Project Management Reporting Types & Tips

Project reporting in project management

Project reports may not be the most glamorous part of your job, but they do have the power to ensure projects finish according to plan. And stakeholders simply love when that happens! 😁

Let’s explore common types of project reports and how to make them work for you.

Types of project management reports

Project reporting involves more than simply communicating the latest project updates to your team and stakeholders. You can also use project reports to mitigate risk, monitor budgets and timelines, and build more accurate project plans.

Here are a few project reports you might find useful:

• Team availability report
• Status report
• Project health report
• Risk assessment
• Time tracking report
• Baseline reports

Team availability report example

If you want to build an accurate project plan, you need to know what resources you have available to get the job done. A team availability report shows you how much work each team member has on their plate so you can make smart resourcing decisions for your project.

Status report example

A weekly status report is an easy way to keep your team and stakeholders informed and manage expectations as a project progresses. We recommend reviewing these quick hits in your status report:

• Work that’s complete
• Work that’s coming up
• Overall project completion and budget spent
• Action items
• Project risks or issues

Here’s an example from TeamGantt’s free status report template:

Project health report example

A project health report provides a high-level snapshot of project status. It’s great for sharing on screen in meetings with your team and stakeholders so everyone knows at a glance what’s on schedule, what’s running behind, and what’s already overdue.

Risk assessment example

A risk assessment enables you to identify and categorize project risks based on their severity and likelihood of happening. That way you can prioritize issues and nip risk in the bud before it wrecks your project success.

Time tracking report example

A time tracking report gives you visibility into how much time your team is actually spending on project tasks so you can see how it tracks with your project estimate. This helps you spot potential budget overages before they happen and provides valuable insight for future project estimates.

Baseline report example

A baseline report compares your original timeline with your actual project timeline so you can learn from the past as you scope out future projects. It’s also handy for showing how changes or delays affect the overall project timeline.

Here’s an example of a baseline report that shows the planned timeline in gray and the actual timeline in blue.

Project management reporting best practices

Want to make the most of your project reports? Give these project reporting tips a try!

• Set a cadence. A reporting schedule establishes regular touchpoints so everyone knows when to expect—and perhaps even provide—important project updates. Just be sure you keep the lines of communication open between scheduled reports.
• Mind your data. A report is only as good as the information in it. Check that project details are current and correct before sharing reports with clients and stakeholders.
• Write to your audience. Clients and executive stakeholders don’t need to be bogged down by nitty-gritty project details. Keep it succinct with bullet points and avoid technical jargon so it’s a friendly read for everyone.
• Add visuals. A picture is worth a thousand words. Use charts and graphs when possible to make your report easy to digest.
• Be honest. If the project’s behind schedule or over budget, don’t shy away from mentioning it in your report. The sooner an issue comes to light, the sooner it can be resolved—and the more likely you are to win your client’s trust.
• Invite discussion. A project report should be a springboard for conversation, not a static document that’s set in stone. Create space for feedback and discussion so everyone’s on board with the project’s next steps.

Save time and effort on reporting with TeamGantt

Why spend hours digging through data to build custom reports for your projects? TeamGantt puts beautiful, ready-made reports at your fingertips. Best of all, your team can log progress in real time so you don’t have to chase down updates every time a report is due.

See how much time and effort you can save. Try TeamGantt for free today!