Project reporting done right

“I love writing project reports!”

Said no one ever.

If you’re like me a few years ago, you see reporting as one of those things that comes with the job.

Let me share a secret with you: reporting is a golden opportunity.

But most project managers are wasting it.

Reporting is an opportunity to build trust, manage stakeholders, and turn your project sponsor into your biggest fan.

It took me a few years to realize this, and another few years to nail it down. Here’s what I’ve learned, and how you can apply it too:

Lead with the answer

Last summer, I wrote my most viral post to date (and probably ever).

7 million people read my thread about what I learned making presentations with McKinsey teams. You can read it here.

My girlfriend recently pointed out how crazy 7 million views is: we have 5,5M people in Norway.

Hard to fathom.

If I had to sum that thread up for you in one sentence: lead with the answer.

The same goes for reporting.

People are busy. Give them what they came for ASAP, and use the rest of your report to back up your takeaway.

Here’s what you write next:

1. Status vs plan

2. What went well

3. What did you learn

4. How’s the team doing

5. Updates in the RAID log

Status vs plan

Show the reader where you planned to be versus where you are with a curve, graph, or timeline, and add a few words of context. This gives color to your opening statement and sets the reader up for what they’ll read next.

What went well

Every project has highs and lows. Even when it’s tough sledding, always include a few things that went well over the reporting period. This forces you to see (and celebrate!) these moments and gives the team credit when they need it most.

What did you learn

The hardest and most impactful thing you can do for your reports is daring to be vulnerable. Show your mistakes, followed by the solution and what the team learned from it.

Note how I said “your mistakes” and “what the team learned from it”. You’re in a leadership position here. That means you own the mistakes and share the credit and development.

Showing that have your act together and demonstrating your development on a regular basis is the best thing you’ll ever do for your career.

How’s the team doing

You know the value of a strong team. If you have anything to share about them, this is your moment.

Share a win or put someone in the spotlight.

This is also the moment where you share any concerns about workload, motivation, or other issues that are holding your team back.

Make sure to always bring an issue with a proposed solution, and tie that to a clear request or decision if necessary.

The RAID log

Your RAID log is the place where you keep track of your

• Risk - all risks you’ve identified that could derail the project

• Assumptions - the major assumptions your plans are based on

• Issues - issues found along the way that influence your execution

• Decisions - key decisions made by the team and/or steering committee

Your RAID log is your single source of truth and is created when you’re planning the project. As your project context changes and you learn more every day, it’s crucial to keep track of the changes & impact - this is where you do that.

If you want me to dig into this crucial tool in a future issue, reply “Raid” to the email. Last week 41 readers voted for project reporting by replying, and here we are!

Putting it all together

Remember rule #1 from the earlier stakeholder management post?

No surprises.

That rule applies to reporting too. Never surprise someone with a report. Give people a heads up, and manage the relationship 1:1.

Project reporting done right means telling a story with these elements:

1. Key takeaway

2. Status vs plan

3. What went well

4. What did you learn

5. How’s the team doing

6. Updates in the RAID log

Find a frequency and format that suits your stakeholders and project, and use these elements as a guideline.

Play with it, and watch your impact grow!

Before we sign off:

1. I hyped up Dave’s newsletter last week and then gave you a dead link. Typical. His stuff is so good, it deserves a second mention.

2. If you’re a recent subscriber or want to browse & save the back catalog, you can view all previous newsletters here.

3. To write relevant content for you as a reader, I’d love to learn more about the size of the team you’re operating in. Please reply with a quick “3” or “12” and take control of the tone & content of the newsletter!

That’ll do for this week - until next Tuesday!

Cheers,

Jasper