging threats or project risks . It should be to the point and concise — ideally, no more than two pages long.

• Bi-weekly, or
• Monthly. 

An expert we consulted,  Michelle M. Campbell , Senior Vice President, MBA, Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), and Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM), is in favor of more regular project updates.

“ I recommend weekly release of a status report, especially on a rapidly changing project. ”

What makes a good project status report?

A good project status report is concise, clear, and always follows the same template. 

Status reports are created for stakeholders . As such, they should contain information the stakeholders would want to know, in a way that they want to see it, and with respect to their time and schedules.

With this in mind, a good project status report should be:

• Structured and clear — a status report should be structured in a logical manner, preferably with charts and tables that break down complex data and provide all essential information at a glance.
• Tailored to stakeholder needs — different stakeholders and different projects will demand different status reports, so it’s best to agree on a structure at the beginning.
• Consistent — using the same template for all your status reports will help with comparing reports and it will also help stakeholders know exactly what to expect and where to find the information they’re looking for.
• Concise — your boss doesn’t need to know the exact number of hours your third-party contractor spent on doing a specific task — they only need to know that it is done.
• Objective and honest — include only information backed by facts. Objectivity and dishonesty in status reports can have destructive consequences.

According to Michelle M. Campbell:

“ While aesthetics is helpful on a status report, it is more important to have the informative essentials that will guide the reader to arrive at a comprehensive, but concise understanding of the state of the project. ” 

5 Tips on how to write an effective project status report (+ templates)

Now that we’ve established the qualities of good project status reports, here are some tips on how to write them.

Tip #1: Get to know your audience

We explained this before, but it’s worth another mention. A status report isn’t a document meant for project managers. It’s a communication tool written by project managers for stakeholders. As such, it should contain information that the stakeholders want to see, not the information the project manager thinks is important.

To determine what that information is, it’s best to talk to stakeholders at the beginning of the project and hear it directly from them.

Doing this will save you a lot of time by eliminating any guesswork from the get-go.

Tip #2: Summarize the information

A project status report goes out to all stakeholders. However, not all stakeholders need the same information. This is why it’s good practice to summarize the main information from the report at the very beginning. 

Michelle M. Campbell recommends that the summary do the following:

 “Include a short scope and color-coded health/condition of the project by using the RAG status:

Red = off track  Amber = at risk to go off track  Green = on track. ”

She also suggests requesting help from key stakeholders to use their sphere of influence at this point — if that’s what’s necessary to push the status from red or yellow back to green.

Tip #3: Streamline the process by using project status report templates

It’s difficult enough to compile the data for the status report every week, you shouldn’t also have to waste time on writing the whole thing from scratch every time — that’s what editable templates are for.

Templates are incredibly helpful tools when it comes to creating any kind of project plan or report. Not only do they save you time, but they also help maintain the consistency of your reports over time.

To help you get started, we’ve created an editable project status report template in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Google Sheets that you can download right now by clicking the links below.

Download editable project status report — Microsoft Word

Download editable project status report — Microsoft Excel

Download editable project status report — Google Sheets

💡 Plaky Pro Tip

Trying to decide between Google Sheets and Excel? Take a look at our post comparing the two:

• Google Sheets vs Excel: Hands-On App Comparison for 2024

Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to ask for help

It’s your job as a project manager to lead a project — but that doesn’t mean that everything should rest on your shoulders. 

Your executive managers, sponsors, and other key stakeholders have the ability to help you resolve issues more quickly and efficiently than you’d be able to do alone. 

However, they aren’t directly involved in the project on a daily basis, and they won’t know that their help is needed unless you specifically ask for it.

Tip #5: Verify before releasing

Never release information to a wider audience that hasn’t been confirmed beforehand. 

Even if you don’t have much time to compile your report, avoid including opinions and guesses.

If you’re unsure about how a certain aspect of the project is progressing, ask your team members.

It’s always better to ask and confirm rather than unintentionally downplay or exaggerate the situation.

💡 PLAKY PRO TIP

To create relevant and concise status reports, you must be well-acquainted with the aspects of the project you’re reporting on and why they are important to the people who are going to be reading them. Expand or brush up on your knowledge of the essential project management terminology by visiting our glossary page:

• Project Management Glossary of Terms

Project status report example

To give you a better idea of how to write a concise, but effective project status report, we’ll go over an example using the free project status report template we provided earlier.

First you need the basic project information — project name, number, sponsor, project manager, today’s date, and the time period covered in the report. The template is fully editable, so you may choose to delete or add certain fields your project might require.

Next, it’s a good idea to show an at-a-glance overview of the project’s progress. For example, at the top right of the template you can show your project’s progress in a doughnut chart and a RAG (red/amber/green) indication of the project’s status.

The first thing after your basic project information should be your project summary. This section may differ depending on your project and stakeholder requirements. Most often, it will include a brief summary of the report in your own words, or a short table that gives an overview of the health of your project’s main components — scope, schedule, budget, and resources — like in the image below.

Next, you may choose to add a quick summary of the things you’ve accomplished since the previous report and the things you plan to do by the next report. This can be a simple, bulleted list, but it can be valuable to show stakeholders the proof of your progress.

If you want to go into a bit more detail, you can add a separate section where you give a short description for each item. This template provides both options, for busy stakeholders and those who want a more detailed report.

Next, it’s very important to add a list of the project’s major milestones. This, more than anything else, will tell stakeholders exactly where you are in the project and whether you’re on track or behind schedule.

Finally, you’ll want to mention prominent risks you’re tracking, and highlight the issues you are currently dealing with, how you’re handling them, and whether there’s something that requires the stakeholders’ attention.

This template also contains an optional field meant for writing down key takeaways, notes, requests, or anything else you think is important to add to the report.

Benefits of effective project reporting

When done right, project status reports are a valuable tool in a project manager’s toolbox that help PMs maintain a firm grip on the reins of their project by:

• Identifying issues and risks before they escalate,
• Tracking productivity,
• Keeping everyone on the same page, and
• Leaving a clear paper trail.

Effective project reports prevent issue escalation

Major issues rarely crop up overnight. 

There are usually warning signs weeks, and even months before they blow up. 

The problem is that they sometimes get overlooked.

When status reports are done regularly and diligently, it’s very easy to spot potential threats to your project and address them before they become a bigger deal. 

Or, at the very least, you can buy yourself more time to prepare for their imminent arrival. 

Effective project reports help track productivity

Just like a status report can identify potential dangers to the project, it can also detect the level of your team’s productivity over time. 

With enough data, you can easily detect overachievers and underachievers, the reasons for their level of performance, and make more accurate predictions about the future of your project.

Effective project reports foster transparency

Since status reports concern everyone involved in the project, they are an important means of communication and a good way to keep everyone of interest in the loop about the project’s progress.

They may be shared directly with the interested parties. 

But, it’s even better if they are shared on an online dashboard or a project management tool used across the organization. 

Free project management software

Take control of your team’s workload and achieve better project results with Plaky.

After all, two heads are better than one. Imagine what two hundred heads can do when they put their minds to it. So, keep everyone up to date with project status reports.

As Craig William, CEO and founder of WebFX said for Forbes , the reward of rigorous transparency is “a more thoughtful and innovative atmosphere where employees feel like the sky’s the limit when it comes to solving problems creatively.” 

Effective project reports leave a helpful paper trail 

Paper trails, be they digital or analog, are an incredibly valuable asset in project management . 

In the case of project status reports, leaving a paper trail means being able to go back in time and analyze old reports in search of clues that might help you perform better in a similar future project. 

They can also serve as proof of a project manager’s competence or incompetence at grasping what is going on in their project.

The pitfalls of writing project status reports

We’ve established that, when done correctly, project status reports are an important asset for everyone involved in the project. But, let’s take a look at some examples of poorly-written project status reports.

Some project status reports go into too much detail

As opposed to high-level reports, or reports that contain high-level (surface-level) information, low-level reports deal with what’s under the surface.  

As we mentioned before, status reports should contain high-level information. In other words, they should provide an overview of the project’s status without delving into the details of the project. 

If a status report contains detailed information, it completely misses the point. Low-level status reports are often long, incomprehensible walls of text that no one will ever want, or have the time to read. This means that your stakeholders won’t ever have a clear idea of what’s going on in the project, and won’t be able to offer any assistance if it becomes necessary.

Some project status reports are biased

In 2009, a group of researchers from Wake Forest University published a paper on selective status reporting , where they tried to determine the causes and effects of conscious misreporting of project statuses. 

The research identified two types of selective reporting: 

• Optimistic biasing, and
• Pessimistic biasing.

The study found that both of these biases have a negative impact on project performance. Let’s take a closer look at both of them.

Optimistic biasing in status reporting

The study explained optimistic biasing as deliberately avoiding reporting on critical issues, or glossing over them to make them seem less threatening than they actually are. 

Researchers found that this is a common occurrence among project managers whose supervisors have a history of unwelcoming responses to project setbacks. This concealing of important information for fear of being yelled at, or blamed for the issues can lead to serious problems down the road.

This kind of biasing usually serves the project manager’s self-interest to avoid the blame for the issue. However, it can also stem from the higher management’s poor downward communication skills — so it can’t be entirely blamed on the project manager.

Regardless of who is to blame, optimistic biasing is a dangerous element in status reporting that can lead to critical issues passing under the radar and being neglected until it’s too late.

Pessimistic biasing in status reporting

Conversely, pessimistic biasing refers to intentionally making the project seem to be in a worse situation than it actually is. 

The above-mentioned research on status reporting claims that this kind of misreporting can be a means of securing additional funds for the project. 

However, it later suggests that pessimistic biasing is more likely to be connected to project-supported concerns, and is, thus, less dangerous than optimistic biasing.

Some project status reports involve “inconvenient truths”

A related research paper published in 2014 in the MIT Sloan Management Review, titled The Pitfalls of Project Status Reporting , lists five “inconvenient truths” related to status reporting. 

According to the study, these five inconvenient truths are:

• Executives can’t rely on staff to speak up about problems.
• A variety of reasons can cause people to misreport project status.
• An aggressive audit team can’t counter the effects of project status misreporting.
• Putting senior executives in charge of a project may increase misreporting.
• Executives often ignore bad news.

As the authors claim, accepting these truths can “ greatly reduce the chance of being blindsided by unpleasant surprises ” — meaning that executives should prepare in advance for what is inevitable. 

How should I present my project status reports?

There are many ways to distribute and present your project status reports. Some of the most common ones are:

• Via a collaborative platform such as Google Sheets,
• Using other digital resources such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel templates, and
• Using a company-wide file-sharing platform.

Presenting project status reports in-person

In-person status reporting goes hand in hand with project status report meetings. While this used to be the norm a few decades ago, digitalization has helped us move away from what The Business Journals calls “the biggest waste of time in business today”, and toward a more modern and considerate reporting framework.

As you may already guess, these in-person status reports are welcomed by few. However, if your supervisors still insist on holding meetings in person, there are ways that can make everyone hate them a little less, according to Ross Snyder’s PMI article.

Snyder suggests the following:

• Turn status report meetings into planning meetings by distributing the status reports to all relevant parties beforehand, and 
• Instead of going through the entire report at the meeting, simply do a brief planning session on how to proceed further.

“The weekly meeting should not be used to report status!”, says Snyder, “The meeting may be used to discuss status, but never to report it.”

Presenting project status reports via email

Distributing project status reports by email is a little more common occurrence in this digital age, but it’s certainly not ideal. 

According to research, an average person receives over 100 emails a day at work, not including spam! 

Distributing such critical reports via such a cluttered platform, where it’s nearly impossible to sort out important information from unimportant information, can be irresponsible.

Presenting project status reports via collaborative platforms

Collaborative platforms such as Google Sheets are a good way to reach everyone who needs to see the report. 

Collaborative platforms also help project managers to take a load off their chest by allowing the team members to update the project in real-time and constantly keep it up to date.

This way, project managers don’t have to go through the same cycle of collecting information and writing reports every week or two. 

All the information is available for everyone to see and update at any time, further improving communication and transparency among colleagues.

Presenting project status reports via non-collaborative digital resources

Some project managers like to use Microsoft Word, or Excel to create and distribute their status reports. These documents can then be distributed by email or clipped to a digital dashboard for everyone to see. 

While not as collaborative as Google Sheets, Microsoft Word and Excel offer a level of control to project managers who don’t like others meddling with their reports.

Sharing project status reports via project management software

Finally, there are digital file-sharing tools that are used by everyone in the organization and ensure that notifications are sent out to everyone who needs to be involved in the status report, to make sure no one misses a thing.

This can be an ordinary file-sharing platform, or an all-encompassing project management tool like Plaky where you can safely share an unlimited number of documents and always be sure that everyone who needs to see the files has seen them.

Streamline your business — Improve planning, align teams, finish tasks with Plaky.

What’s the difference between a project status report and a project performance report?

The project performance report and the project status report are two terms that tend to get mixed up. But, if these two terms sound like they might be the same thing, it’s because they kind of are. 

Let’s elaborate.

What is a project performance report?

The project performance report is an umbrella term that encompasses the following reports:

• Status report — It informs stakeholders about the project as a whole, the current status of the budget, time, risks, dependencies, and how they fare in relation to the project baselines .
• Progress report —It shows how the project has progressed since the previous report. Along with the forecasting report and the earned value report, the progress report tends to merge with the status report to create a single document, simply called a “project status report”.
• Trend report — It tracks performance and productivity and shows how performance has improved or deteriorated compared to the last measured period. Project trend reports also help identify recurring issues or successes, predict how the project will unfold in the future, and help project managers learn from past mistakes.
• Variance report — It shows how a project’s actual performance compares to its initial performance estimates.
• Forecasting report — It shows what the project manager expects to happen in the near future. It sets predictions for the project status, cost, and deadlines in the coming period. 
• Earned value report — It combines the cost, schedule, and scope baselines to the project’s actual performance to determine whether the project is ahead, behind, or precisely on schedule.

So far, so good.

As we can see, the project status report is only one type of performance report. As the famous saying goes — all project status reports are performance reports, but not all performance reports are status reports.

How can we distinguish between project status reports and project performance reports?

While there’s a clear distinction between the two on paper, the problem arises when project managers refuse to follow the established naming and reporting conventions. 

We mentioned before that progress reports, forecasting reports, earned value reports, and status reports are often merged into a single document. Together, these documents are still called the “project status report”. 

So are these reports separate performance reports or have they merged under the umbrella of the status report? 

At this point, the nomenclature is arbitrary and each project manager has their own way of doing things. So, it might be best not to think about it too much and simply follow the conventions set by the company you work for.

Use Plaky to track your KPIs and share files with your team

Project status reports help identify problems and root them out before they escalate, or at the very least, reduce their impact. 

But, if they are to be used to their full potential, stakeholders first need to read them first. And what better way to make sure their file doesn’t get lost in the mailbox than sharing it directly with them using the same project management tool everyone uses?

With Plaky, you can have all your internal and external stakeholders in one place. Using the Plaky free plan, you can invite an unlimited number of users and manage your projects, share files, create separate spaces for your sub-teams, check your progress and make sure no one ever misses an important notification. Try Plaky for free today, or check out what the paid plans have to offer.

Improve your data tracking and project reporting with Plaky.

• Chang, J. (n.d.). 56 Email Statistics You Must Learn: 2022 Data on User Behaviour & Best Practices. Finances Online. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://financesonline.com/email-statistics/
• Craig, W. (2018, October 16). 10 Things Transparency Can Do For Your Company. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2018/10/16/10-things-transparency-can-do-for-your-company/?sh=28e2004d25d0 
• Iacovou, L. C., Thompson, L. R. and Smith, H. J. (2009). Selective Status Reporting in Information Systems Projects: A Dyadic-Level Investigation. MIS Quarterly , 33(4), 785-810. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20650327
• Keil, M. et al. (2014). The Pitfalls of Project Status Reporting. MIT Sloan Management Review. 55(3), 57-64. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2786f52352.pdf
• Milojevic, N. (2022). Downward communication: What you need to know to make it successful . Pumble. https://pumble.com/blog/downward-communication/
• Snyder, R. M. (1999). Read this if you hate project status meetings. PM Network, 13 (8), 45–46. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/hate-project-status-meetings-5045
• Swanson, S. A. (2014). Anatomy of an effective status report. PM Network, 28 (6), 52–61.https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/anatomy-highly-effective-status-report-2198 
• Waagen, A. (2014, July 30). The biggest waste of time in business today: The status meeting. The Business Journals. https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/human-resources/2014/07/status-meeting-is-huge-waste-of-time.html

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How to Write a Project Status Report (Templates & Tips)

Written by: Unenabasi Ekeruke

Most businesses have had to deal with failed projects. Ever wondered why? Among other reasons, poor communication and lack of accountability are major culprits.

According to Project Management Institute (PMI), poor communication negatively affects project success more than 50% of the time. It also causes 33% of project failures .

Lack of communication can make your project veer off track and fail. The good news is that creating project status reports can help tackle these issues.

Project status reports keep stakeholders updated about the project's overall health. It also helps identify and mitigate issues and keep the project on track.

Fortunately, creating project status reports isn't a hard nut to crack.

In this article, you'll learn how to write an effective project status report. We've also included some design tips and a project status report template to ensure you're on the right track.

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit project status report templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Table of Contents

What is a project status report, the benefits of a project status report, 6 elements of a project status report, how to create a project status report.

Whether you're running a short-term or long-term project, you'll want to gauge its performance and progress. One of the best ways to do this is to create a project status report .

