Audience
First, analyze your audience to help you determine what information to include and what tone to use.
• How are my readers connected to this project? How will its outcome affect them?
• What decisions will my readers need to make after reading the progress report?
• What information do they need to have in order to oversee this project effectively?
• How much do the readers know about the technical aspects of the project?
• Are my readers comfortable using the technical jargon of my industry?
Now, determine the best way to communicate with your audience. Progress reports can take different forms.
• Brief oral reports at weekly or monthly staff meetings
• Periodic emails to colleagues
• Memos to supervisors
• Formal reports for clients or government agencies
Chances are your supervisors will have specified which form they want. If they haven’t, you may want to ask
them about their preferences. If you’ll be producing multiple progress reports, or if several divisions of an
organization will be producing similar reports, you may want to create a template to follow, so information
will be presented the same way each time.
If you’re producing an internal report for a colleague or supervisor, it may be acceptable to adopt a less
formal tone. You should use a more formal tone, and possibly explain more of the technical jargon
associated with the project, when reporting to an outside audience, such as a group of investors or clients.
As with any kind of business or technical communication, though, your tone should always be courteous and
professional.
Convey information clearly and simply. Always be specific, direct, and honest.
Consider whether you should present your progress report as a narrative or a bulleted list. Also, would using
color, headings, graphs, or tables make your report easier to understand? Would it help to highlight new
information in bold or a particular color?