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Chapter 3: Progress Reports

You write a progress report to inform a supervisor, associate, or customer about progress you've made on a
project over a certain period of time. The project can be the design, construction, or repair of something, the
study or research of a problem or question, or the gathering of information on a technical subject. You write
progress reports when it takes well over three or four months to complete a project. In the progress report, you
explain any or all of the following:

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

Note: Be sure to check out the example progress report available with this chapter.

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

In a year-long project, there are customarily three progress reports, one after three, six, and nine months.
Depending on the size of the progress report, the length and importance of the project, and the recipient, the
progress report can take the following forms:

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

Take a look at the discussion in "Format of Proposals,". You can use the same format on progress reports as you
can on proposals: memo, letter, separated report; or cover memo or letter with separate report.

Organizational Patterns for Progress Reports

The recipient of a progress report wants to see what you've accomplished on the project, what you are working
on now, what you plan to work on next, and how the project is going in general. To report this information, you
combine two of these organizational strategies: time periods, project tasks, or report topics.

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 tasks. Practically every project breaks down into individual tasks:

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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

Report topics. You can also organize your progress report according to the work done on the sections of the
final report. In a report project on cocombusting municipal solid waste, you would need information on these
topics:
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

For each of these topics, you'd explain the work you have done, the work you are currently doing, and the work
you have planned.

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 shows an example of the project-tasks approach with subheadings for time periods; Figure 3-7 shows
the time-period approach with subheadings for report topics.

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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

In your progress report, you also need (a) an introduction that reviews the history of the project's beginnings as
well as the purpose and scope of the work, (b) a detailed description of your project, and (c) an overall appraisal
of the project to date, which usually acts as the conclusion.

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

Figure 3-8. Example introduction to a 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

As you reread and revise your progress report, watch out for problems such as the following:

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.

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Return to the table of contents for the TCM1603 Course Guide (the online textbook for Austin Community
College's online technical writing course).

This information is owned and maintained by David A. McMurrey. For information on use, customization, or
copies, e-mail [email protected] or call (512) 476-4949.

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