Project status reports are clear and timely updates about the status of any project. It provides comprehensive information about crucial project elements such as:

• Budget, cost and other financial resources
• Milestones and timelines
• Outstanding and completed tasks

Below is an example of a project status report:

Essentially, your project status report should answer these questions:

• What have you achieved?
• What are the outstanding tasks and who's responsible?
• What tasks are on track and off-track?
• What are the major risks we need to manage?
• What constraints or roadblocks are hindering the project's success?
• Are you hitting the desired goals?
• Is the project moving in the right direction or heading to the rocks?

Progress reports keep teams, investors, management and other stakeholders on the same page. How often you create status reports is up to you and the stakeholders involved.

Depending on the project type and scope, you can generate weekly reports , monthly reports , quarterly reports and annual project status reports.

Regardless of the time frame, the goal is to keep everyone in the loop and manage their expectations.

A project status report is a valuable tool for managing projects successfully. Whether you're viewing it from an employee or management lens, the report provides clarity about any project type and size.

Let's take a closer look at some benefits of writing a project status report.

Monitor Project Status and Quality

After you set your project in motion, status reports help you keep the project aligned with the plan. They provide all the vital information about the project and its performance.

As a project manager, you don't want to hit a project milestone only to discover you were off track the entire time. This could cost your organization a lot of time, money and resources. Hence, there's a need for thorough project status reports that show what's working and not working.

Since project status reports contain a blend of metrics and charts, they give stakeholders an expansive view of the project.

If the project is off track, you'll be able to:

• Make valuable business decisions
• Proactively fix pending issues and
• Optimize your project to hit your goals

Streamline Communication Across Key Stakeholders

Communication is vital in project management from the goal-setting stage to the completion stage. It drives teamwork and sets your project up for success.

In contrast, poor communication could put your resources at risk and jeopardize your project outcomes.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI) , two in five projects fail to reach their project goals. And 50% (one-half) of these failed projects are due to ineffective communication.

Writing project status reports could bridge communication gaps between key stakeholders. Plus, it connects every project team member to the strategies, goals and actions. With project reports, stakeholders can adjust or stick to the project plan accordingly.

Automate Reporting Processes

As the project team lead, you probably have a lot of work on your hands. You'd have to deal with things like:

• Coordinating project activities
• Managing personnel and other resources
• Holding team meetings

But that's not all. You'll need to regularly provide your team with progress reports about various aspects of the projects.

Creating project status reports saves you a lot of the hassle. You don't have to spend hours explaining data from different sources. Or struggle to show how various activities align with the overall project goals.

Project reporting tools like Visme bring the information you need in one place. This means you can easily automate the project reporting process, saving time and effort.

Outline Key Action Items and Next Steps

Project status reports ensure stakeholders keep track of everything they need to do. It also highlights task owners and provides vital information for decision-making.

Project status reports also amplify project goals, action items and next steps. They record past events, actions and decisions so everyone knows what to expect.

Here's a mobile app feature launch infographic you can use to outline your project's key action items and steps.

Data from the project status report on pending and completed tasks can inform future actions.

For example, if reports show the limited number of team members is slowing down the project, you can hire more people for the next phase. What if your communication strategy is stalling the project? In that case, you can change the mode and style of communication .

Manage your projects in style

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Proactively Identify Project Bottlenecks

Dealing with risks or bottlenecks can be a nightmare for project managers. It gets worse when they emerge close to the deadline and you have limited time to resolve them.

Here's the thing. Project bottlenecks can cause delivery delay, loss of revenue and project failure. And identifying them is the first step to getting your project back on track.

With project status reports, you can:

• Spot bottlenecks early on
• Identify what's causing them
• Take proactive steps to remove them

This proactive approach is critical to managing projects effectively. It helps you resolve issues before they impact your project deliverables and timeline.

For example, when bottlenecks occur, you may need to take actions such as:

• Improving communication with the project team
• Reviewing the deliverables and timeline of the project
• Mapping, analyzing and adjusting project processes
• Evaluating and adjusting project flow
• Increasing operational efficiency
• Revising the budget and committing more resources to the project

Stay on top of your project activities, deliverables and timelines with organized reports like the one below.

Improve Cost Management

Managing costs during the project life cycle can be tricky. This is the reality for many organizations, as corroborated in PMI research .

According to the report, about 57% of the surveyed IT projects were completed within their initial budget. In comparison, the other 43% exceeded their set target.

Without project status reports, you could end up with cost overruns . This may not only impact the current project. But it could also hinder your ability to execute future projects.

Progress reports give you a clear insight into these things:

• Approved budget
• Cost estimates
• Resource requirements
• Current expenses
• Projected expenditures

Having this information at your fingertips can help you track your expenditures and keep them within the approved budget.

Ensure Productive Team Meetings

Project status reports shouldn't replace team meetings . Rather, you can use them to make your meeting more productive.

Whether you're holding an in-person or virtual meeting , set aside some time to review project activities and status. Beyond keeping stakeholders up to date, team meetings keep everyone accountable.

Reviewing project status reports during a meeting can provide visibility into:

• Activities and events in the coming days, weeks and months
• Pending action items and those responding for execution
• Upcoming project milestones
• Potential risk and bottlenecks

Since these reports are accessible, team members can dig deeper to get more details.

Make your project team meetings productive with meeting agenda presentation templates like the one below:

Drive Overall Project Success

Every part of your project, no matter how small, requires monitoring. That neglected part could become a bottleneck and hurt your entire project.

Considering how many projects fail, project status reports increase your chances of success.

It helps you optimize workflows, team performance and existing systems. It increases project productivity and profitability.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to writing a project status report. You’ll probably find a lot of project report writing formats on the web.

However, your report structure will depend on the project type and audience. If you want to make your project status report relevant, make sure to include these sections and information.

General Project Details

The general project details include unique identifiers that keep the reports organized. At the beginning of the report, make sure to write the following information:

• Project name
• Project code/ID
• Project manager and other key team members
• Report date and timestamp
• Project start and end dates

You may or may not include all of the above depending on the type of project. This information is often included in the cover page of a project status report.

Here's an example of a project report cover page with a simple format:

But how do you make your cover page stand out? Watch this video for some tips to take your report cover page design from drab to fab.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary should summarize the critical details of your reports. At a glance, anyone who reads this section should get a birds-eye view of the project's progress and overall health.

Let's take a look at each of these sections in more detail.

Project Summary

The project summary should have a brief review of the project status. Here you should:

• Identify project goals, scope and deliverables
• Describe the progress you've made in meeting those objectives
• Highlight project milestones, target dates and deadlines
• List major issues or bottlenecks that require attention
• Highlight financial details like budgets, expenditures and profit margin

Make sure to keep the project summary brief and retain only critical information. You can dive into deeper details in the later part of your project status report.

Project Health

Provide a brief snapshot of the project's overall well-being. You can either visualize the information or put it in writing.

We recommend using visual aids like the RAG method to provide clarity.

This method uses the red, yellow and green color codes to indicate the health of the entire project or each project element

• Green means the project or task is on track
• Yellow means there's a pending issue that the project team should look into
• Red means the project or task requires immediate attention

For example, suppose project costs are rising faster than expected. In that case, you could color the budget yellow to indicate that it is "in trouble." This will help stakeholders identify items that require urgent attention.

Project Task and Milestone Review

In this section, you want to dig deeper into the details of each project task, milestones, deliverables and deadlines. Therefore you should include information like:

• Individual project tasks (completed and uncompleted)
• Percentage of milestones completed
• Planned project start and end dates (individual tasks and overall project)
• Actual start and finish dates

Breaking down the tasks will uncover the progress made on each milestone. And setting project deadlines is a great way to gauge whether your project is on track or delayed.

While listing the project tasks, highlight the dependencies between them. Indicate if the team is waiting to complete specific tasks before moving forward.

It's an excellent idea to visualize the information or communicate your progress in this section using graphs, charts and tables.

Since a list of dates can be tough to process at a glance, use a format like in the template below.

Projects Risk and Bottlenecks

This section should identify risks and bottlenecks that could hamper the project's success.

Here you should explain how you plan to mitigate the risks, address issues and change requests to keep the project back on track.

Project Budget

This section should outline your budget, cost and other financial resources.

Pull up information from timesheets, estimates, expense reports, bank statements and everything you need to show a complete financial picture.

Highlight the current expenditures and mention if the project is on budget, under-budget or over-budget. Also, mention if your project requires more resources like funding, personnel or equipment.

Capture budget, expenditure and key financial information using the template below.

Project Team Status

In this section, group teams into departments and highlight their responsibilities, including:

• Scheduled tasks
• Task completed
• Pending tasks
• Upcoming tasks for the next report period
• Team progress and achievements.

Remember to visualize the team's tasks on a calendar. Visme's calendar maker makes it easy for you to design a personalized calendar that meeds your team's needs. Create a monthly calendar, weekly schedule and daily to-do lists to to keep your team organized and your project on track.

Quality Assurance

This section should highlight if the project is on track to meet the quality standards. Are there quality issues that the project team needs to address? If yes, how do you plan to address them to attain the required project standards?

This section is optional. However, capturing this information will boost investors' and stakeholders' confidence in your project.

With an effective project status report, things are less likely to fall through the cracks. But how do you create reports that capture these critical project details?

Keep reading to learn how to create your project status report. And watch as we use practical report examples to show you how to put them to work.

Step #1: Gather Data for Your Report

Before you get started with your report, you'll have to assemble data from sources.

Depending on your project organizational structure , you can collect data at the department or divisional levels.

If you are executing a big project with a complex structure, it's best to use a project management tool .

For example, if you're build a learning management software, you'll need timely updates from:

• Product design
• Development team
• Quality control team

Leveraging a project management tool brings all the information to one place. Hence you can easily access everything you need for your report.

Best of all, you don't have to face the hassle of manually collecting information from a host of sources. With a few clicks, every information you need will be at your fingertips.

Here are a few project management tools we recommend:

These tools are also excellent for project planning , resource management, accounting, team collaboration and reporting.

If you're looking for tips on documenting information or sharing findings for your business, check out our article on how to write a report .

Step #2: Identify Your Target Audience

Who is your target audience? What matters most to them?

Once you know your target audience, you'll be able to deliver the information that matters most.

For instance, clients, CEO, investors and high-level executives care more about the big picture. Most key stakeholders skim through status reports for the necessary details.

Due to their busy schedule, they may not have time to read through lengthy reports or dig deep into the finer details.

So you want to do these things:

• Double down on the most important information,
• Summarize report elements or
• Use visual aids in most sections of your report.

So, make sure to include key takeaways in the executive summary. Also, remember to highlight key points early on in each section of your report.

Doing this will prevent crucial information from getting concealed in the details.

For managers, supervisors and project team members, you'll have to dive into more details. Plus, they may settle for weekly reports. In contrast, top-level management like CEOs and directors may require monthly, quarterly and annual reports.

Whatever be the case, identify what works best for your readers and serve it to them.

Step #3: Use Project Status Report Templates

Creating a project status report from scratch can be very challenging. And without templates, you could mix things up or miss an important detail or two.

Using templates can help save time, reduce errors and increase your productivity.

Clearly, not all project reports are the same, but report templates can be a strong starting point. You can edit them to suit your project needs and share them with relevant stakeholders.

There is a wide range of templates you can choose from in Visme's report template library . However, it's essential to choose one that covers every element of your project in detail.

You'll find hundreds of templates covering every industry, niche and project type you can think of. Since each template is editable, you can tweak it to align with your brand and project needs.

For example, here's a project status report template you can use. Customize it to suit your project needs and share it with your team to keep your project on track.

Step #4: Write Your First Draft

Now you have the information and template you need for your report. The next step is to set your report writing motion.

Start by outlining the key segments of your project. Using an outline that aligns with your project structure can help keep your content on track.

Feel free to use the structure we shared earlier as your starting point. Once you've identified the important sections of your plans, you can start writing your first draft.

Drive excitement for your ongoing project and keep your team motivated using beautiful templates like the one below.

Step #5: Make Your Executive Summary Compelling

Your executive summary is the first and most important segment of your project report. Sometimes that's the only portion of your report that clients, investors or top-level management might read.

If you're looking to secure funding or boost investors' confidence in your project, treat your executive summary as an elevator pitch .

It should pique your readers' interest and compel them to dig deeper into more details. At a glance, your readers should find everything they need to know about your project.

Therefore make sure to include major project highlights or key areas such as:

• Project goals and key deliverables
• Progress made and potential setbacks
• The overall health of your project
• Key Milestones
• Unexpected project risks
• Financial details of the project

Here's a good example of how to highlight the key details in your executive summary.

The goal of our project is to expand our production capacity. We have spent about $100,000 on the first phase of the project, which includes:

• Purchase of equipment
• Installation and equipment testing
• Training and personnel cost

To enable us to increase distribution for our new product, we've expanded our network of suppliers to about 15 cities.

Our key project milestones include:

• Onboarding of new suppliers (Start & End date)
• Purchase of production equipment (Start & End date)
• Installation of equipment and factory set up (Start & End date)

With the current expansion, we project a 35% increase in sales for our product.

We're set to embark on the next phase of the project. The finance team is working with the executive team to secure funding. The next phase will involve working on key target areas, including:

• Launching new flavors or new lines of products
• Setting up production lines for our new products
• Expanding our workforce to cater to the increasing market demand for our new and existing products

Step #6: Write Different Sections of Your Project Status

Depending on your project, the sections may vary. In any case, you'll need to provide cover various aspects of your project in detail, including:

• Project tasks and deliverables
• Timeline and targets
• Notable changes,
• Funding and budgets
• Team roles and performance
• Risk management (Bottlenecks, risk and contingency plans)

Keep in mind that your report should be a snapshot of the entire project. So for stakeholders who want specific or more in-depth information, it would be best to include links to related documents or resources.

Let's say you're highlighting specific milestones. You could provide links to detailed documents showing:

• Completed and pending task as well as dependencies connected to that milestone
• Team members responsible for executing tasks needed to hit the milestone
• The Financial resources required to reach the milestone.

Similarly, while highlighting financial information, you can add links to:

• Projections and estimates
• Details records of expenditures

When you're writing about the project goals, you can reference the broader business goals the project is contributing to or the overall impact.

Share your weekly or monthly updates with your investors and other stakeholders using the template below.

Step #7: Flag Current and Potential Bottlenecks

No matter how much work you put into your project management plan and execution, you could run into roadblocks.

These roadblocks could be due to internal or external forces. Plus, they could come in the form of:

• Project risks such as increased import tariff or natural disaster
• Unexpected budget increase or limited resources
• Lack of team collaboration and communication
• Unpredictable delays

When you identify, you can quickly keep stakeholders in the loop. Then you'll be able to take proactive steps to remove bottlenecks and put the project back on track.

Here's an excellent example of how to document your project roadblock.

“The government has recently increased the import duty for production equipment by 35%. This will shoot up our projected expenditure by about 40% and delay our overall project timeline”.

Step #8: Use Visual Aids

Visual aids are a staple for writing effective project reports. Yes, you read that right!

They make it easier for project managers to communicate complex information or share multiple data points.

Even more, visual aids make your report appear professional and visually appealing. Rather than writing long paragraphs of texts, aim to visualize data whenever possible.

You can seamlessly display project information using visual aids like:

• Pictures and videos

Visuals make it easy for stakeholders to grasp things at a glance. Let’s show you how to use visual aids in your project status report.

Color Codes/Stoplight

The red, amber and green color codes indicate project status or overall project health.

• Use the color green to indicate the task or project is on track.
• Yellow or amber shows the overall project is at risk or some parts are experiencing problems.
• Red means the task or project needs immediate attention.

Another great way to enhance your written reports is by using tables. They are excellent for communicating numeric data, including estimates, costs, expenditures, budget, timesheets.

Sort and organize numerical data in your project status report using the template below.

Gantt Charts

Gantt charts are perfect for visualizing the entire project. Whether you're using Agile, Scrum or waterfall-based methods (or a blend of different methods), they can serve you in many ways.

Rather than list your project schedule or milestone in tables or bullet points, consider using Gantt charts to project this data. You can also use Gantt charts to visualize project elements like:

• Project phases
• Timelines and deadlines of various activities or tasks
• Relationships and dependencies between tasks

Provide visibility into team workloads and keep your project on track using a Gantt charts like the template below.

Kanban Boards

Use Kanban boards to highlight significant project steps, processes and progress. Then go ahead and include a snapshot of these high-level boards in your project status report.

While creating Kanban boards, use card colors to group the work type. For yellow for the purchase of equipment and green for installation. Or use card color to depict urgency or priority (e.g., red for critical or expedite, yellow for important and green for normal, etc.)

Documenting your project requirements may require lengthy and detailed notes. But using mind maps is a smart and easy way to visualize this information without missing out on important details.

But that's not the only way to use mind maps in your project report. Using mind maps can help project managers in several ways:

• Capture project task deliverables
• Highlight team roles and responsibilities
• Map process workflows and task dependencies

Optimize your workflow and manage work across different project teams using mind maps in the template below.

Projects have a number of processes and a complex flow of activities. Creating charts can help you simplify them for readers.

With Flowcharts, project managers can:

• Project different phases of their project
• Showcase workflows, activities and bottlenecks
• Visualize the relationship between various tasks in their progress reports

Manage your project activities with ease using the flowchart in the template below.

Pie charts are suitable for showing the percentage completion for different project phases. Bar charts are perfect for visualizing financial data like funding, expenses for different periods.

Suppose you're presenting an annual project status report. You can create a pie chart to show monthly or quarterly funding and capital expenditure like the one below.

Infographics use a rich blend of elements, such as text, numbers, images, icons, charts and diagrams to convey information at a glance.

