Chapter 3: Progress Reports

• How much of the work is complete
• What part of the work is currently in progress
• What work remains to be done
• What problems or unexpected things, if any, have arisen
• How the project is going in general

Progress reports have several important functions; they:

• Reassure recipients that you are making progress, that the project is going smoothly, and that it will be complete by the expected date.
• Provide their recipients with a brief look at some of the findings or some of the work of the project.
• Give their recipients a chance to evaluate your work on the project and to request changes.
• Give you a chance to discuss problems in the project and thus to forewarn recipients.
• Force you to establish a work schedule so that you'll complete the project on time.

Timing and Format of Progress Reports

• Memo--A short, informal report to someone within your organization
• Letter--A short, informal report sent to someone outside your organization
• Formal report--A long, formal report sent to someone outside your organization

Organizational Patterns for Progress Reports

Time periods. A progress report usually summarizes work within each of the following:

• Work accomplished in the preceding period(s)
• Work currently being performed
• Work planned for the next period(s)

Project              		Individual tasks

Building municipal       	Measuring community interest
ball parks on city-     	Locating suitable property
owned land               	Clearing the property
                            	Designing the bleachers, fences, etc.

Writing a report         	Studying the assignment
              			Selecting a topic
              			Identifying the audience of the report
              			Narrowing the topic
              			Developing a rough outline
              			Gathering information
              			Writing one or more rough drafts
              			Documenting the report
              			Revising and editing the report draft
              			Typing and proofreading the report
              			Putting the report in its final package

Topics to be covered in the final report

1.  The total amount of MSW produced
    --locally
    --nationally
2.  The energy potential of MSW, factors affecting its

    energy potential
3.  Costs to modify city utilities in order to change to

    cocombustion

A progress report is a combination of two of these organizational strategies. The following outline excerpts give you an idea of how they combine:

Progress report A        Progress report B       Progress report C

Task 1                   Work Completed          Topic 1
     Work completed           Task 1                  Work completed
     Current work             Task 2                  Current work
     Planned work             Task 3                  Planned work

Task 2                   Current Work            Topic 2

     Work completed           Task 1                  Work completed
     Current work             Task 2                  Current work
     Planned work             Task 3                  Planned work

Task 3                   Current Work            Topic 3
     Work completed           Task 1                  Work completed
     Current work             Task 2                  Current work
     Planned work             Task 3                  Planned work

Figure 3-6. Progress report organized by project tasks and time periods

Figure 3-7. Progress report organized by time periods and report topics

Other Parts of Progress Reports

Introduction. Review the details of your project's purpose, scope, and activities. This will aid recipients who are unfamiliar with the project, who do not remember certain details, or who want to doublecheck your approach to the project. The introduction can contain the following:

• Purpose of the project
• Specific objectives of the project
• Scope, or limits, of the project
• Date the project began; date the project is scheduled to be completed
• People or organization working on the project
• People or organization for whom the project is being done
• Overview of the contents of the progress report

Project description. In most progress reports, include a project description to review the details of your project for the recipients:

Figure 3-9. Example project description from a report

Conclusion. The final paragraph or section usually reassures audiences that all is going well and on schedule. It can also alert recipients to unexpected changes or problems in the project.

Figure 3-10. Overall appraisal used as conclusion to a progress report

Revision Checklist for Progress Reports

• Make sure you use the right format. Remember, the memo format is for internal progress reports; the business-letter format is for progress reports written from one external organization to another. (Whether you use a cover memo or cover letter is your choice.)
• Write a good introduction-in it, state that this is a progress report, and provide an overview of the contents of the progress report.
• Make sure to include a description of the final report project.
• Use one or a combination of the organizational patterns in the discussion of your work on the final report.
• Use headings to mark off the different parts of your progress report, particularly the different parts of your summary of work done on the project.
• Use lists as appropriate.
• Provide specifics-avoid relying on vague, overly general statements about the work you've done on the final report project.
• Be sure and address the progress report to the real or realistic audience-not your instructor.
• Assume there will nonspecialist reading your progress report. But don't avoid discussion of technical aspects of the project-just bring them down to a level that nonspecialists can understand.