#projectmanagement #reportswriting #communicationskills #easytoread #leadership
Writing effective Project Reports that are understood by all is an art that takes time to learn. Let me give you a few tips today, that I wish I had had when I started out as project manager
- Agree on a reporting format and the frequency with your client during the Kick-off, but you give the suggestions. Have a sample format ready for discussion
- Keep it simple & short – Your client’s Senior Managers are busy people, they do not want a 30 page report. And any report longer than 5 pages including pictures and graphs, is not likely to be read
- Include graphs and infographics, but only 1 or 2
- If it is construction or creation of something visible, you can include some photos, but again stick to 2-3 key photos that demonstrate the progress or showcase something. When there are too many photos it becomes overwhelming and the readers tend to skip the photos.
- Remember that your client is most likely not a subject matter expert, so keep the language simple, avoid industry jargon.
- Explain any acronym you use, since they can have very different meanings. I remember looking up one acronym that I had been told by my technical team that it is self explanatory, and it had 30 different meanings, 3 of which were in the industry we were working in. Never assume someone else knows what we mean by an acronym
- Preparing a report is team work. Involve your team in the report, but give them the format, so that they clearly know what information you need from them
Lesson Learned
I think we can all learn from the Agile World. Reports there are compressed into essential information and are often only 1 page long. Keep reviewing your format and simplifying it until you have condensed it to the essential information.
I learned a lot from a boss, who complained about my wordy reports. He tasked me to do my reports in 3 bullet points! What a challenge!
Let’s keep working on improving our Report Writing skills! Involve your team and get creative!