For example, you can present compelling statistics, facts and figures in your project status reports, such as:

• Project efficiency and completion rate
• Operating margins
• Profitability margins
• Net present value
• Debt to equity ratio

While writing your summary, you can compress your entire report into visually appealing and bite-sized infographics.

Keep your team updated with project stages and timelines using stunning infographics like the one below.

Photos and Videos

If you're looking to convince stakeholders or secure buy-in for the next phase of your project, consider adding images and videos to your report.

Photos, videos, screenshots, models, prototypes and samples bring your project progress into perspective. Visuals give your audience clearer insight into areas like operations, technology, personnel and more.

Here's an example of a sales report for a fashion company that makes good use of images throughout. You can use this template for your own projects.

Let's take another example. If you're building an app, consider sharing images and videos during the different stages like:

• Prototyping
• UI/UX Design
• Development
• Beta testing and quality assurance

At Visme, we have a massive library of 10,000+ vector icons, stock photos and charts you can choose from.

Step #9: Pay Attention to Design

Your report should be readable, polished and visually appealing to your readers. Throughout your report, stick to consistent styles, branding, palettes, fonts, colors and design elements to boost visual appeal.

If you want to design beautiful reports , communicate your message and impress your audience, we recommend our online report maker .

You don't have to be a professional designer to use Visme. The tool offers thousands of templates, fonts and other design elements to help make your project status report compelling, engaging and memorable.

Step #10: Highlight Next Steps

Project next steps will depend on the project type and phase you're in. However, it's a good idea to let everyone in on where the project is headed.

By highlighting the next steps, stakeholders know what to do next and when. This will not only keep everyone updated about their responsibilities, but it could help prevent bottlenecks.

For example, let's say the product designer has just completed the UI/UX design for your app. The next steps could be to review the design or secure approval from top-level management to commence development.

Here's an action plan template you can use to outline next steps:

At this point, the project manager may have to send emails to investors for approval of funds for the next phase. The development team may have to start building the framework for the app. And the finance team will review the request for funds and disburse it in line with the budget.

Project tasks and workflows are interconnected. Therefore keeping everyone abreast will up your chances of executing the project successfully.

Step #11: Review and Edit Your Report

Before sharing your project report, read through and make additions and corrections where necessary.

Errors like wrong figures, incomplete information or cluttered designs can ruin your reputation. You could come off as careless or incompetent. So, make sure your progress report is accurate and clear of errors. Sending flawless reports shows that you pay attention to details and quality.

Double-check your report for spelling, punctuation and grammar flaws. Also, check if your report covers the essential elements of a project status report.

Feel free to cut out anything (text, figures or visuals) that doesn't add value to your report. This is also an excellent time to check with your team to see if there are additional updates or details to add to the final draft.

Let's say you created your first draft one or two days (or even a few hours) earlier. You can go ahead and include details about key activities that took place within those few days or hours in the final report.

For our example, the designer may implement recommended updates a few hours before you complete your weekly report. In that case, make sure you include that update in your project status report. Most importantly, remember to add the next steps.

Step #12: Share Your Report With Relevant Stakeholders

You've put a lot of work into writing your project report. Great job! Once you're satisfied with the content and look of your report, you can share it with your intended audience.

You can share it directly with your team members using the share option in Visme.

Alternatively, you can download the report in PDF format and share it via email or cloud. It's a good idea to ask your recipients to confirm receipt and provide feedback.

Bear in mind that stakeholders may ask you to present your report during the project review meeting. Consider this a great opportunity to:

• Exchange ideas with your team or client,
• Highlight challenges or concerns
• Make necessary adjustments to speed up project execution or improve project outcomes

If recommendations have been made during the meeting, go ahead and implement them and resubmit the project status report.

Here's the thing. If you want to put up a good presentation, you need to fully grasp everything in your project report.

Create Effective Project Status Reports in Visme

Creating effective project status reports is the cornerstone of any successful project. They quantify completed and pending tasks in measurable terms and provide high-level information about the project's progress.

With effective project status reports, project teams and other stakeholders can get the hang of what's on track, roadblocks, next steps and the overall health of the project.

Ready to create effective project status reports that keep your project on track? Visme's report maker makes it incredibly easy for anyone to build status reports for any project type, size and industry.

Remember to follow the tips we've shared for creating effective project status reports. This will increase your chances of executing successful projects.

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About the Author

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Project Status Reports: Templates & Examples

Fahad Usmani, PMP

September 16, 2022

A project status report is a project management document that details the status of a project. It’s a project reporting tool that outlines the project’s health and provides vital data to project stakeholders such as clients, sponsors, and team members.

Project managers communicate the project status to management and key stakeholders through a project status report. A status report is a part of project performance reports.

A status report shows the complete project information in its current state. These reports are prepared throughout the project life cycle to help keep the project on track and stakeholders informed.

A project’s status report can include the following:

• Completed work
• Achieve milestones
• Budget and timeline summary
• A list of things to do
• Any hazards 
• Risk responses
• New identified risks

The significance of the project status report extends beyond a communication channel. It offers a written account of the project’s past and provides you with previous data so you can plan for potential future bottlenecks.

The Purposes of Project Status Reports

Project status reports serve the following purposes:

• Help the project team maintain a record of expenses, tasks, deadlines, etc.
• Boost internal communication within the business
• Reduce communication complexity
• Deliver important messages to project stakeholders
• Boost project support within the business
• Help locate problems and dangers to enable immediate route modification
• Mark the progress

Types of Project Status Reports

Project status reports can be weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. You can share the weekly report with the project team to stay updated and the bimonthly or monthly report with other stakeholders, such as upper management and the client. 

You can use Google Sheets, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or any other tool to prepare the status report.

The Weekly Status Reports

The project manager updates this report daily to keep track of the project. 

A few recipients of this report are the following:

• Project team members
• Top management
• Resource managers
• Project sponsor

The weekly project status report has more information than other reports. It covers all essential details so that stakeholders directly involved with the project get a complete picture of the project’s status, including hazards, milestones, spent cost, and elapsed duration, among others.

The Monthly Status Reports

Monthly status reports are usually for higher-level management and sponsors so they know what is happening with the project.

These stakeholders require a comprehensive overview of the project’s development. They are interested in tracking budget, spending, deliverable quality, hazards, obstacles, etc. 

However, if the project manager faces any issues, they should not wait for the monthly report. Instead, inform management immediately to get management buy-in when issues occur.

How to Track the Project Using Project Status Report

The following can help ensure the project stays on the right track:

Create a Project Outline or Plan: Make a preliminary blueprint of your project from beginning to end, including all necessary elements, resources, and duration, before formally starting the project.

Establish Specific Objectives: Decide what you want to achieve with this project, such as launching a new marketing campaign or a new product.

Identify Critical Milestones: Identify important project milestones to ensure they are achieved on time and meet all project objectives.

Establish Deadlines: Ensure that you and your team know all the deadlines. 

Verify the Project Status: Regularly verify the status of your project as it gets underway by comparing it to the anticipated timeframe that should be found in your project plan.

Challenges with Project Status Reports

Reporting project status is challenging. Therefore, keep the following points in mind while preparing a project status report:

• Scheduling, estimating, and forecasting costs are uncertain, and project managers have limited information on these parts of the status report. Risks can be identified but not quantified accurately.
• Simplifying the project is not always the right strategy. There is a higher likelihood of missing significant details.
• Ensure the data are valid and correct. Incorrect data can lead to false reporting and affect the project objective.

Elements of Project Status Reports

A project status report can have many elements depending on the project requirements. Some common elements for status reports are:

• General project information, such as the project’s name, code, etc.
• Names of the project manager and any important team members
• Date of the status report, including the cadence (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly)
• Project parameter update, including whether the project remained within its stated parameters at this time
• Current budget status, including whether it is on track, off track, or exceeded
• Quality issues that the project is facing 

The stakeholders’ preferences affect the content of the status report. However, the components mentioned above are common to all status reports.

How to Create a Project Status Report

A robust project status report ensures nothing slips through the cracks. The following items can help you create a strong report.

Collect Information for Your Report: Before beginning your report, you must gather information from all sources. You can gather information at the departmental or divisional levels, depending on the organizational structure of your project. 

Determine Your Target Audience: Whom are you trying to reach? What information is most important to them? Knowing your target audience can help you communicate essential information.

For example, the CEO, investors, and senior executives are more concerned with the broad picture. Most essential stakeholders will just skim status reports for the information they need since they may not have time to review lengthy reports.

To that end:

• Increase your focus on the crucial details
• Summarize the report’s components
• Use visual aids as much as possible

Be careful to highlight the main points in the executive summary. Also, emphasize essential details early in each report area.

Figure out what appeals to your stakeholders and customize the report accordingly. 

Utilize Project Status Report Templates: It might be tricky to start from scratch when writing a project status report. However, without templates, you risk making mistakes or overlooking crucial information.

Utilizing templates enhances productivity, decreases mistakes, and saves time.

Write Your First Draft: You now have the data and report template. Outline the essential parts of your project first.

Make Your Executive Summary Compelling: The executive summary is your project report’s first and most essential element. Clients, investors, and management will see this part first.

It should catch the curiosity of your readers and drive them to learn more about the subject. Your readers should be able to learn everything they need to about your project with a single glance.

Remember to emphasize important details:

• Project objectives and primary outputs
• Whether you are making progress and possible pitfalls
• The state of your project as a whole
• Defining moments
• Irregular project hazards
• Information about the project’s finances

Write Your Project Status: You’ll need to supply detailed information on all project sections, such as

• Project deliverables and tasks
• Targets and a timetable
• Significant changes
• Budgets and funding
• Team roles and effectiveness
• Management of risk (bottlenecks, risk, and contingency plans)

The status report needs to provide an overview of the full undertaking. Therefore, you should provide links to publications or resources for stakeholders who want more detailed and/or specific information.

Highlight Existing and Future Bottlenecks: Despite how diligently you prepare and carry out your project management strategy, obstacles may still arise.

Both internal and external influences can cause these obstacles. Obstacles include:

• Project risks, including rising import taxes or a natural disaster
• Unexpected budgetary growth or insufficient resources
• Lack of cooperation and communication among the team
• Unexpected delays

After identifying obstacles, inform stakeholders so you can take the initiative to clear obstacles.

Utilize Visual Aids: When drafting stunning project reports, visual aids are essential. They make it easier for project managers to discuss data points or explain complex information.

It also makes the report more attractive. When feasible, try to depict facts rather than write lengthy paragraphs.

The following elements help create a visually appealing project status report:

• Other relevant graphs
• Brain mapping
• Videos and images

Take Design into Account: Your report should be easy to read, well-put-together, and aesthetically appealing. To increase visual appeal, use a consistent style, branding, palette, font, color, and design element across your report.

Point Out the Next Course of Action: The next stages will vary depending on your project and phase. Though, it’s a good idea to inform everyone of the project’s direction.

If stakeholders are aware of the subsequent phases, they will know what needs to be done when the project faces obstacles.

Review and Edit Status Report: Read your project report carefully and edit it for correctness, readability, etc.

Check your report carefully for grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. Additionally, ensure your report includes all necessary components of a project status report.

Delete the information that does not add value to the status report.

Best Practices for Creating Project Status Reports

Consider the following points when developing a sound project status report:

• Write the initial draft – then correct it
• If necessary, edit your status report
• Request input on presenting the project status in the best possible way
• Use consistency throughout all project status reports
• Report on the indicators that key stakeholders are looking for
• When it’s possible, use visuals like charts and graphics
• Avoid adding a lot of unnecessary details
• Ensure that everyone has access to the status report

Case Study of Project Status Report

Let’s consider a case study to understand how to create a project status report.

Report name: eCommerce Site Launch

Project status: On track

There has been significant progress this week. The project is still in the collecting requirement process. Development and design teams are on standby to get ready and start once we give go ahead. The eCommerce site will list all FMCG products.

• The planning team meets and discusses the overall topic
• A few ideas will be finalized and selected on Friday
• Brief or understanding is due to the Content team by the following Thursday

Development and Content

• The solution architect team is ready to present the infrastructure architecture that would integrate for launching the eCommerce portal.
• The content team is ready to start writing marketing content to attract traffic as soon as the idea is finalized.
• Gathered relevant company information should be included and used to market a better eCommerce site
• Infra design reviewed by the senior members to validate it
• A new template to showcase the technical specifications of cloud infrastructure will be created by Tuesday

Additional Notes or Highlights

• Ramesh is out of the office all next week, so your next point of contact would be Joy
• Thank you to John for curating a detailed list of topics that would be used for prioritizing the following tasks

Issues/Challenges

• The portal launch deadline is too tight, and the minimum viable product’s first version needs to be launched as soon as possible. We must have the schedule planned within our project management tool to keep everyone organized and on track.

Project Status Report Example

Project Status Report Template

The following are a few templates for providing a project status report. You can select one and customize them as per your requirement. 

Project Information: Include general information about the project. The template would have information like project details and reporting period.

Project Status Summary: Includes the information that can be shared with project stakeholders and team members about project progress, key accomplishments, completed work, planned work, project milestones, project deliverables, action items, etc.

Project Health: Includes information about project stakeholders and team members, the current status of the project, and how it compares to the project plan. 

Risk Management Overview: Includes project risks, issues, and roadblocks

Conclusions / Recommendations: Includes risk management, resource management, or project scheduling concerns/recommendations.

Other Project Status Report Templates

A project status report is a key project document and part of the performance report. These reports provide high-level information about the project’s status and quantify accomplished and upcoming activities in quantifiable terms.

Effective project status reports help project teams, and other stakeholders understand what is on track, where there are obstacles, what needs to be done next, and how the project is doing overall.

I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.

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Status reporting 101: what it is and how to do it

When projects succeed, it’s because the people involved have done two things: stayed accountable for their individual responsibilities and communicated effectively with one another.

But how do you ensure your team focuses on their own tasks and keeps track of each other’s progress at the same time? That’s where status reporting comes in.

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Status reporting ensures you keep projects of any scale on track—whether you’re tweaking your booking flow to make it easier for your users, or introducing customers to a whole new product. 

This article explains what a status report is, how these reports make it easier to execute difficult projects, and five simple steps to creating your very own .

Add depth to your status reports with customer insights

If your status reporting flags up customer dissatisfaction, use Hotjar to investigate why and find a solution.

What is a status report? 

A status report is a short, easily digestible document that answers the question: how’s our project going? Project owners create them at regular intervals—often weekly, monthly, or quarterly—to share how much progress a team is making toward a goal and whether they're on track with their initial timeline.

Status reports start by quickly recapping a project’s overall goals and the sub-projects leading up to it. They then assess whether these sub-projects are on track, at risk of falling behind schedule, or overdue. Finally, they discuss any emerging threats to the deadline, and suggest ways to overcome them. 

For example, suppose your project is to take your brick-and-mortar bakery into the ecommerce space . In that case, your status report could track progress on sub-projects like choosing an ecommerce platform, designing the site, listing your different cakes and breads as products, and hiring extra staff to manage order fulfillment.

Status reports vs. progress reports

At first glance, ‘ status reports’ may seem identical to ‘progress reports’, but the two formats offer different areas of emphasis. 

A status report is a broad overview of an entire project compared to its plan. A progress report focuses more on specific tasks and milestones .

Status reports are vital documents to keep managers or clients abreast of important milestones in your project, ensure smooth group collaboration , and hit your goals on time. 

Why create status reports? 

The main purpose of creating status reports is to update major stakeholders—your boss, client, or investors—on your project’s health, or how it’s coming along. Your report should provide visibility at a glance, so higher-ups feel confident they’ll get the deliverables they requested. 

Whilst senior stakeholders are usually the primary audience for status reports, everyone a project touches can benefit from having an overview of what’s going on. 

Status reports are extremely useful to:

How often should you create status reports? 

Create your status reports at regular intervals so you can understand your progress over time. The amount of time you leave between reports will depend on the scope of your project and how many stakeholders are involved. 

For example, say you’re launching a newsletter for your business, which you expect to take three weeks—a collaboration between a copywriter, customer relationship management (CRM) specialist, and content marketing manager. This project has a few stakeholders and a short deadline, so you’ll need a weekly status report to keep everyone on track.

On the other hand, imagine you’re a large corporation migrating your entire CRM platform to a custom site. The project is expected to take two years and involves many stakeholders, including a team of engineers, UX writers, designers, and a steering committee. You’d need a monthly status report to keep all groups informed of the project's progress and ensure they’re spaced out far enough that there’s meaningful change to discuss every time.  

5 steps to writing an effective project status report 

Bear in mind that you can only create a status report once you’ve got a plan or a roadmap to mark progress against. 

Status reports are shaped by information — e.g. metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) — most relevant to your project, so each one looks slightly different. However, these are the areas they generally cover, and the steps to creating one for yourself. 

1. Choose the style and delivery of your report  

It’s important to keep the style of your reports consistent, so you and your team can easily compare progress across different periods. 

With that in mind, you need to decide:

The length : major stakeholders are often busy people working across several projects, so try to keep your report to one to two pages or slides

The format : consider which formatting techniques you’ll use to make your information easy to digest. Charts, bullet points, tables, and spreadsheets are all great options. 

The cadence : decide whether it’ll be more helpful to report your project weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly

How stakeholders will access it : you could circulate reports in an email, or add them to a cloud folder, like Google Drive or Dropbox. Alternatively, you could create your reports on a shared note-taking platform like Notion or Evernote.

💡Pro tip: charts and diagrams are an excellent way to make information easier to digest, especially for status reports that involve lots of hard numbers. A product experience insights (PX) platform like Hotjar creates these data visualizations for you automatically. 

