Progress Report: Working Points

Organization:

I. Introduction

II. Body

Work AccomplishedWork RemainingAdjustment(s)

III. Conclusion

Organizational Options:

IV. Simple vs. Complex

Content:

V. Schedule and Budget

I. General Organization of Progress Reports

Introduction—should include the following:

1. Name and purpose of the project.2. Beginning and ending dates of overall project, and beginning and

ending dates of the portion of the project under discussion in this particular report.

3. Brief overview of progress to date.4. Any factors causing adjustment to the schedule or the budget.

II. General Organization of Progress Reports

Report Body—should include the following:

A Work Accomplished Section that

Names tasks completed during period under discussion;Gives dates when the tasks were accomplished;Explains any changes or adjustments made to schedule or budget.

A Work Remaining Section that

Names major remaining tasks;Gives dates when the remaining tasks are scheduled for completion;Anticipates any problems that might be encountered.

An Adjustments Section that

Describes any changes in performance that were made to better meet the schedule and/or budget for the project.

III. General Organization of Progress Reports

Report Conclusion—should focus on the following:

Overall evaluation of the progress made during current reporting period, being careful to label it as one of the following: excellent, good, fair, or poor.

If there have been several reporting periods already completed in addition to the current one, give an assessment of overall progress. This will not be true of the progress report due for this course.

Review of any factors causing the project not to be on schedule or within budget.

Note: Since the project of becoming an effective professional communicator does not involve a budget per se, feel free to think of the budget for this project as the grades which you receive for the various assignments and eventually for the entire course; these may be viewed a “payment” for work accomplished. Have the payments you have received been what you wanted them to be? Have you been under- or overfunded?

IV. Organizational Options for Progress Reports

Simple vs. Complex Organization

Simple organization follows the outline provided in the first slide of this presentation and should be the organization you follow for this assignment.

Complex organization follows the outline below for any future progress reports you may write:

Introduction

Body

Work accomplished prior to current work period Work accomplished during current work period Work to be accomplished in next work period Work to be accomplished during work periods after next one Adjustments made prior to current work period, if needed Adjustments occurring during current work period, if needed Adjustments anticipated, if needed

Conclusion