Discover the best reporting tips for project managers so you can provide a clear and up-to-date status to all project stakeholders. Project reporting can be time-consuming, but with the right tools and methods it doesn’t need to be. It doesn’t matter what project management tools you are using, you need to make sure that you are using ones that have the ability to report project data easily as well as being able to easily share the information with all relevant parties.
It is essential to have access to accurate and up-to-date project reports so that you can show the current project status, how a project is progressing and offer a clear and up to date picture to all of the people who are involved. Here are just a few reporting tips for any project.
Focus on producing project data that is high quality
Whatever project you are working on, regardless of the industry, you may have people who are updating the project details and others looking for updates at similar times. As a project manager it is essential that you make sure that essential data is being entered correctly and as soon as possible by everyone. Make sure that all your team members understand how to use whatever software you have as effectively as possible, if they don’t know how to use it then they won’t be able to update it properly and the quality of the data won’t be good enough.
Know your audience
Every project is different, every project team is different and or course every stakeholder is different, so you need to make sure that you are using the right project reporting for your audience. For some audiences, this might mean using simple reports, for others you might need to supply information in much more detail.
So, make sure you know your audience and tailor your reporting accordingly, using more flexible software that covers a range of options should make your reporting much more manageable.
Automated reminders
In an ideal world, everyone in your team would be making sure to check in regularly and see what updates there were on the project and what things they needed to do next. But this doesn’t always happen, and when it doesn’t, you need to make sure that you have processes in place.
Automatic notifications and alerts may seem a bit basic, but they do work, and people do take notice of them so make sure that you set them up. They will also assist you in making sure that there is no information, no task that falls through the cracks and is missed.
You can even set your system up so that at the end of the week each member of the project team receives an update letting them know what has been achieved.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately the key to effective reporting is to choose a reporting system that works for you and your team, ensure that everyone knows exactly how to use it to get the most from it and that it is actually used for its purpose. This will help take the hassle out of your reporting processes and ensure everyone involved receives the right information at the right time.