For example, say your project is to increase user activity on your company website, and you want to demonstrate in a status report that the pages you’ve redesigned are more engaging than they were before. 

Install Hotjar’s tracking code on a redesigned page, and you’ll see a chart showing your current bounce rate compared to previous periods in your Dashboard . You can screenshot this and use it in your report—and stakeholders will understand your project’s status at a glance. 

The Hotjar Dashboard provides a visual overview of your user metrics you can understand at a glance

2. Set the scene

A status report should start with an overview of your project’s scope. Summarize project details such as:

Goals: the deliverables you’re planning to produce 

Budget: how much money and resources you have

The reporting period: the project’s timeline and deadlines 

The project manager: who’s responsible for each deliverable

This structure probably won’t change between reports (unless you need to break from the initial plan), so keep it high-level. Be sure to include the date you submit or present the report, too. 

Beneath the project’s name, create a list of your sub-projects, or project milestones, with brief descriptions of what each one entails , and a note about who’s responsible for making it happen. You can do this with a chart. 

If you’re taking a brick-and-mortar bakery online, your chart might look like this:

3. Describe the current status of the project 

Next up, communicate how your sub-projects are doing by adding a few extra columns to your chart. 

First up, you’ll need a column to appraise your overall progress . Some managers mark their projects as ‘on track’, ‘at risk’, or ‘behind schedule’, whereas others prefer to give progress a percentage. Whichever method you choose, color-code these fields as green, orange, or red for scannability. 

Second, create a column to add a comment to your progress assessment. This is useful for celebrating small wins and providing caveats—e.g. “The new website design is mostly on track, but we’re still waiting on feedback from our research lead to confirm it’s accessible for users living with disabilities.”

Third—depending on the nature of your project—include a column with budget information. Even a high-level overview of your spending goes a long way in giving stakeholders visibility: you ensure there aren’t any surprises at the end and provide evidence to stakeholders to negotiate more resources.

Conclude your report with a note on whether the project as a whole is ‘on track’, ‘at risk’ or ‘behind schedule’, and offer a few sentences as to why.

Deepen your understanding of your project’s progress

Use qualitative insights to supplement your quantitative data and add depth to your status reporting. 

For example, say you’re launching a business selling therapy for cats. The first sub-project is to validate that there’s a market for your idea by launching a one-page website about therapy for cats, with the headline ‘Launching Soon’. You can mark your sub-project as ‘on track’ when you see it has a high number of visitors—quantitative data. 

However, to make quantitative data more useful, you need to gather qualitative data about how users moved through the page. Use heatmaps to see where customers linger for valuable insight about what to do next. (Hotjar’s free forever plan allows you to create as many heatmaps as you like. 🔥)

For example, perhaps users hover over the section of your test website titled ‘Feline anger management skills’. Now, you know customers are particularly interested in this service and feed that information back to your team and stakeholders in your status report.

Equipped with this information, key stakeholders might decide to pivot the project slightly, developing this service before other areas of your business to give customers what they need and want the most .

Hotjar Heatmaps shows you which areas of your web page customers spend the most time on

Strengthen your status reporting with user behavior insights

Study the user behavior behind your status report results→create the most appealing version of your product possible.

4. Mention risks and issues 

One of the fundamental reasons to create a status report is to flag unforeseen complications before they threaten the outcome of the project. 

Devote a section of your report to discuss any roadblocks to your sub-projects, and suggest solutions on how to mitigate them. Use bullet points to keep this section skimmable.

This is also the space to ask senior stakeholders for anything else you need to complete the project on schedule —perhaps additional resources or changes to the plan. For example, if your sub-project to add all of your baked goods to your new ecommerce store is falling behind schedule, you might ask if you can hire a virtual assistant or extend your deadline. 

💡Pro tip: watch recordings to investigate issues in your status reports. 

Outlining threats to your project and suggesting solutions is a vital part of any status report. However, coming up with viable solutions is often much easier said than done. 

For example, say you’re bringing that brick-and-mortar bakery online, and you had a sub-project to make your first ten bread sales before adding product information for all of your cookies and cakes. However, you launched over a week ago and sold zero loaves. This is an issue you’d flag in your status report. 

To investigate the problem, watch recordings to see where your website visitors are clicking and understand why they’re not converting . You might see dozens of rage clicks on your 'Buy now' button—which would indicate users are clicking, but it’s not working. 

If that’s the case, you could suggest action items for the problem in your status report, like ‘Fix the "Buy now" button.’ Because this idea is based on a clear understanding of the problem, you’d be pretty certain the tactic would be successful.

Analyze rage clicks with Hotjar Recordings to spot broken links and bugs on your site

5. Make time for feedback 

Reports are only useful if their intended audience reads and digests them. After you circulate your report, host a status meeting to go over it with your stakeholders. 

Discussing your report with teammates creates a space to celebrate key milestones together and keeps everyone accountable for their goals. What’s more, getting feedback on your report helps you identify any blind spots in your reporting: listen carefully if any colleagues think you’ve over- or underestimated their progress, and consider any ideas they have on how to combat the issues you’ve flagged.

Also, solicit feedback from project stakeholders like your manager or clients. If you run into a problem down the line and need to ask for more resources, they’ll be the ones to sign off on it, so it’s important to keep them abreast of developments. You can also ask them whether your report includes all the information they want to see. 

Regularly producing reports encourages you to polish your end delivery: if you’re only focused on implementation, you might waste time and budget on tactics without knowing if they delivered impact.

Status reports keep your team on the path to success  

To ensure a project doesn’t end up dissolving into a heap of unforeseen complications, you need to pause and take stock of your progress from time to time. That's why regular status reporting should be a part of any major initiative.

Don’t underestimate the power of this humble document. Status reports can help you stay on track and ensure that the effort your team puts in translates into real value for your customers. As a tool to maintain team alignment, stay accountable for goals, and keep one eye on your customers’ satisfaction, status reports are every project owner’s best friend. 

FAQs about status reports

What is the main purpose of a status report.

The main purpose of a status report is to keep a project on track, by communicating how it’s currently going. Status reports do this in three main ways: 

They keep important stakeholders (i.e. bosses or clients) informed of a project’s progress, so they can offer more support if necessary

They identify any issues that threaten the project’s end goals, so the team can solve them

They keep the project on track by ensuring everyone involved stays accountable for their part of the plan

What are some of the benefits of writing status reports?

As the person responsible for bringing a project to completion, any status report you create will be just as useful for you as it is for your teammates. 

First, taking stock of your project helps you maintain good relations with your major stakeholders, ensuring they understand what’s going on under your leadership and why you’re making the decisions you’re making. 

Second, they help you understand how your different sub-projects are going and which of them need more attention or resources to pan out according to plan. 

Third, they help you keep track of the little wins on the way to success, so you can celebrate them with the team members responsible and keep everyone motivated to deliver the outcomes you need for a successful project. 

Fourth, your status reports are a useful paper trail to look back on when you come to review this project. These status updates help you understand what went well and how you can grow as a project manager.

What makes a good status report?

What a ‘good status report’ looks like entirely depends on your project and industry, but in general, good status reports are:

A well-observed overview of a project: featuring relevant statistics and insights, and accurately communicating the status of different sub-projects

Honest about problems: setting out the risks threatening a project with transparency, and suggesting solutions

Easy to digest: only one or two pages long, using formatting techniques like charts, diagrams, and bullet points to make them scannable

Consistent: created at regular intervals, and including similar project information—like the schedule and budget—every time, so it’s easy for stakeholders to compare progress across periods

Progress report

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Guide index

• Project management

Creating a status report [with templates & examples]

Georgina Guthrie

June 14, 2024

Kids love to ask, “Are we there yet?” on long trips, but status updates aren’t just for impatient toddlers on lengthy car rides. Knowing where a project stands at any given point in time is essential for team members and stakeholders alike, helping everyone know what’s going on, why, and where things are heading. 

Let’s take a closer look at what a status report is and why it matters in the world of project management. 

What is a status report?

A status report is a document that gives a broad overview of where a project stands at a specific point in time, which managers then compare with the original plan. It typically includes:

• Team achievements
• Risks; and 
• Next steps. 

These reports play a starring role in team and stakeholder communication, keeping everyone on track. They vary from simple emails to detailed documents or presentations, depending on the project’s complexity and stakeholder preference — but the overarching goal is to present information clearly so everyone can understand. 

Status report vs. progress report 

Status and progress are the same things, right? Well, not quite, 

A status report gives you a snapshot of the project’s current state , focusing on immediate issues and next steps. A progress report , on the other hand, looks at the project’s change over time . It contains details of work completed, advancements, and future plans. Here’s a table to delineate the two.

How good status reporting makes a difference 

Good status reporting can transform the way a project plays out. Here’s why it’s well worth your time.

• Keeps everyone aligned: Clear status reports = everyone gets the same information. This lowers the chance of a misunderstanding or communication breakdown , as well as the need for time-consuming meetings . 
• Boosts transparency : Regular updates show the past, present, and future of a project’s life. This builds confidence because everyone can see what’s going on and where they’re headed. 
• Early problem detection : Regular reports help all involved spot and address issues early, keeping the project on track. 
• Speeds up decision-making: Up-to-date info allows for faster, smarter decisions on resources , timelines, and scope changes .
• Enhances accountability: Status reports outline responsibilities and task progress, which promotes ownership and responsibility within the team. Social loafing ? Banished. 
• Tracks progress: Regular reports create a shared history of the project’s progress. This makes it easier to assess performance thus far and make improvements. 
• Improves communication: Status reports help to clarify expectations, concerns, and keep everyone pulling in the same direction. 

Types of project status reports

Project status reports come in different formats, each tailored to meet specific needs and audiences. Here are the report types you need to know.

Weekly status reports

When they’re for stakeholders, these tend to give a quick snapshot of progress without going into excessive detail. When they’re for team members, they’ll be more granular, often containing workflows and task lists.

Use case : Ideal for fast-moving projects that need frequent updates for alignment purposes. 

Monthly status reports

Monthly status reports give a broader view of the project’s progress over a month.

Use case : Suitable for projects with longer timelines or when stakeholders prefer detailed but less frequent updates.

Quarterly status reports

These give you a broader overview of the project’s progress over a three-month period. They’ll include the full suite of metrics, including budgets, challenges, achievements, and strategies for the next quarter.

Use case : Best for projects with longer durations or for higher-level stakeholders who need comprehensive updates less often.

Executive status reports

These are designed for senior management. This is topline information only, focusing on major milestones, budgets, and key risks. Concise is the keyword here. 

Use case : Perfect for busy execs who need a quick overview without trawling through details.

Exception reports

Sometimes things go wrong. Exception reports show major deviations from the plan, identifying issues, sussing out their impact, and setting out plans for corrective action(s). They’re often used in conjunction with a contingency plan . 

Use case : Used when there are unexpected snafus that need immediate attention and resolution.

Portfolio status reports

Portfolio status reports cover multiple projects within a program or portfolio. They’ll typically contain an overview of each project’s status, honing in on progress, risks , and resource allocation .

Use case : Useful for program managers and executives overseeing several projects at once.

Ad-hoc reports

Ad-hoc reports are created in response to specific queries or emerging issues. These targeted reports address immediate concerns or questions from stakeholders.

Use case : Useful for addressing specific issues or information requests outside the regular reporting schedule.

The key elements of a status report

Whether you’re creating an ad-hoc report or a monthly mail-out, there are some essential elements you’ll want to include. But before we dive into the ‘how’, let’s take a quick look at the essential ingredients. 

• Project header and overview: Include the title, reporting period, and any other topline details.
• Project summary : Your elevator pitch. Include a quick overview of the project’s goals and progress.
• ‘ Progress since last’ report: Highlight completed tasks, major achievements, and milestones reached.
• Upcoming tasks and milestones: List tasks and milestones for the next period, including deadlines and responsible team members.
• Current status: Update on project components using indicators like ‘on track,’ ‘at risk,’ or ‘behind schedule.’
• Issues and risks: Note down issues or risks, their potential impact, and steps taken to address them.
• Data and metrics : Include timelines, budget usage, resource allocation, or performance against KPIs to support the report.
• Support and resources needed: Specify additional resources or support needed and why.
• Visuals : Use charts , graphs, and other visuals to illustrate progress and data points.
• Team updates : Share relevant updates from team members, highlighting contributions and challenges.
• Next steps : Outline to-do actions before the next report, making sure everyone knows what to expect.

10 steps to creating a status report (including tips and best practices) 

Right, let’s get into it! Follow these steps to create a status report everyone can use.

1. Define your purpose

Is it meant to update stakeholders, track the project’s progress, or identify and resolve issues? 

Being absolutely clear about your mission will help you stay focused as you create the document. For example, if your main focus is updating stakeholders, you’ll emphasize high-level summaries. But if progress tracking is more important, you’ll give more airtime to tasks and timelines.

2. Identify your audience

Next, work out who exactly will read your report. Different audiences have different needs. Executives might want a high-level overview with key metrics and major milestones, while team members might need task updates and specific action items. Tailoring your report keeps it engaging and useful. 

3. Gather data

This includes metrics , timelines, budget information, resource allocation, and updates from team members. Use project management tools to streamline the collection process while raising accuracy. 

4. Summarize status

Kick-start things with a snappy summary of the project’s current status. This should include all the highlights, including milestones, changes, and an overall health check (e.g., on track, at risk, behind schedule). This sets the stage for the details to follow.

5. Detail progress and accomplishments

Write down everything you’ve completed since your last report, including who’s responsible for what. You’ll also want to include metrics that quantify any claims, as well as highlight areas where you’ve exceeded expectations to boost morale and show off your efficiency. 

6. Outline upcoming tasks and milestones

A roadmap helps people see what’s next. List the tasks and milestones scheduled for the next reporting period, including deadlines and assigned team members. Explain why these tasks are important when it comes to contributing to the project’s overall goals. And be clear about priorities so the team knows where to focus its efforts. 

7. Identify issues and risks

Risks are an inherent part of any project, no matter how meticulously it’s been planned — so spend some time thinking about this. 

Identify any new risks since the last report, including potential impact and mitigation strategies (a risk register will be your friend here). Also include who’s responsible for dealing with each one and timelines for resolution. Being transparent makes you look proactive and gives stakeholders the information they need to move forward.

8. Include data and metrics

Data adds weight to your claims, so use it where possible. This can include timelines, budget usage, resource allocation, task duration, and performance against key performance indicators (KPIs). 

Incorporate visuals to make this data more accessible (and reports prettier!). For example, a burn-down chart is ideal for showing progress over time, while a pie chart is great for budget allocation. Diagrams also make it easier to spot trends and patterns. 

9. Request support and resources

If your team needs extra resources or support, state this in your report. Specify what you need, why it’s necessary, and how it will benefit the project. 

For example, if you need more personnel to meet a tight deadline, explain how the additional team members will help you hit the deadline on time. Giving a clear rationale helps stakeholders understand the importance of their support and ups your chances when it comes to getting your request granted.

10. Review and refine

Now it’s time to do a final check before sending it out. Review for clarity, completeness, and accuracy, watching out for inconsistencies. If possible, get a colleague to check it over. Sending out a logical and polished document boosts credibility and legibility, not to mention looks professional. 

A free status report template you can steal 

A well-structured template can simplify the process. Here’s one you can pinch and edit to suit your needs.

• Project name: State the name of the project
• Date : Include the date of the report
• Prepared by: List the name of the person preparing the report
• Reporting period: Specify the period the report covers (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly).

2. Project summary

• Project health: On track/At risk/Behind schedule
• Major milestones achieved : [List major milestones]
• Significant changes: [Detail any scope, timeline, or budget changes]

3. Progress since last report

• Task 1: Completed [details of the task]
• Milestone 1: Achieved [details of the milestone]
• [Add more tasks and milestones as needed]

4. Upcoming tasks and milestones

• Task 2: Due [date], assigned to [team member]
• Milestone 2: Expected by [date]

5. Current status

• Budget : [status and details]
• Timeline : [status and details]
• Resources : [status and details]
• [Add more components as needed]

6. Issues and risks

• Issue 1: [Description, impact, resolution steps]
• Risk 1: [Description, likelihood, impact, mitigation plan]
• [Add more issues and risks as needed]

7. Data and metrics

• Task completion rate : [Chart/graph]
• Budget usage: [Chart/graph]
• Resource allocation: [Chart/graph]
• [Add more data and metrics as needed]

8. Support and resources needed

• Additional personnel: [Reason and expected benefit]
• Extra budget: [Reason and expected benefit]
• [Add more resource needs as needed]

9. Team updates

• Team member 1: [Update]
• Team member 2: [Update]
• [Add more team updates as needed]

10. Next steps

• Action 1: [Task and responsible person]
• Action 2 : [Task and responsible person]
• [Add more actions as needed]

11. Conclusion

Wrap up the report with a brief conclusion that reiterates the project’s overall status, plus any points you need to emphasize. 

A status report example

Here’s a partially completed status report to help you get a feel for what’s needed. 

How to close your status report 

When the project wraps up, it’s a good idea to send out a final summary report. Think of this as your project’s closure — a way to give stakeholders a final update and a sign for all involved that the project has finished.

Unlike ongoing status updates, this final report gives a high-level overview of the entire project. Here are some key areas to cover.

• What were the project’s aims, and did you achieve them?
• Was the project completed on time and within budget (if applicable)?
• What were your wins?
• What challenges did you encounter?
• What lessons can you take forward to future projects?
• Any feedback from team members, clients, or stakeholders? 

Creating your status report: Tips and best practices

Creating a great project status report involves more than just filling out a template. Here are some tips to help you get maximum value from the exercise. 

