Some monthly reports are long on slides and short on information: tasteful charts, the word "momentum," and at the end you know as much as you did before you opened it. Whether that's bad writing or something else, a vague report leaves you unable to judge the work.
The five questions every report must answer
- What shipped? Actual work, with links — not categories of activity.
- What's in progress, and what is it waiting on? (If the answer is "your approval," it should say so clearly.)
- What did it cost, compared with what was agreed?
- What did we learn, and what did we decide because of it?
- What do you need from me next, and by when?
Warning signs
- "Momentum," "traction," "building" — verbs doing the work nouns should.
- Charts with no denominators and graphs that start wherever flatters.
- Activity counts with no links to the actual work.
- A report you couldn't forward to your accountant with a straight face.
Boring on purpose
A good report is almost dull: what shipped, what's next, what it cost, what was decided, what's needed. The interest belongs in the work, not the reporting.
See how we plan the work, ask for your approval, and report what's done and what's next.