Thanks to the weekly status report, subordinates can send their summary of activities to their manager, to stay on top of things and be more productive.
The aim of weekly status reports is to allow employees to discuss their performance, and even highlight any requirements that they need, for the immediate attention of management, but must also remain clear and be delivered on time. The objective of the weekly report is to provide communication in an informative, honest and straightforward format. Top level management will really appreciate the key benefits of weekly status reports, as they can use the reports towards appraising how useful employees are, time management in meeting deadlines, and overall work ethic of the business as a whole.
There is a simple procedure to follow for preparing the best weekly report you can, and some examples are provided below:
For Marketing and Sales
1. Market/Sales Update.
2. On-going Projects and Milestones.
3. Dialog and discussions with existing and potential customers.
4. Market Trends and Diversification.
5. Sales figures relative to the business plan.
6. Customer complaints and feedback.
7. Summary
For Manufacturing
1. Weekly Accomplishments.
2. Projected Goals and Timelines.
3. Potential Risks in Meeting Objectives.
4. Staffing Requirements
5. Quality System Compliance
6. Training
7. Summary
Businesses can see in an instant overall progress, by reviewing the weekly summaries of what has already been achieved, and the next week’s lists detailing what is still required and forecast for the future. Some general rules apply for what can be added into a weekly report:
1. Get to the point immediately
2. If recommendations are included, summarize the logical steps towards resolution.
3. Do not include any biased statements or personality conflicts
Being able to see where minor changes can lead to significant improvements in a company, as well as simply creating a better overall awareness of business activities and progress within an organization, are the biggest reasons why weekly status reports are so essential. All businesses have the same general aim of survival into the future, that is to say that maintaining competition, profit generation and overall growth in the marketplace are all first and foremost in order for the business to operate.
Project status reports will not only serve to show to managers how your department has performed, but are also stored in the project management system on an individual basis, meaning managers can see how well you have performed at a glance.
Tags: project management, project management software, project management system, project status report, status reporting, status reports, team management, team management software, team management system, weekly status report