Be clear and concise

Keep your reports straightforward and to the point. Banish jargon and overly technical language, writing in plain English throughout. Use bullet points and short paragraphs to make the information easily digestible: Stakeholders should be able to grasp the key points quickly without wading through dense text, so highlight the important parts like milestones and achievements.

Use visuals 

Incorporate charts, graphs, and tables to represent data visually. Visuals can make complex information more accessible and highlight important trends and metrics at a glance. Use visuals to complement your text, not replace it, ensuring they clearly convey the intended message.

Be consistent 

Use a consistent format and structure for all your reports. This helps stakeholders know where to find specific information and makes comparisons between different reports easier. Stick to the same headings, layout, and style throughout the project.

Be transparent about issues and risks

Don’t shy away from reporting problems. Being honest about challenges boosts trust and helps everyone find a solution quicker. When including risk details, include an outline and the steps you’re taking to mitigate each one. 

Update regularly

Set a schedule for your status reports, whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Regular updates keep everyone informed, while saving people chasing for info when they know a report is due. 

Tailor reports to your audience

Different stakeholders have different needs, so tailor the level of detail in your report to match your audience. Executives might need a bird’s eye summary of the strategy, for example, while team members will want more granular task updates and timelines. 

Highlight achievements and progress

Celebrate your wins to keep the team (and stakeholders) smiling. Positive updates also balance out discussions of challenges and risks.

Include action items and next steps

End each report with clear action items and next steps. Specify who is responsible for each task and any deadlines. This helps everyone know what needs to be done next. 

Seek feedback

Ask stakeholders for feedback on your status reports. Understanding what they find useful or what additional information they need can help you improve your reports over time. 

Simplify status reports with project management tools 

Project management software automates data collection and reporting, which means you can create status reports everyone can understand with ease. No more grappling with Excel sheets, formulas, and formatting — create eye-catching charts, manage budgets, see milestones, and assign jobs, all from one place. 

Plus, with Backlog , our own PM tool, you can adjust access rights. This means stakeholders and team members can see the level of detail they need, from task completion to comments and beyond. No more “are we there yet” moments — just log in and catch up with a click. Ready to give it a try? 

How to create a quality management plan everyone sticks to

A simple guide to your first risk breakdown structure

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Status report template

Keep your stakeholders informed on project progress with a status report template. Connect status updates directly to your team’s work in Asana, cutting down on manual data collection and providing at-a-glance visibility into what’s on track and what needs attention.

Sign up to create your own template.

INTEGRATED FEATURES

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Think about the last time you tracked down the status of a project. You probably had to manually pull information from several sources, like spreadsheets, email threads, and project partners—then send it out in a lengthy email hoping your key stakeholders would read it.

To be effective, a status report should be easy to assemble and quickly digestible, so project team members and stakeholders can quickly see what’s on track, what’s blocked, and what’s coming up. That’s where Asana’s status report templates can help. With pre-populated sections like project status, summary, accomplishments, and blockers, it makes it easy for your stakeholders to quickly glean important project information. Plus, since the report connects directly with your team’s work in Asana, you can skip time-consuming data collection. Say goodbye to the manual status email and hello to a new way of working. 

What is a project status report?

Typically sent out on a weekly or monthly basis, project status reports keep everyone in the loop, so you can spend less time sending out status updates and more time accomplishing high-impact work. 

What is a status report template?

A status report template is a templated version of a project status report. It acts as a framework for your status updates, outlining key sections and information each status report should include. Since the sections are pre-populated in the status report template, all you have to do is fill them out and send them to your project team. 

Look for a status report template built into a larger work management platform—like Asana. That way, status updates are directly connected to the work your team does, meaning you can pull data from any project or team without switching between apps. Instead of manually tracking down information or pulling numbers from various sources, project status report templates let you centralize your information—and keep everyone up to date in one place.

What to include in a status report template 

The key to writing an effective progress report is efficiently summarizing project progress, recent accomplishments, upcoming blockers, and next steps. A succinct status update keeps key stakeholders and project team members in the loop and provides all the information they need at a glance.

Luckily, status report templates in Asana are pre-populated with sections that make it easy to highlight important project information. When you create a status update for your project, the report comes pre-filled with sections for:

The name of the report, which should summarize what project you’re reporting on and any information related to the specific update, such as the dates the status report covers.

Specific project details, such as the project name, project manager, project timeline, and the priority of the project. 

A status tag indicating project health, such as on track, at risk, or off track. 

A summary of the project’s current status, which should include an overview of the project’s progress to date.

Specific accomplishments the team has achieved since the last update, such as project milestones they’ve hit or statistics you want to highlight.

Current project blockers slowing project progress, as well as any upcoming roadblocks you want to proactively address.

The next steps you and your team will take following the status update.

Additionally, you can use the “highlights” section of the status report to showcase team accomplishments completed since your last update, such as milestones , tasks, or approvals completed. Since the status report template pulls figures straight from Asana, it’s an easy way to keep stakeholders in the loop without having to manually pull data.  

The benefits of status report templates

Status reports keep team members and cross-functional stakeholders informed about and aligned on how the project is progressing. By using a status report template in Asana, you can directly link the work your team does to your status updates, cutting down on manual data collection and providing quick visibility into the progress you’re making toward project goals.  

With Asana’s status report template, you can:

Quickly communicate project status to project team members and key stakeholders. 

Provide real-time visibility into what’s on track and what needs attention. 

Summarize the status of the project at a high level, cutting down on unnecessary communication while ensuring everyone gets highlights and key metrics. 

Keep track of project health and ensure your whole team is confident about how the project is progressing. 

Proactively catch and fix roadblocks, keeping your project on track and ensuring you hit project deadlines. 

Directly connect your status updates with where work happens, reducing app switching and cutting down on manual data collection. 

Take advantage of portfolios to track your team’s progress across multiple projects.

Keep your team aligned by sharing next steps and action items. 

Cut down on unproductive status meetings and emails. 

Features and apps to use with Asana’s status report template

The average knowledge worker switches between nine apps per day —and all that toggling back and forth leads to distraction and lowered productivity. That’s where our integrations and apps come in. By taking advantage of features that let you track project data in one place and syncing apps like Google Drive, you can create a centralized system of record for all your project work in Asana.

Integrated features

Reporting . Reporting in Asana translates project data into visual charts and digestible graphs. By reporting on work where work lives, you can reduce duplicative work and cut down on unnecessary app switching. And, because all of your team’s work is already in Asana, you can pull data from any project or team to get an accurate picture of what’s happening in one place.

Milestones . Milestones represent important project checkpoints. By setting milestones throughout your project, you can let your team members and project stakeholders know how you’re pacing towards your goal. Use milestones as a chance to celebrate the little wins on the path towards the big project goal. 

Approvals . Sometimes you don’t just need to complete a task—you need to know if a deliverable is approved or not. Approvals are a special type of task in Asana with options to “Approve,” “Request changes,” or “Reject” the task. That way, task owners get clear instructions on what actions they should take and whether their work has been approved or not. 

Project status updates . Say goodbye to sorting between multiple tools to find project status information or sitting through another meeting that could have been an email. Project status updates in Asana aren’t just easier to use—they’re also directly connected to the work your team does. This makes it easy for team members to access additional project information, like your project plan, communication plan, project goals, milestones, deliverables, and more. Ultimately, project status reports reduce your manual work, centralize information, and keep everyone up to date. 

Dropbox . Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Dropbox file chooser, which is built into the Asana task pane.

Box . Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Box file picker, which is built into the Asana task pane.

Google Workplace . Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Google Workplace file chooser, which is built into the Asana task pane. Easily attach any My Drive file with just a few clicks.

OneDrive . Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Microsoft OneDrive file chooser, which is built into the Asana task pane. Easily attach files from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

What is a project status report? .css-i4fobf{-webkit-transition:-webkit-transform 200ms ease-in-out;transition:transform 200ms ease-in-out;-webkit-transform:rotateZ(0);-moz-transform:rotateZ(0);-ms-transform:rotateZ(0);transform:rotateZ(0);}

A project status report is a weekly or monthly update sent to team members and key project stakeholders about the overall status of your project. An effective status report includes information like new updates since the last status report, the project’s overall health, and any next steps or blockers.

A status report template is a templated version of a project status report. Asana’s status report template includes pre-outlined sections, like an executive summary and next steps, which you can use to track project progress.

What are the benefits of Asana’s status report template?

Our status report template lets you easily communicate project progress to key stakeholders and provide at-a-glance visibility into what’s on track and what needs attention. Plus, since our digital status report template is directly connected to the work your team does in Asana, you can quickly pull and highlight key project stats, cutting down on manual data collection. 

What should you include in your status report template?

When you create a new status update in Asana, our templated version comes pre-populated with sections you can fill out, including: project status, project summary, recent accomplishments, project blockers, and next steps. You can also pull data from your Asana project to highlight completed milestones, tasks, and approvals.

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Project Management

Create an effective project status report: tips & examples.

July 18, 2023

As a project manager, you might feel like an unsung hero. Not only do you manage teams, tasks, budgets, and timelines, but you’re also in charge of presenting your progress to stakeholders.

No pressure, right? 

Instead of sweating bullets when it’s time to show the CEO what you’ve worked so hard for, generate a project status report. This report summarizes the work completed so far and the next steps—which is a real lifesaver for weekly PM meetings. 

In this guide, we’ll explain what a project status report is, what to include in it, and how to generate better reports. We’ll even throw in a few project management status report examples and templates to cut down on the time you spend generating status reports. 

Because at the end of the day, it’s about working smarter, not harder. 💪

What is a Project Status Report?

1. keep your stakeholders happy, 2. boost team collaboration, 3. speed up project timelines, 4. identify issues asap, 5. make better decisions, 6. improve communication, a detailed—but succinct—executive summary, visual progress of the project, the overall project schedule, insights into the project budget, common challenges and blockers, well-communicated next steps, all the project kpis and metrics, step 1: understand project stakeholder needs, step 2: schedule it regularly, step 3: start gathering data, step 4: start from a comprehensive project status report template, step 5: update as you go.

A project status report is a detailed document that gives key stakeholders an overview of an important project’s current status. Project managers usually prepare these reports on a regular basis and share them with team members, management, or clients. 

Instead of running through tasks at breakneck speed, creating project report s forces you to stop and think about how you’re completing projects. You look at projects retroactively and proactively, which streamlines the project lifecycle.

It doesn’t hurt that a solid report will also keep stakeholders happy.

The goal here is to keep everyone informed about a project’s progress. If you’re doing client-facing work, project status reports assures clients that you’re hard at work.

And if you generate solid status reports for your weekly check-ins, don’t be surprised if your boss gives you a hearty slap on the back. 🤩

Benefits of Using a Project Status Report in Project Management

Sure, you could throw together a few talking points before your next check-in meeting. But that doesn’t look nearly as professional as a proper report on the project’s progress. 

With the right template or project view, it takes no time at all to generate a solid project management status report. In just a few clicks, you or your project managers generate a quality doc that comes with a host of benefits. 

Is your boss chomping at the bit for status updates? Do you have a client who’s desperate for results? 

Project status reports quell anxious clients’ worries and show your boss that you mean business. They’re a solid project management tool that updates everyone on project milestones and your overall progress.

Plus, you can use a great project status report as a tool for performance tracking. This not only shows how the project is doing but also justifies the efforts of everyone on your team. 

Teamwork makes the dream work, but it’s complicated to manage a large group. Fortunately, project status reports get everyone on the same page and boost team collaboration . 

Instead of allowing project to-dos to float away into the ether, a status report gives everyone clear action items. It provides structure and accountability to motivate your project team to do their best work. 🙌

Plus, regular reports can even boost team morale. Visualizing success and completed milestones puts the emphasis on your team’s accomplishments instead of focusing solely on upcoming tasks. And recent data shows that recognition improves employee well-being

Nobody likes project delays. While you can’t avoid all hiccups, regular project status reports keep your team accountable to the project schedule.

Status reports offer much-needed structure to the project management process, which cuts down on wasted time and effort. Keep tabs on your timeline with a project tracker .

From there, it’s as easy as exporting your data to give everyone an in-depth report in just a few clicks.

Risk identification keeps your project budget in line and tasks on time—provided you spot potential risks early enough. Project management status reports should include a section on challenges and roadblocks so you can discuss them with the project team.

This gives you a chance to gather at mission control and come up with a solution for at-risk tasks ASAP. ⚒️

Instead of scrambling to deal with unexpected side quests, anticipating issues keeps your team focused and productive. If you’re in a highly regulated industry, it can even help with risk management, which your legal department will love.

Sometimes project management requires going with your gut, but 9 times out of 10, you need to justify your decisions with data. Regular status reports provide enough project information to support data-driven decision-making. 

Project status reports include important metrics that tell you if it’s time to course-correct or if everything’s A-OK. Quantify project success with metrics like: 

• On-time completion
• Working dates
• Percent completed
• Client satisfaction

Ideally, you should look at data from previous reporting periods to identify trends. For example, if you frequently go over budget on certain types of projects (or with, ahem, particular clients), you may need to increase your bid on the next project—or find some serious cost-saving opportunities. 

Whether you’re chatting with your boss, client, or team members, a project status report supports transparent communication. Not only does it format all project details in a digestible way with pretty colors, but it also encourages your team to communicate more frequently. 🌻

If your boss wants a clearer picture of the project’s health, a project management status report spells everything out in black and white to reduce the risk of misunderstandings.

What to Include in a Project Status Report

As you gear up to create your first project status report, you might wonder what you need to include in the report itself. You don’t want to overlook important information, but you also don’t want to overwhelm everyone with a 20-page novel.

Try to strike a balance between sharing information and keeping things short and sweet. Make sure your project management status report includes the following key elements. 🔑

The executive summary should offer high-level information with the report highlights. This is the “tl;dr” project summary that your CEO will look at 60 seconds before the status meeting, so don’t phone it in. 

Even though the summary comes first, you need the information in the rest of the report to write it. This is why you should always write the executive summary last. 

Your team will read the entire report if they want more details, so keep the summary brief—no more than six sentences. Get started with a well-documented guide by using the ClickUp Executive Project Status Template .

The progress section details your current status and completed milestones and deliverables . People have short memories, so reminding everyone of what you’ve accomplished so far is a great nod to your team’s stellar work. ✨

This is the section where you brag about your team’s accomplishments. Call them out with pretty Gantt charts and graphics visualizing your deliverables or project goals.

A progress bar, line graph, or checked boxes will definitely draw your boss’s eye to the right places. The progress section of a status report should pick up from the last report.

If you create project status reports on a quarterly basis, it’s easy to forget where you left off. Always compare your current report to previous reports so you don’t overlook anything.

Projects live and die by deadlines. This area of the project status report should include the overall project timeline and provide updates on where you’re at right now. Note if you’re ahead of schedule, right on track, or (gulp) falling behind. 

Instead of listing the schedule with text, create a visual dashboard , Calendar view, or Gantt chart to make it easier for everyone to digest complex timeframes in less time.

After meeting deadlines, budget management is your biggest responsibility as a project manager. Whether it’s the client or upper management, your project status report should analyze the project’s financial performance. 

Again, try to visualize this as much as possible. For example, if you’re budgeting based on percentages, note how much of the project budget you’ve spent with a pie chart. Use this section of the report to also forecast how you think budget spend will look going forward.

What’s in your way right now? This is your chance to speak up.

Instead of letting problems quietly simmer in the background, call them out. For example, if the client didn’t give you the right information for the project, note it here. Or if your team doesn’t have access to the right tools to move forward, call it out. 📣

The entire team will gather to review the project status report, so this is your chance to look at roadblocks and project risks together.

Unless you’re 100% done with a project, you’ll need to spell out what comes next. In this section of the project status report, clarify the tasks and milestones you still need to complete. 

But don’t just list the tasks. Add a dash of accountability by assigning next steps to specific team members, along with due dates. This way, you have a very clear path moving forward—plus accountability—so no one has to wonder what they’re responsible for.

Finally, every project status report should include a section just for metrics. You’re free to weave these metrics throughout the report, but even then, some folks might want to see a high-level view of project performance in one place.

Listing your metrics in one section makes it possible to monitor them over time. Look at averages over the course of the project, plus how this report compares to past reports, to see if you’re on track. 

Every project is different, but it’s good to track metrics like: 

• Cost performance
• Time logged
• Gross margins
• Customer satisfaction
• Productivity
• Successful due date completion

The less you can make this look like a wall of boring numbers, the better. Use a project report template with pretty graphics to make your metrics pop.

How to Create a Project Status Report With Helpful Examples

At this point, you might have an idea of what to include within the project status report. But how do you put it all together? 

There’s no need to DIY your own project report. Just follow these steps—and follow proven examples and templates—to create project status reports in no time at all. ⏲️

There’s no need to add a deluge of data to your project status reports. All you need is the information that matters most to project stakeholders.

Know your target audience. What do they need to see? What do they actually care about? 👀

For example, if you’re a programmer but your stakeholders are non-technical managers, this isn’t the time to expound on the complexities of Javascript. Your project sponsor only cares about features and functions, so create a meaningful, jargon-free report that helps them make decisions more quickly. 

Project reports aren’t something you create when you feel like it. This needs to be a regular part of your workflow to understand the overall project health. Add it to your task management solution so you don’t forget. 

It’s also a good idea to set up a recurring calendar invite with all key stakeholders so you review the status report on a consistent basis.

Every project health report should be unique. Pull the most relevant data from your systems to update the report before you review it with the team. 

You could plug in project data manually, but we’re willing to bet you’re too busy for that. Create a custom dashboard to track everything so you don’t lose your mind juggling every task, project, and person.

