Project status report for the client: how to prepare it

The status report is what the client reads about your project when they are not in it. For many clients it is the only window onto what happens over weeks, and so it decides more than it seems: trust, unpleasant surprises and even the renewal of the next job depend on how it is told. This guide explains what a good report should contain, how to structure it and how to avoid the mistakes that do the most harm.

What the report must answer

A client who opens your report wants to know, in this order:

1. How is it going? One honest sentence: on plan, with a controlled delay, or there is a problem that needs attention.
2. What has been done? What was finished since the last report.
3. What comes next? What will be done until the next report.
4. What worries me, or what do you need from me? Blockages, risks and pending decisions that depend on the client.

If the report answers those four things on one page, it does its job. Everything else is an extra that is almost never read.

Recommended structure

A short example

Subject: Project Atlas status – week 12

Hello Marta. This period the project is in line with the plan, with a minor delay in the item migration.

Progress: 54% (48% two weeks ago).

Completed: warehouse configuration; customer load validated.

Next steps: item load; preparing acceptance tests.

Points of attention: the item migration is three days behind because of the quality of the source data; we will recover it with a load in two batches.

We need from you: confirm the list of discontinued items before the 20th.

It is short, honest and actionable.

How to write it well

• Most important first. Whoever reads only the first paragraph must know whether there is cause for concern.
• Figures, not adjectives. "54% progress" says more than "good progress".
• Present problems with their plan. A problem accompanied by a solution builds trust; a hidden problem destroys it.
• Same format every time. If the client knows where to find each thing, they read it in two minutes.
• Only what the client needs. Internal discussions, costs and margins are not for them.
• Stick to facts. No promises you cannot keep and no attributions you cannot prove.

Common mistakes

1. Reports that only describe activity ("work has been done on configuration") instead of results and status.
2. Systematic optimism, followed by a surprise. The client prefers an early warning of a small delay to a big delay all at once.
3. Too long. If the status has to be searched for over four pages, it is not read.
4. Internal data by oversight: costs, margins or comments about the client that should not go out.
5. Sending it without reviewing it. Even more so if a tool wrote it.

How it works in PjMan

PjMan's assistant can prepare the draft for you with the project's real data:

1. Ask for it in the assistant panel: "Prepare the client status report". You can add the period (from 7 to 31 days, 14 by default) and the language ("in German"). (Status, forecast and client report)
2. You get an email draft on a card marked Draft, with subject and body: greeting (to the client's contact, if there is one), summary, progress, completed in the period, next steps, points of attention and, only if needed, what is required from the client.
3. The model does not invent the figures: PjMan calculates them with the same rules as the rest of the application (weighted progress, hours, overdue tasks), and the assistant reports them. It uses only a closed list of project fields and never internal descriptions or the content of communications.
4. By default it does not include internal data: no costs, no margins, no expenses, no notes. If you need them, an explicit button, Include internal data, requests the report again with that section, and the card warns you to review it before sending.
5. Copy, review and send it yourself. The Copy button puts the subject and body on the clipboard. PjMan does not send emails for you, and the card reminds you of that.

It is a read-only request: it changes nothing in the project and asks for no confirmation. You need to see the whole project (owning PM, project management or organisation-wide visibility). To back it up with data, the Reports screen compares the progress of your projects and breaks down hours and issues. (Reports)

You can also ask for a follow-up meeting preparation with pending agreements, decisions to make and risks, and then record what was discussed in the minutes.

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Frequently asked questions

How often should I send the report? The frequency should be agreed with the client. On running projects, every one or two weeks is usual.

Should I include the hours? Only if the client pays by the hour or has asked for them. Otherwise progress and milestones are usually enough.

What do I do if the news is bad? Say it early, with data and with a plan. It is what protects the relationship most.