Reading

Unlike emails which are often quite brief and may be written and sent quickly, business reports in general are longer texts which convey a large amount of information (in summary form) and require careful preparation and presentation in order to ensure readers gain the information they need in the shortest amount of time.

Reports may be both long and short: long reports are often written after a significant period of time, for instance an annual report to present a company’s performance over 12 months, or an annual appraisal report on an employee; short reports, between 1 and 6 pages, are more common and are written more frequently. Progress reports, also known as status reports, fall into this category.

Progress reports are usually written in a formal and impersonal style. Although the layout may vary depending on the type and amount of information that is needed, progress reports should, in any case, be well-organised and present information in a logical way. Whether written for management, colleagues or an outside audience such as a client, progress reports should be easy to read and give an overview of a situation, enabling readers to understand the situation quickly – readers should be able to focus on the specific parts of the progress report which may be more relevant for them.

Below is an example of a progress / status report. Notice the use of subheadings and bullet points to divide up the information into readable chunks. Such reports often come in the form of a template which the project manager completes on a weekly / monthly basis. Traffic–light colour coding may also be used to indicate the status of the different parts of the project, with green indicating that everything is progressing as planned, orange suggesting that there are delays or some issues, and red meaning that the project is likely to be in danger of failure or collapse. Progress reports may also include financial details and report on whether the project remains within budget.