You don’t have to do this alone either. Ask your team members to contribute their insights. Project management software doesn’t always tell the full story, especially with qualitative data. Invite your team to share insights by a certain date so you can include them in the report.

Some project managers build reports out of Excel spreadsheets or Google Docs, but that requires a lot of copying and pasting. Instead, generate a report from data in your project management system so it’s click-and-go. 

Of course, you need to use a project status report template based on the type of project you’re working on. Your organization will have its own quirks, but it’s good to account for the nuances of these project types:

• Daily status reports: It takes a lot of effort to generate daily reports, so a template will save you a ton of time. Since it’s likely a quick turnaround, keep daily reports as short and relevant as possible. You’ll probably need to adjust this one in real-time so you don’t miss anything
• Weekly status reports: Your team will probably pick the same day each week to chat about project progress. Weekly project status reports are common for intensive, client-facing projects, so pay a lot of attention to your schedule, budget, and next steps
• Monthly status reports: These are common if you’re doing a marketing project where you need time in between status reports to track KPIs and metrics
• Quarterly status reports: Keep quarterly reports very high level. It’s easy to get into the weeds when you have three months’ worth of data to look at, but focus only on the most important takeaways

The ClickUp Project Status Report Template

Understanding the report’s frequency makes it much easier to choose a template. From here, it’s as easy as plugging your data into a template with sections, graphics, and gorgeous color coding that’s ready to rock and roll.

For example, the ClickUp Project Status Report Template is actually a Whiteboard that you convert into a status report in just a few clicks. 

Use the template to: 

• Organize projects by certain labels, filters, or tasks
• Automatically generate project health charts and graphs
• Share tasks, due dates, and budget details with the team and key stakeholders

The project status report template even comes with customizable statuses, fields, and views so you can make it your own. Instead of jumping between your project management software and your status report document, you keep everything within the ClickUp platform to significantly speed up the time it takes to generate reports. 

That’s an all-around win, wouldn’t you say? 🏆

A project status report is a living document. The information within it should change regularly to reflect the current status of the project, but it’s OK to change your template. 

Gather feedback from all stakeholders to see if they find the updates helpful. If they don’t think the progress report is useful, you may need to add or trim sections.

But don’t take it personally: if these changes make the report more engaging, it’s worth adjusting the reporting process.

Create Project Status Updates in One Click

Successful project management is an art. It might look like everything is going smoothly to your boss, but a project status report shows just how much work you and your team put in to make this happen. 🎨

Keep your team on the same page, reassure stakeholders, and create more structured project plans with a project status report template. 

While templates are a good start, they still need data. ClickUp Dashboards speed up reports by linking your project mission control center to your reports, templates, chats, and a lot more.

Build your next status report in ClickUp: Create your own Dashboard right now— it’s Free Forever !

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How to Write a Project Status Report:Template & Examples

What is a project status report?

A project status report is a document that regularly tracks and communicates how a project is progressing against your formal project plan. It’s typically reviewed in weekly or biweekly status meetings with project stakeholders, clients, and/or team members.

A good project status report provides updates on what’s been done, what’s to come, and any risks or issues that may impact the project timeline, budget, or delivery.

The purpose of a status report in project management

The purpose of a project status report is to keep your team and stakeholders up-to-date on the many moving parts of your project. Using a weekly status report enables you to build trust by being 100% transparent about all project details on a regular basis.

When you deliver status reports and conduct regular status meetings, you're ensuring the expectations you established in the beginning of your project with a well-crafted plan are consistently reviewed and reaffirmed as you proceed to the delivery of your final product.

Using this project status report template will help you, your stakeholders, and internal team stay honest about your work, process, budgets, and issues. This not only gets important project matters out in the open, but also strengthens your relationship with your team and clients.

How to write a good weekly project status report

Writing a project status report is pretty straightforward once you get the format down. Our template outlines all the elements you should include in a project status report, with headers, bullets, and tables already laid out for you in a Word document. You can use the status report examples below to guide you through each step.

All of these sections might not make sense for your projects, and that's okay. Feel free to adapt our project status report template to your own projects. Then send it to your stakeholders via TeamGantt , email, or Slack, and be sure you follow up to discuss the details in person or by phone or video conference.

Remember: The more you share—and the more transparent you can be—when writing a status report, the better! Knowledge is power on projects, and you want your teams and clients to share that power.

Elements to include in a weekly project status report

Let’s take a closer look at the common elements of a project status report. Here are the sections we’ve included in our free project status report template, with some examples you can use to inspire your own status reporting.

• Introductory note
• Brief summary of what happened last week and what’s happening this week
• Overall project timeline completion
• Budget status
• Upcoming tasks and milestones
• Action items
• Project risks, issues, and mitigation plans

1. Introductory note

If you’re sending your message as a part of a post in TeamGantt or in an app, you’ll want to provide a brief introduction to the hot topics in your weekly status report. This will guide your readers to the most important parts of the project status report and prepare them for the follow-up discussion about them.

Here’s an example of elements you may want to include in your weekly project status update email:

Use the Summary section of the weekly status report template to outline all the things that have (or haven’t) happened on your project in the past week, as well as what you expect to accomplish in the coming week.

Bullets generally work well in this section. These should be brief statements about the status of tasks, deliverables, meetings, communications, decisions, and any other important details you want to call out.

3. Overall project timeline completion

If you’re using our best practices to create project plans , you’re organizing your project into groups so you can report on the status of a specific phase, deliverable, or task. In this section of the weekly status update template, include the overall completion percentage for your entire project, as well as each project phase.

4. Budget status

Don’t keep key stakeholders in the dark when it comes to your remaining project budget. Depending on your project, you may prefer to share the overall budget or budgets of tasks you're working on. We give you room to do both in our free status report template!

You also might consider sharing an overall percentage spent versus the number of hours spent. Do your due diligence here, and discuss the budget status with your team or leadership to determine just how transparent you should be in the weekly status report. And don’t be shy to add notes if you think clients or executives will get nervous about the status.

Here’s an example of how you might update clients and executives on the status of your project budget:

5. Upcoming tasks and milestones

This might feel redundant based on what you highlighted in the Summary section, but think of it as just another way to list important milestones—or even upcoming holidays or events—that you need everyone to note in your project status update.

Take time here to share more detail about the tasks and milestones. The more detail you can provide, the better you will be. Make sure you use the table in the project status report template to call out specific items each time you send an update out to your team. This will help people read and view details easily.

6. Action items

Projects are more than tasks and milestones. In fact, you typically have to track a number of to-dos or action items to meet those milestones.

Use the simple table within our weekly status report template to track anything and everything that will impact your timeline and budget. Be sure to assign ownership to each action item so everyone understands exactly what's expected of them.

7. Project risks, issues, and mitigation plans

There's no doubt that things go wrong on projects, but they don’t have to. It’s your job to keep an eye out for issues and risks to make sure things don’t actually go wrong. You’ll want to share as much detail here as possible, and be prepared to discuss it. We created a section in the status update template to give you the ability to do so.

Any client or executive who doesn’t get a little freaked out by a project risk is probably too checked out. That's a risk for you!

Also: You might not always track risks on your projects, but leave this section in your weekly status report anyway. It’s important for your team and stakeholders to know you’re looking for potential issues at all times. Plus, if there’s nothing there to report, you can end your status check-in on a high note.

How to track and report project status in TeamGantt

Now that we’ve walked through the basic elements you’ll need to write a good status report, let’s look at a few simple ways you can monitor and report on project status in TeamGantt.

Update the progress in your project’s gantt chart

If you’ve shared a view-only link to your project with stakeholders, they can see how your project’s progressing in real time. Just be sure your team is diligent about updating task progress as they go.

If you notice tasks falling behind, use TeamGantt’s request progress update feature to check in with team members who may need a friendly reminder to keep their tasks up-to-date.

Keep a close eye on hourly vs. actual progress

If you’re on TeamGantt’s Pro plan with hourly estimation and time tracking, you can easily monitor how progress is tracking against your plan. Simply pay attention to the color and length of the thin striped line in the center of each taskbar.

• If the striped line is red , the task (or group) is over-budget because the hours tracked exceed the hours estimated.
• If the striped line is longer than the progress indicated , the task (or group) is at risk for overage because the time spent is outpacing the progress being made.

Watch the video below to see this feature in action:

Use the Project Health report to prepare and present status updates

TeamGantt’s Project Health report is a great tool for checking in on project status daily and giving your team, clients, and executives an at-a-glance view of where things stand each week.

The Project Health report provides a quick snapshot of progress and breaks down the number of tasks that are on time, running behind, or overdue for each project. And you can easily drill down into the details directly from the report to get to the bottom of issues.

This tutorial walks you through the basics of how this status report works in TeamGantt:

Simplify project status reporting with TeamGantt

Want to spend less time chasing down status updates and more time celebrating wins? TeamGantt puts a clear plan at the center of every project so it’s easy to stay on top of progress and share updates with all the people who power your project.

See why thousands of customers in over 120 countries use TeamGantt to make their projects shine. Try TeamGantt for free today !

Best Status Report Templates [25+ Free Samples]

By archtc on December 27, 2022 — 7 minutes to read

• Types of Status Reports: Free Resources and Downloads Part 1
• General-Purpose Status Report Template Free Download Part 2
• Additional Sources Part 3
• How to dramatically reduce the time you spend creating reports Part 4

What is the purpose of a status report?

• The primary purpose of a status report is to present updates on a project or activity, monitor its actual progress versus the targets, discuss issues and challenges encountered during the reporting period, and other matters which may need the attention of stakeholders.

Types of Status Reports

Employee status report.

An employee status report documents an employee’s performance, activities, and accomplishments in a given period. It may take a form of a manual logbook that the supervisor may look at, or through an email to be sent to the supervisor.

Check this article about employee status reports for best practices and free downloads

Department Status Report

This type of status report provides an account of the accomplishments of a unit or a department in a given reporting period and an overview of the financial details, production status, and other matters concerning the department.

How to write a department status report + free templates

Executive Status Report

An executive report provides a high-level summary of all updates and progress of a project and is submitted to the top management of an organization or a company. Due to their limited time, top officials may not have enough time to go over a full detailed report, that is why this type of report is prepared. The ultimate goal of this report is to tell whether the project is progressing as planned and to determine ways of catching up if the project is behind its schedule.

All about executive status reports with samples

Financial Status Report

A financial status report is a summary of all fund disbursements, general fund status, and budget adjustments. Generated at the end of a reporting period, it is usually submitted to business managers, the board of directors, investors, stakeholders, auditing bodies, and the government.

Learn more and download a free sample of a financial status report here

Client Status Report

These are a brief but detailed account of the work accomplished which are submitted to the customer or client on a regular basis, depending on the agreement. Aside from work accomplishments, it also discusses the questions or problems encountered by the team which the client may also need to look into. This type of report also provides a preview of what is going to happen in the following week or month.

This article about client status reporting contains a free template and a guide

Implementation Status Report

An implementation status report serves as a documentation of the project’s history and may be used later in the evaluation, review, and analysis of how the project went through. Through this status report, stakeholders are informed of the status of the project implementation in terms of schedule, scope, resources, costs, etc.

Check this one for a free implementation status report template and best practices

IT Status Report

An IT status report presents the status of the information technology in a company or in an organization containing updates on the overall status of key IT initiatives, accomplishments during the reporting period. An excellently written IT report can present the valuable contribution of IT in the organization which other officials or staff within the company may not easily understand.

In this article we provided useful tips for writing an IT status report with a free template

Marketing Status Report

A marketing status report provides updates on the status or progress of a marketing campaign and is generated monthly to serve as the basis for critical company decisions on its marketing policies and other related matters. Through this report, the organization can see whether the marketing campaigns are performing according to plan and which among the marketing activities are actually delivering results.

Marketing status report template free download

Quarterly Status Report

Quarterly reports provide a strategic balance between long- and short-term vision to help initiate changes within the organization or company. It helps generate necessary data for the company that is reliable and credible.

Article about quarterly status reports: best practices, tips, free template

Scrum Status Report

A scrum status report provides a list of values delivered to the project such as features developed and requirements satisfied. The report should be able to keep the team and the client updated on the progress of the project which has actual business value.

Scrum status report free template

Team Status Report

The team status report provides a detailed summary of accomplishments and activities done by the team to carry out a project. It is a reliable way of keeping the team on how the project or the tasks are progressing and where these are heading.

Team status report: free examples and templates, how-to’s

Daily Work Report

A daily work report is an essential tool to ensure that employees are on track with their performance targets and also to monitor their progress. It also lets the supervisors see what the staff did on a particular day and what he or she plans to do the next day.

How to write a daily work report + templates

Business Development Status Report

A business development status report provides a better overview of business opportunities a company or an organization has. It also accounts of the progress of activities conducted by the firm to enhance its business, policy, and operations.

Business development status report: free template and best practices

QA Daily Status Report

Quality assurance teams execute tests to simulate actual usage of a product and find out if there are defects. The status and the results of these test are often contained in a QA daily report. This report is provided not only to the product developers but to the other stakeholders, too.

How to build a daily QA status report with template

Summarizing how an employee spent his time on the job, a daily work log creates a detailed picture of how the employees spent their day. It helps the supervisor and the employee understand how productive the day went by.

Daily log template and how-to tips

Daily Report

A daily report is prepared by an employee detailing how they spent their work day, including their achievements and challenges. It also enables the team manager to have an overview how the team’s project is progressing.

Weekly Status Report

A weekly status report is a summary of all work done during a week and how these tasks contributed to the completion of project or assignment. It is also a helpful tool for the manager to monitor the performance and the progress of this team.

Best practices and free templates

Weekly Sales Report

Helping the management to assess the company’s performance in terms of sales, a weekly sales report affects major decisions related to business development, recruitment, salary increases, and other aspects of business operations.

Here are some general tips on how to effectively write a status report:

• Find out the exact information required to be in the report . It is important to get the information from the persons involved to minimize time and effort to be spent on making the report.
• Find out if there is a standard format or template for the kind of status report . With a standard format, it will be easier to determine what information should be included in the report and there is a lesser chance of missing out on important things.
• An ideal report presentation should discuss the accomplishments first, then the plans, and then the other matters on the third part . Bottlenecks, issues, risks, and other important concerns may also be discussed in the third part.
• Just like any work-related documents, a status report also reflects the personality of its creator . If it is free from typographical errors, impeccably prepared, and well-thought, it shows the personality of the writer of the report.

Status Report Free Download

If you need a general-purpose status report, check this free sample:

Click Here to Download Status Report Template XLSX

• How to Write a Project Report + Free Template Download
• How to Write a Smart Monthly Report + Free Template Download
• How to Write an Agile Status Report + Free Template Download

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How to write a project status update report (with free template)

🎁 Bonus Material: Free Project Status Report Template

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How to Write a Project Status Report (with a Template)

Learn how to create status reports that align your team and keep projects on track. We’ll cover the essentials and offer a shortcut for better reporting.

Before you close your laptop for the weekend, there's one thing that can set you up for a smooth next week: a project status report.

Getting into the habit of creating status reports for your projects is a proactive way to stay ahead of possible issues and keep your team aligned.

Instead of sorting through emails, checking in with team members, and reviewing individual task statuses whenever you need to check on a project's progress separately, a status report brings all that information together in one communication.

A status report provides a 360-degree view of a project's progress. It aligns the team on how things are going, what's coming up next, and what potential issues must be addressed. It's a great tool for keeping your projects on track.

This guide explains why status reports are important, provides a step-by-step guide and example, and reveals a shortcut to writing more effective reports. We'll also provide a useful template for better reporting.

In this article, you’ll discover how to create status reports aligning your team and keeping your projects on track. We’ll also provide a useful template for better reporting.

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What is the main purpose of a status report?

A status report is a diagnostic tool that spotlights a project's health and trajectory at a certain point in time. It's an indispensable tool in project management, as it helps keep the project team and stakeholders aligned (and helps you make informed decisions based on current project details).

4 reasons you need to write status reports

Understanding a project’s pulse empowers a project manager to steer their team and project to success. Here are four core reasons every project manager should use status reports.

1. Track project health

A status report gives you a point-in-time snapshot to compare against a benchmark (plan), including the project schedule and project timeline. Consistently monitoring a project’s progress helps you determine whether that project is on track. It prevents you from veering off course and helps you spot any deviations before they become major issues.

‎2. Keep stakeholders aligned

A big part of project success is a well-organized and high-functioning team. With nearly  39%  of project teams comprising 6 to 10 people, keeping everyone updated at all times can be challenging.

A status report does just that in one single document.

3. Proactive risk management

While  risk management  is vital to the success of projects,  one-third  of project managers don't regularly engage in it. A status report helps you identify potential risks earlier and mitigate their effect should they come to fruition. It also provides a foundation for a contingency plan if challenges do arise.

4. Expectation management

Because a status report lets you track progress against  project milestones,  your team knows what to anticipate and can prepare accordingly for upcoming tasks.

What to include in your project status report

An effective status report requires a clear structure and focus. Here are the key elements you should include in yours:

Project info

The project info covers the basics. It lists the project name, the person managing it, and the period the report is intended to reflect. This simple info sets the context for everything that follows in the report.

Project status

The project status offers an immediate gauge of where your project currently stands. It categorizes a project as “on track,” “at risk,” or “off-track” to give key stakeholders a snapshot of the project’s health.

“On track” projects reassure stakeholders that things are progressing as planned, while “at risk” ones signal potential challenges that need closer attention.

Project summary

The project summary is a high-level view of the entire project. Think of it as a real time executive summary that informs the stakeholders of what the project entails, its main objectives, and its overall progress.

