The Library: Elective Studies: Project Management

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Make status reports more efficient and easier to read with a few simple formatting techniques.

High Status

Anyone involved with project management knows the drudgery of writing status reports. Although time-consuming and repetitive, they are ultimately your only proof of progress.

Are they even read? Perhaps not, but there are some things you can do to make them more accessible, and even more useful: two ways to get them read! Selective formatting of your report can do both.

Clearly, no single status report format will work: every project is different from every other one. Whether you want or need dashboards, line charts, Gantt charts, or simple iconic graphics to display status, you already know what the structure of your report is like.

Some formatting tricks can make them stand out. For example, consider this typical piece of a status report:

Team One is ahead of schedule on the Alpha component. Team Two is behind schedule on the Bravo component due to an improperly installed CT, meaning that Operations should verify whether it was installed that way at the factory or is it something we did? Team Three is on schedule on Charlie and Delta, and we should be staging Echo sometime in the next two weeks for them. If Team Four finishes Foxtrot on schedule, we can have them go help Three on Delta.

This is likely to have the reader skim lazily over the text, not really getting anything out of it. Consider a simple change of formatting:

Team One is ahead of schedule on Alpha.
Team Two is behind schedule on Bravo. Cause: improperly installed CT. Operations: verify whether CT is factory problem or Team Two problem.
Team Three is on schedule on Charlie and Delta. Team: stage Echo w/in 2 wks?
Team Four is on schedule on Foxtrot. Team: have Four help Three w/Echo?

Even though this project status is purely fictional, it was probable that you can now follow the logic and identify the key elements—even without knowing what this project is or what its goals are.

The use of bold text catches the eye, and serves to introduce a key component of the status report (in this case, the four teams). You can find which piece you’re looking for very quickly.

The use of italic text helps to provide emphasis. The key status words are italicized, so that you can quickly determine what’s on schedule, ahead, or behind. You practically don’t need to read the rest.

The use of underlined text is there to identify action items, or call attention to specific readers.

Note that the use of bullets breaks up the text: related or supporting information is captured in the same bullet—for example, the explanation behind Team Two’s status. No one probably cares why the other teams are on schedule or ahead of schedule (in most cases), but the natural curiousity is to anything not meeting the plan. Rather than use a complex or wordy explanation, the facts are presented quickly, followed by an action item to investigate.

There is no standard for this type of approach: you can use font colors, or different formats for different items. The important rule is to keep them consistent so that people can see the logic.

Be careful with colors: photocopied reports will make them look uniformly gray.

Resist the urge to use different typefaces. On a busy page, it may be hard for people to pick out the Arial from the Times Roman if they’re about the same size.

The use of bold, italic, and underlined text works well regardless of font and photocopies well. It is also largely supported by most email applications—for those who can submit reports electronically.