A summary helps those not involved in the project’s day-to-day operations quickly grasp the project’s purpose without getting bogged down in the details.

Milestones and KPIs

Milestones act as checkpoints to assess how the project is going against the planned timeline. Include completed and pending milestones, as the former clarifies achievements, and the latter focuses on upcoming goals.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) measure the project’s performance. They offer quantifiable evidence of how effectively the project team achieves its objectives.

‎When setting KPIs, make sure they’re SMART — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This ensures that the benchmarks for success are clear and actionable.

Risks and issues

Unexpected problems can arise in any project. Candidly addressing these in your status report helps ensure that minor hiccups don’t escalate into major obstacles.

Here, it’s crucial to list any current or foreseeable risks and issues to give the team and stakeholders a heads-up and allow them to take proactive measures to resolve them.

Project metrics

Project metrics show the tangible aspects of your project, such as its budget and completed tasks. Concrete data grounds the project in measurable reality, offering a clear reference point for stakeholders.

These metrics can help you gauge the effectiveness of your team’s efforts and budget allocation and make informed decisions moving forward.

Types of project status report

Not all project status reports are the same. Different types will cover different periods and be intended for different audiences.

Daily project status report

The daily project status report is used primarily in stand-up meetings, such as the daily stand-up in Agile projects. Depending on the project and the size of the project team, a daily status report could also be a short email at the end of the day or a quick meeting.

Weekly project status report

Weekly reports are short reports that cover the week's accomplishments. It's usually circulated among the project's team members and the project sponsor. It can include metrics about progress for the week, issues delaying progress, and potential risks.

Monthly project status report

One month is often a sufficient length of time to measure progress meaningfully. It's long enough to make some progress but not so long that it's too late to make changes. A month also offers enough time to perform consequential analysis.

You may want to leave smaller issues out of the monthly status report and instead focus on project milestones. A monthly report is more likely to be seen by upper management and sponsors, so focus on issues that matter to them, like budget and major concerns.

Quarterly project status report

A quarterly project status report is a more comprehensive report covering the progress of a business quarter. Like the monthly report, quarterly reports are more likely to circulate to stakeholders like investors and executives. More time is devoted to it, and it's more likely to include a detailed look at metrics and progress.

While it may be more detailed, it's important not to pack too much information into the report. Keep it digestible and highlight the headlines.

Internal project status report

Rather than being linked to a length of time, this type of report is defined by its intended audience. It's intended for team members, so it'll contain useful information applicable to them, such as task completion rates, task assignments, and a focus on areas of concern.

External project status report

As the name implies, external project status reports are intended for external people, like your customers. While it's important to be honest about the current status, this report will have a broader focus, addressing progress toward the project's  business objectives .

How to write a project status report

Summing up your project's progress in a brief report may sound difficult or intimidating, but it doesn't need to be hard. You just need to communicate the relevant information. Focus on each section and use charts and graphs to make figures understandable.

Every project will necessitate its own unique report where you want to highlight different aspects, focusing on more relevant or important metrics. Most companies will have requirements or even a template for their status reports. But there are some things that all project status reports should include:

Project title

Standard practice for the project title is to use the project name; for projects with a timeline longer than a few months, a date is also useful. The month and year are usually enough.

Project summary or introduction

It’s always a good idea to revisit the project overview in your project status reports. List the overarching goals and objectives of the project and highlight any aspects that set your project apart.

Project health

The specifics of “project health” can vary. However, this section should summarize the project's status and form a big part of the report. Visual reporting tools are helpful, especially when you use colors to represent project status.

Green could mean everything is on track, yellow might represent a need for caution, and red may signify trouble getting urgent attention.

Tasks completed

It’s always important to remind stakeholders about the accomplishments so far. Depending on the report's scope, you may want to focus on more significant tasks and leave out small stuff.

Upcoming tasks

This is where you cover the next tasks and milestones your team is chasing. You should always offer specific goals and action items to give stakeholders confidence that the project team is on top.

Issues or blockers

Inform team members and stakeholders of problems the project is facing. It may explain underperformance. They may also be able to offer help.‎

Project status report template

Use the following project status report template for your own report:

Project: XYZ-12 Product Launch Campaign

Reporting period: November 1, 2023, to November 15, 2023

Project manager: Ken

Project overview:

Our design agency is responsible for executing a comprehensive product launch campaign for our client, XYZ Electronics. The campaign aims to create awareness, generate buzz, and drive pre-launch sales for their upcoming flagship smartphone, the XYZ-12.

Project status: Project on track

Milestones achieved:

• Market research and competitor analysis completed
• Marketing collateral design in the final stages
• Social media and email marketing strategies finalized
• Pre-launch website development underway

‎Upcoming milestones and KPIs:

• Launch teaser video production (Due: November 20, 2023)
• Begin influencer marketing campaign (Due: November 25, 2023)
• Pre-launch website goes live (Due: November 30, 2023)
• Social media engagement target: 100,000 impressions and 5,000 engagements by the end of the month

Risks and issues:

• Potential delay in influencer marketing due to scheduling conflicts
• Technical challenges identified in website development (additional resources have been allocated to address them)

Project budget and resource status:

The project is (currently) within the allocated budget, with 60% of funds expended as of the reporting period. Resource allocation has been effective, with no reported resource shortages.

Team feedback:

Feedback from creative leads has been positive regarding the quality of design work.

External stakeholder feedback:

XYZ Electronics remains satisfied with the progress and anticipates a successful campaign launch.

Next Steps:

• Monitor influencer marketing campaigns closely to ensure timely execution
• Continue website development with an emphasis on resolving technical issues
• Prepare for the launch phase, including coordinating with logistics regarding product availability

Tips for an effective project status report

While it doesn't have to be poetry, writing an effective and timely status report can still be something of an art form. Here are a few tips to ensure you communicate what you mean and use your time wisely.

Know your audience

Who are you writing for? A document you send your teammates will have a different focus than the one for investors. It will also have a different level of detail.

And the format you use should meet your audience's needs and preferences. Some stakeholders prefer a written report, while others expect a presentation, dashboard, voice note, or video.

Focus on the point

The overall project's status is the headline. Avoid getting bogged down in too much detail. This is especially true when dealing with external stakeholders. They’re usually very busy people and don’t want to wade through reams of information to find the nuggets.

Focus on metrics

The best way to reflect a project’s status is to use the data. Track your project’s progress by comparing the metrics now with what your  project baseline  had projected for this time.

Consider your delivery method

The format of your project status report will lend itself to certain delivery mechanisms. Another factor will be the preferences of the recipients. Some might be happy with an email, while others prefer a text message with a link to an online dashboard.

Put your project status report into Motion

Project status reports consume time and resources and can even seem like a waste of time. However, they are an important tool for communicating with stakeholders and teammates. While they don't contribute directly to achieving project goals, they inform people of current tasks and potential roadblocks.

Motion  offers useful tools for managing your time and communicating with your team. With Motion, you can easily track task progress and schedule meetings. And you can store and share those finished status reports in Motion, making communication a breeze.

Related articles

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Project status report template

But with so many tasks, milestones, and other data to process, status reporting can feel like a daunting task, at least without a status report template.

So the million-dollar question is: how do you create a great project status report without feeling overwhelmed ? In this article, we’ve put together everything you need to know to become a project status report expert, plus, we’ve included a free status report template that’s sure to delight your boss.

Don’t miss more quality content!

What is a project status report.

A status report is a simple document where stakeholders, coworkers, and leadership get a clear understanding of what’s going on with your project. In a status report, you might answer questions like:

• How are you standing against goals and KPIs?
• Will you complete the project on time?
• How much money are you spending?
• What are the major highlights for this period?
• Are there any potential challenges?
• What have you learned so far?

Remember: a status update report is not a project plan , but a concrete, one-page document where you communicate key elements of your project to a specific audience. A traditional project status report might look something like this:

( Image Source )

We at monday.com have taken this to new heights. If you’re here for the project status report template, click the banner below.

As we stated before, the main goal of a status report is to inform a key audience how the project is doing against the initial baseline, and this is crucial.

Why are status reports important?

Let’s suppose you’re sick and your doctor suggests a specific treatment. You follow the treatment for two weeks straight, but see no improvement. You visit your doctor again and communicate how you’re doing. Based on that information, your doctor makes adjustments to the treatment until it works.

And you repeat this process until you start feeling better, right? Well, project status reporting works similarly.

Your project is like a treatment, and your team, leaders, and any key stakeholders must overview how it’s doing and make sure you’re on the right track. Otherwise, you may need to make adjustments. Status reports offer crucial clues to discover if you’re doing the right things and help you mitigate possible errors before they grow and turn into bigger issues.

The different types of status reports

We can split status reports into different categories based on when they’re produced and who they’re for.

Let’s discuss each of them:

• Daily report: a status update you typically send to your direct boss to communicate your daily progress. Sometimes called an EOD report, as it’s sent at the end of the day.
• Monthly status report: usually this kind of report goes directly to upper execs, so it should offer a high-level overview of your progress at a glance.
• Weekly status report: work similarly to daily reports but summarize the week. You’ll probably have a specific workday to send them (often Monday or Friday).
• Quarterly status report: they provide hard data related to what you’ve done so far and what to expect for next quarter.

By audience:

• Internal status report: to report the current status of your project to coworkers and others inside your company.
• External status report:  to report the current status of your project to your client and other key external stakeholders (such as subcontractors). This will often contain less detail than an internal report.
• QA (Quality Assurance) report: to inform leaders in your organization how the project is performing as far as the quality of deliverables. It flags errors, bugs, defects, and other quality issues and trends that can impact decision-making.

Whatever the case, you should tailor your reporting to fit the specific needs of your audience. For example, the CEO of your company likely doesn’t want to see the level of detail captured in a typical EOD report. So always keep in mind the person you’ll address.

Now that you understand what a status report is and why they’re important, it’s time to create yours.

What goes into a status report?

Let’s break down the most essential elements of a status report.

1. Project details

First, you should include relevant information like:

Title:  project name and project code (if any)

Team: explain   who created the report and list relevant team members

Date of report and frequency:  EOD, weekly, quarterly, etc.

These may change depending on your organization politics. So make sure to ask your manager what they are looking for.

2. Executive summary

This is the first thing most readers will see. Typically, they’ll expect to find the information they need in this first section, so make sure to keep it concise but “meaty” enough to communicate the high-level overview of your project plan. To be precise, your summary should include a brief summary of what’s happening now and what you think will happen in the next period.

3. Milestone status review

In this section, you should dig a bit deeper into details. You can cover things like key milestones, deadlines, and whether you’re on track or delayed. You can even include some color indicators so that readers get a good understanding of each milestone at a glance.

Additionally, this section will help you understand how you’re progressing against your baseline and KPIs and predict possible changes.

4. Project schedule and dependencies

Here you should include the sequential list of upcoming tasks and a schedule indicating the overall project’s progress. You could present the schedule in the form of a Gantt chart and showcase completion rates to make it more visually appealing to readers.’

You should also include dependencies between tasks and indicate whether you’re waiting for a specific task to be completed before moving forward.

Next, you should talk about your resources and project budget. You should always let managers know how you’re doing regarding your finances. Are you spending too much or maybe even spending too little?

6. Issues summary

Finally, this section should cover the top issues you want to communicate to key stakeholders, potential risks you might face, and change requests for the project.

Hypothetically, you can create a full status report by hand, but as we’ll soon see, that’s probably not the best way to go.

Manual reporting is obsolete

Did you know that ⅓ of teams spend, at least one-day collating status reports? The main reason is they do it manually. Sadly, many project managers still rely on tools like Microsoft Excel  for their reporting.

Don’t misunderstand what we’re saying: Excel is a great tool, but maybe not the most efficient one for your project management needs. Manually collecting information, creating tables, and sending reports by email can be time-consuming.

Want to know the good news? You aren’t doomed to the old ways.

With the help of project management software — like monday.com — you can save tons of time and repurpose it on tasks that really move the needle in your organization.

Enter monday.com – your key to an effortless project status report

monday.com is a workspace that helps you manage any of work efficiency. That’s why companies like Adobe, Universal Studios, and Coca-Cola trust us to manage their teams.

We provide you with intuitive technology to plan, manage, and track your projects with ease in real-time, but we also come with:

• Customizable dashboards: get access to more than 30 drag-and-drop columns and widgets to customize your reporting at will.
• Centralized information: track all your projects in one dashboard, bring your team members, and centralize all your information in one place.
• Advanced filters: filter relevant information and create customized reports with ease.
• Templates: we provide you with a “pool” of templates for any use case that you can install in one click.
• Integrations:  integrate monday.com with over 40 of your favorite tools and apps.
• Report sharing: share your reports with team members, stakeholders, and everyone you want.

Let’s talk about monday.com’s reporting more in-depth.

How to revolutionize your reporting with monday.com

With monday.com, you can work without limits. When we say we provide you with fully customizable dashboards, we mean it. Thanks to our drag-and-drop functionality, you can create any type of report and visualize your data the way that best suits your needs.

For example, let’s say you’re managing a sales team. In that case, your dashboard might look something like this:

With “The Numbers Widget,” any team can keep a closer eye on their finances.

Our Chart Widget could help you track KPIs, such as deals per month, forecasted value, active leads, and more.

And our Battery Widget allows you to oversee the overall status of your team at a glance.

Now, these are just a few examples of what you can do, because we have over 20 widgets available to customize your dashboards. This way, you can adapt our platform to any industry and use case with speed. Besides, you can create shareable links and broadcast your status reports to key stakeholders in a couple of clicks.

No need to send those reports manually. Whether you’re tracking organization-wide metrics or measuring individual tasks, monday.com will revolutionize the way your team handles reporting.

Simplify your project reports and project summaries easily

As a project manager, status reporting will always be one of your main tasks. And hopefully, now you have enough information to create better reports in a lot less time. The crucial question is:

Will you continue to record your project milestones manually? Or will you choose a faster more efficient method like using the monday.com status report template?

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What is a project status report?

Whether you’re developing a new product, launching a marketing campaign, or redesigning a website, your company’s success hinges on keeping your project on track. Project status reports can provide you and your team regular snapshots of project progress, including timelines, costs, work completed, and potential problems.

Read on to learn more about:

• The benefits of effective project status reporting
• How to write a project status report
• Good examples of project status reports

Benefits of effective project status reporting

Thorough project status reporting typically occurs on a weekly to monthly basis to help:

• Support clear communication , giving everyone involved a clear view of the project at all times
• Keep stakeholders accountable by identifying roles and responsibilities, down to the specific tasks and deadlines assigned
• Maintain control , letting stakeholders ensure milestones and quality levels are met
• Reduce risk by allowing teams to spot and address issues that could derail the project
• Improve performance , giving teams documented project steps they can learn from and improve upon

Start creating more effective reporting today

Fire up the collaboration engine with this free project status report template.

What does a project status report include?

A project status report commonly includes:

• General information such as project name, project manager contact information, reporting structure, and selected workflows and templates
• Executive summary briefly conveying essential details such as objectives, goals, progress, setbacks, and risks. FigJam has an executive summary template to help you build one.
• Project health overview , which gauges whether your project is on track, delayed, or needs improvement. Try the FigJam Kaizen template to monitor project status.
• Key project highlights providing additional details on completed and scheduled tasks, deliverables, and milestones
• Links to related reports and data such as resource management details, risk management data, progress metrics and KPIs, and a complete project timeline
• Project blockers , which could slow or stop progress. FigJam’s gap analysis makes it easy to measure current project performance against project expectations.

How to write a project status report in 5 steps

Not sure how to create a project status report? You can write one in five steps:

• List out everything the report should include. See the sidebar to jumpstart this list.
• Collect essential information. Using the list you just made, gather all the data you’ll need to make sure you’ve got a good handle on budget, timing, and other key details. Reach out to key stakeholders to confirm you aren’t missing anything.
• Choose a status report template . Figma has a project status report template that can help you record and reflect important project details.
• Build an outline. Based on the template you’ve chosen, start organizing your data with an outline. This will help you decide which sections in the report are most relevant for your project’s success.
• Write your status report, then edit it. Fill out your template based on the data you’ve gathered. Include links to supporting materials to provide context as needed. After you’ve finished a first pass, go back and edit your report for accuracy and clarity.

5 tips for better project status reporting

Target your audience. What and how much detail you include in your project status report will depend on who you’re sharing it with. Your executive team will expect a high-level summary of project progress mapped against key business metrics. Your design or development team may need more intel around tasks and deadlines to help them get work done.

Keep it short and simple. Use language that’s easy to understand. Limit your project status report to one page, including need-to-know information only.

Show progress and accomplishments. Is your project not going as planned? Flag this issue in your report as an action item to address. On the flip side, highlight any big wins to motivate your team to keep moving forward.

Go for visual appeal. A well-formatted, visually engaging status report is easier to scan, read, and understand. Colors, fonts, and icons help guide your users through the report.

Make it easily accessible. Share your project status report in a weekly or bi-weekly status meeting. Then agree with your team on the most convenient way to access it, whether via email, instant message, or an online collaboration tool such as FigJam.

Build an effective project status report with FigJam

Head to FigJam’s online collaborative whiteboard to start brainstorming and sharing ideas for your project status report. Or try one of our ready-made brainstorming templates to:

• Get input from key stakeholders for 24 hours with no login required.
• Let teams express themselves by adding emojis, images, and links to key data.
• Share assets between Figma and FigJam that will help you build your status report.

Check out FigJam’s tips on how to make the most of your brainstorm and feedback sessions. Once you’re done brainstorming, you can use FigJam’s free project status report template to build your report.

Go to next section

[1] https://www.theprojectgroup.com/blog/en/project-status-report/#Chapter1eport-checklist

[2] https://www.planacademy.com/7-tips-to-help-you-create-an-effective-project-status-report/

[3] https://pmtips.net/resources/project-status-reporting

[4] https://elearningindustry.com/project-status-reporting-dos

[5] https://www.projectmanagement.com/blog/blogPostingView.cfm?

[5] https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/projects/communication/project-status-report-guide/

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How to Write a Status Report

Last Updated: June 19, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Amber Rosenberg, PCC and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Amber Rosenberg is a Professional Life Coach, Career Coach, and Executive Coach based in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the owner of Pacific Life Coach, she has 20+ years of coaching experience and a background in corporations, tech companies, and nonprofits. Amber trained with the Coaches Training Institute and is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,285,161 times.

A status report might seem like a chore, but it can be a great opportunity to communicate about a project with management. In order to keep everyone in the loop, it’s really important to make sure you present everything clearly. Put the most important information in a summary at the start of the report. Provide specific details about the project's budget and timeline, then describe accomplishments and challenges. Keep your writing clear and concise. Your manager will appreciate an organized report that is brief, but informative.

Status Report Example

Gather budget and scheduling information.

• The overall information for the project will likely be broad. Find out what smaller things must be done to achieve the ultimate goal. For example, if your goal is to produce 1,000 T-shirts and your budget is $500, you need to know what materials are needed to produce the shirts and whether they are already on hand or must be ordered.

Break down large goals into smaller ones.

• For example, if your goal is to produce 1,000 T-shirts in 4 months, you can break that goal down into smaller goals of 250 T-shirts each month. If the team produced 300 T-shirts in the first month, you could report that you were ahead of schedule.

List major accomplishments.

• If you're working on a team, talk to other team members about what's going well with the project. Include as many names in your report as possible.
• Use specific numbers where you can, as opposed to generalities.

Brainstorm fixes for problems.

• For example, if your project is ahead of schedule but behind on budget, you might suggest speeding up production, adding another employee to the project, or boosting the budget.

Identify key milestones and projections.

• For example, suppose you produced 250 shirts in 28 days. You might predict that the next 250 shirts will be completed in 28 days from the date of the status report.

Add any notes that are important to the project.

• For example, you might write "The project is ahead of schedule, in large part, thanks to the diligent efforts of Sally Sunshine. Sally worked overtime 3 days last week."

Ask if there's a template you should use.

• If there's not a specific template, there may be one you can use in your word processing app. You can also find sample templates online by searching for "status report template." Make sure any template you download will actually work for your project. You may want to let a supervisor look at it first.

Start with a clear heading.

• For example, your heading might be "August 2018 Parker Shipment Status." A report for the next month would be "September 2018 Parker Shipment Status."

Write an executive summary on the first page.

• For example, the executive summary for "August 2018 Parker Shipment Status" might be: "The Parker Shipment is ahead of schedule. However, we've used 50% of our budget with only 30% of the total shipment produced. Speeding up production may help decrease costs."

Organize your report in sections.

• For example, you might have one section for accomplishments, another for challenges, and a third for solutions.

Start your report early to give yourself more time.

• If you're working on an ongoing project, you can create a "template" for your status reports that you'll use each time. This will be much easier for your manager, because they'll know exactly where to find the information they need in each report.
• If you need to update figures included in the report before you turn it in, leave yourself reminders to do so.

Tailor your report to your manager's style.

• For example, if you know your manager likes to read a chronological story, you might start with a section headed "This Week's Progress," followed by another labeled "What's Next."

Optimize your report based on the method of delivery.

• For example, if you're sending a digital file using email, you might want to make sure any visual elements can be viewed on a mobile device.

Proofread and edit your report.

• Your writing should be concise and direct. Avoid using a lot of jargon, which can make it seem like you're trying to hide something or don't know what you're talking about.
• Read your report aloud. If you stumble over a sentence, that's a clue that your writing is not as clear as it could be.

Create visual elements, if desired.

• For example, you might put a green traffic light next to the budget, to indicate that costs were being managed well. If you're a little behind schedule, you would put a yellow light next to the scheduling section.

Community Q&A

• Once you've sent out your status report, follow up on it. If you don't hear back from your manager or other team members, seek out feedback. Speak to people one-on-one, rather than sending out a mass email. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Sample Status Reports

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Amber Rosenberg, PCC. Pacific Life Coach. Expert Interview. 8 March 2022.
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-project-status-report
• ↑ https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/how-to-report-status-on-a-project.php
• ↑ https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/chapter/progressreports/
• ↑ https://www.innovation.ca/sites/default/files/essential_documents/ppr-template-en-apr2016.pdf
• ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/advice/1/how-often-when-should-you-send-project-status-reports
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/weekly-report-template

About This Article

To write a status report, write a clear heading that includes the name of the project and the dates the report covers. Open the report with an executive summary to provide the most important information at a glance. Then, break the rest of the report into sections to allow for easier reading. Make sure to include budget, scheduling information, a list of major accomplishments, and potential fixes for problems. Finally, consider using a visual element for quick access to information, such as a green light next to a schedule that's on time. For more tips on creating executive summaries, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/these-cacti-are-status-symbols-on-social-media-in-the-desert-theyre-endangered

These cacti are status symbols on social media. In the desert, they’re endangered

A group of cacti species native to a remote Chilean desert has been poached to near extinction, thanks in part to social media crazes continents away.

According to a new report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 82 percent of copiapoa cacti species, native to the Atacama Desert in Chile, are now at risk of extinction — up from 55 percent in 2013. This climbing risk has been driven largely by an increase in poaching and illegal trade “facilitated by social media,” the report says.

READ MORE : Mining company can’t tap water needed for Okefenokee wildlife refuge, U.S. says

Bárbara Goettsch, co-chair of the IUCN SSC Cactus and Succulent Plant Specialist Group, explained that copiapoa cacti have become favorites of specialist collectors in Europe and popular status symbols in Asia, serving as decorative display pieces for the wealthy. Illegal collectors switched their focus from North American to South American species in the last 10 years, she says. 

“ It’s heartbreaking because they’re such long-living plants,” Goettsch said, noting that copiapoa cacti can live for centuries in the wild. “Someone just comes and takes them out, and it’s gonna end up in someone’s living room and probably die in a couple of years.” 

In its findings released on Thursday, IUCN also named habitat destruction and climate change as contributing factors to the decline of copiapoa cacti and noted that increased infrastructural development has given poachers greater access to the desert where they grow. 

Though IUCN has been battling the illegal cacti trade for decades, Goettsch says poaching has become “more prevalent” in the last few years. Copiapoa cacti last made headlines in 2020 when more than 1,000 illegally harvested copiapoa and eriosyce cacti were discovered in Italy as a part of a law enforcement action called Operation Atacama . Goettsch linked the rise of poaching to the greater access to illegally harvested plants that social media platforms and e-commerce sites like Instagram and eBay provide. 

“ Social media has definitely played a very important role,” she said, noting that sometimes poachers post videos so that potential buyers can choose plants from the field – something they were not able to do 20 years ago. 

According to Goettsch, the lack of online regulation has allowed poachers to operate with anonymity and little to no accountability. IUCN’s Cactus and Succulent Plants Specialist Group , in tandem with other specialist groups, reached out to Instagram to warn about illegal plant trading on its site but got no response, according to Goettsch. 

“We wrote a letter because we know to trade with certain fauna, it’s illegal on some of the platforms, but not plants,” Goettsch said. “So we wanted to have a conversation with [Instagram] and make them aware of that issue and what was happening, but it was not possible for us to get to anybody.”

Instagram did not respond to emails from PBS News requesting comment.

‘Cascading’ ecological damage

Poached copiapoa cacti, distinguished by their grayish hue, recovered at the quarantine center of Servicio Agricola Ganadero de Chile. Photo by Pablo C. Guerrero/International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The loss of one of the few plant species native to the Atacama Desert could have devastating effects on the many organisms that depend on it to survive. 

In a region known as the driest place on Earth , “these plants play a very important role in the environment,” Goettsch said. “There’s a lot of insects that feed on the nectar of the plants.”

The potential extinction of copiapoa cacti is especially alarming due to their slow-growing nature, she said. 

“ Sometimes they can be poaching a plant that is 300 years old or 500 years old,” Goettsch said. “And because of the really harsh conditions [where the plants] live, the rate at which they renew their population — that is like the success rate of the new plant — is really low.”

The slow growth of these cacti, in addition to their “spectacular spines,” is what makes them especially desirable to collectors, said Jared Margulies, assistant professor of political ecology at University of Alabama and author of “The Cactus Hunters: Desire and Extinction in the Illicit Succulent Trade.” He explained that this appeal leads poachers to steal fully matured plants. 

WATCH : Conservationists take drastic measures to save coral reefs from climate change

Educational intervention is key to changing consumer patterns, Margulies said, especially for people who may not be aware of the environmental damage that plant poaching can cause. 

“We also need to work on cultures of collecting where people want to fast track obtaining mature, large specimens of these species, and that’s part of what drives people towards purchasing plants that have been illegally harvested,” Margulies said. 

There is one easy way to tell if copiapoa cacti have been poached or sustainably grown in a greenhouse, according to Pablo Guerrero, member of the IUCN SSC Cactus and Succulent Plant Specialist Group.

“Poached copiapoa have a gray tone and are coated in a dusty-looking bloom that protects the plants in one of the driest deserts on Earth, whereas cultivated plants appear greener,” Guerrero said.

With other species of succulents threatened by illegal plant trade, such as the conophytums species in South Africa and dudleya succulents in California , IUCN is advocating for more sustainable practices, like artificial greenhouse propagation, to meet increased market demand, as well as the designation of natural habitats as protected spaces. 

Margulies urged people to stop viewing cacti solely as commodities for collection and instead consider the important role they play in the ecological interdependence between many species. 

“Even though we tend to put these plants in individual pots and grow them, appreciate them as their own individual organisms. They’re relational entities, and when we take them out of those contexts, the impacts are cascading,” he said.

Vivian Hoang is PBS News' Jim Lehrer Fellow.

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Report on AEW Contract Status of Rising Star Surfaces Ahead of Dynamite Tonight

Fernando quiles jr. | jul 3, 2024.

One young AEW star has been rising up the ranks, and there is a report on his contract status.

In recent months, Daniel Garcia has seemed to turn some heads within AEW management. While Garcia's in-ring skills were never in question, some wondered if he would develop the personality to connect with the audience. While Garcia's now signature dance was a little comedy routine at first, the 25-year-old technical wrestler has been able to click with fans more than ever.

Word has now gotten out regarding Garcia's contract status and what his future could look like.

TOP AEW STAR REPORTEDLY PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN FORBIDDEN DOOR 2024 HEADLINER HAPPENING

News on Daniel Garcia's AEW Contract

Fightful reports that Daniel Garcia's AEW contract is due to expire in fall 2024. With that said, the report also notes that one AEW name expects Garcia to stick around, and even threw out the possibility of a contract extension already being signed.

Garcia has been getting ample TV time on AEW's main shows. He's even set to challenge Will Ospreay for the International Championship on the July 3rd episode of Dynamite.

The match was set up when Ospreay interrupted an in-ring promo involving MJF and Garcia. Initially, MJF offered Garcia a singles match at the AEW All In pay-per-view in Wembley on August 25th. Whether or not that offer still stands remains to be seen.

WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2024 PREDICTIONS: DOES DREW MCINTYRE GET REDEMPTION?

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Stick with  MMA Knockout  for more daily coverage of the UFC, MMA, WWE, and AEW.

Follow MMA Knockout on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  Facebook .

FERNANDO QUILES JR.

Fernando has over a decade of combat sports news writing experience. He currently covers MMA, boxing, and pro wrestling. Fernando joined MMA Knockout as the Lead Writer/Editor when it was founded in 2023.

As Biden team suggests there can be no alternative, DNC rules provide a path if Biden were to step aside

WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden’s campaign tries to calm nervous Democrats, the Democratic National Committee is circulating  talking points  that misleadingly suggest, according to some sources, there is no procedural means of replacing the president at the top of the party’s ticket — without sharing the path ahead if he were to step aside.

"Joe Biden will be the Democratic Party's nominee for president," the talking points read, according to a copy provided by a source who received them. "Any other discussion is a distraction and 'brokered' conventions are a thing of the past."

They go on to say that "the only person eligible for nomination is Joe Biden."

Biden has been firm in saying he will stay in the race, and the "DNC Talking Points for Convention Nomination Rules" that are being circulated within the party are mostly accurate — up until the party's August convention ends.

But as the party’s rules stand now, according to three people who are familiar with them and the DNC’s 2022 document outlining procedures for the convention, there is a process for replacing Biden if he voluntarily chooses to step aside after the convention ends on Aug. 22.

Under the existing rule, Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison would name a new nominee, in consultation with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Democratic Governors Association Chair Tim Walz of Minnesota. Their choice would be presented to DNC members — a group of party leaders much smaller and more elite than the delegates to the convention — for ratification or rejection.

Biden’s nomination is expected to occur before that, in a virtual roll call of state delegations in late July or early August. The convention's rules committee is expected to set a date at a meeting July 19.

The Biden campaign wants everyone to think “chaos would reign” if Biden stepped aside, said a person familiar with the DNC process. “Thats why they’re not admitting there’s a rule.”

A Democratic staffer in a battleground state called the talking points "beyond f----ed up."

"This is what MAGA Republicans do, not us. DNC needs to get a grip," the person said.

Harrison said in a statement: “The primary is over, and in every state the will of Democratic voters was clear: Joe Biden will be the Democratic Party’s nominee for President. Delegates are pledged to reflect voters’ sentiment, and over 99% of delegates are already pledged to Joe Biden headed into our convention."

The Biden campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Democrats have been agonizing over Biden's fitness for the top of their ticket since his blundering debate performance Thursday, when he repeatedly struggled to make cogent arguments and often looked lost. A handful of them have called on him to step aside to preserve or improve their chances of defeating former President Donald Trump and win majorities in the House and the Senate.

Based on Federal Election Commission rules governing how money can be transferred if there is a substitute candidate, Democratic National Committee rules and the political optics of a fight that would imperil support from Black voters and women, most Democratic insiders say it is hard to see how anyone other than Vice President Kamala Harris would end up as the nominee if it is not Biden.

Before the convention, several thousand elected convention delegates — almost all of whom are pledged to Biden — have the power to choose the party's nominee.

"Because there was no primary opponent, the overwhelming majority of the elected delegates are Biden delegates ... so on the first ballot he would be the nominee," a DNC member said. But, this member said, that would change if Biden left the nomination vacant after having received it.

"In the case of that historic moment, the members of the DNC will choose the nominee for the party," the DNC member said.

It is also still possible for the convention delegates to change the rules at the convention, which occurs after the nomination by a virtual roll call.

“It all could make for a more orderly convention” if Biden is nominated through the virtual roll call and then releases his delegates before the actual convention and Harrison uses the rule.

But there is also a chance it would backfire with some members of the party, who felt there should be an open convention.

“You could argue you don’t want a coordination at this point, either, because that could backfire at some point," the source said.

Campaign-finance law experts say that it is likely that Biden's campaign war chest could be transferred to Harris because she is his running mate and appears as such on filings with the FEC. But any other candidate would most likely have to raise new money for his or her campaign.

There are other complications for any scenario that does not include Biden as the nominee: 50 state laws govern the printing of ballots, and it might be difficult to get a new candidate on some of those ballots.

And yet, the Biden campaign and its allies are concerned enough about discord within the party that they are actively asserting that Biden is the only candidate who could carry the party's standard in November.

At the same time, some prominent Democrats have emphasized both names on the ticket — Biden and Harris — in recent interviews and opened the door to the idea that Harris could be the party's presidential candidate.

“I’m a Biden-Harris person, so I’m not getting away from that," Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., whose endorsement helped fuel Biden's support among Black voters in the 2020 primary, said after the debate . "I’m for Biden-Harris. I’m going to be for Biden if Harris ain’t there, and I’m going to be for Harris if Biden ain’t there."

Jonathan Allen is a senior national politics reporter for NBC News, based in Washington.

Carol E. Lee is the Washington managing editor.

Natasha Korecki is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.

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Before you begin…

Have your driver’s license or ID card number handy.

Be ready to log into your MyDMV account or create one. You will need access to a phone for authentication.

This information should be on your current driver’s license.

General Disclaimer

When interacting with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Virtual Assistant, please do not include any personal information.

When your chat is over, you can save the transcript. Use caution when using a public computer or device.

The DMV chatbot and live chat services use third-party vendors to provide machine translation. Machine translation is provided for purposes of information and convenience only. The DMV is unable to guarantee the accuracy of any translation provided by the third-party vendors and is therefore not liable for any inaccurate information or changes in the formatting of the content resulting from the use of the translation service.

The content currently in English is the official and accurate source for the program information and services DMV provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated content, please refer to the English version.

Google™ Translate Disclaimer

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website uses Google™ Translate to provide automatic translation of its web pages. This translation application tool is provided for purposes of information and convenience only. Google™ Translate is a free third-party service, which is not controlled by the DMV. The DMV is unable to guarantee the accuracy of any translation provided by Google™ Translate and is therefore not liable for any inaccurate information or changes in the formatting of the pages resulting from the use of the translation application tool.

The web pages currently in English on the DMV website are the official and accurate source for the program information and services the DMV provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated website, please refer to the English version.

The following pages provided on the DMV website cannot be translated using Google™ Translate:

• Publications
• Field Office Locations
• Online Applications

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