1. complet eit prof essional.com http://www.completeitprofessional.com/tips/how-to-give-a-good-status-report/
How to Give a Good Status Report
by Ben on November 2, 2011 edit
If you have a manager at work – and let’s f ace it, most of us do – you’ll most
likely need to provide them with updates on the work that you’re doing. Whether
it’s assigned to you by them, or f rom someone else f rom another team or
project, you’ll get asked on the status of your work. Giving an ef f ective status
report is something that is underrated in the IT workplace, and if done well, your
manager will appreciate it.
Be Honest
The best thing you can do when giving a status report or status update on your
work is to be honest. It’s f ar better to tell your manager that you’re behind in your work, or you didn’t get it
done, than to be dishonest and try to cover it up by saying it’s on track or everything’s OK. You’ll get caught
out eventually if you try to cover it up or make it better than it is. If you’re honest with the progress, then
what’s the worst that can happen? Your manager may get upset or disappointed, but if they’re a half decent
manager they will work out how to f ix it or get back on track!
Being honest about the progress also includes estimating the ef f ort and work involved. An article on the
ability to under promise and over deliver provides some tips on one way to do this. Additionally, if you’re on
track so f ar but think it will take more time than you f irst through, mention this now. It’s better to know early
when you can all still do something about it, than when the task is actually due and it’s too late to change.
Don’t Give Too Much Unneeded Detail
If your boss walks past you and asks, “How’s that module testing coming along?”, don’t respond
immediately with a f ive minute spiel on how dif f icult it has been and what you’ve done to overcome a
particular problem you’ve had. Answer them with a level of detail that’s equivalent to the way they asked
you. In this case, if it’s a quick question as they walk past, a relatively short answer can be given. Something
like, “It’s coming along well, it was almost f alling behind but I worked something out and now it’s back on
track f or Friday”. The message they receive f rom that, is it’s all OK and a minor issue has been f ound and
resolved. If they want to know more inf ormation, like how much is lef t to do, what the issue is, or if there’s
another chance of delay, they can ask f or more inf ormation.
Alternatively, if your manager asks f or a written report on the progress of your development work f or later
in the day, it’s saf e to assume they want more than a quick answer to this. It’s still good to include a
summary, similar to the above point. Actually, it’s good to start with this. Then, you can move into f urther
detail if needed and highlight any problems or risks that you might be f acing.
Answer Their Questions
Bef ore you provide the status update, think about the question they’re asking. Try to answer it as best as
you can. You don’t want them to respond with “That’s good, but you haven’t answered my question”. If they
ask something like “That testing you’re doing – do you think getting another person to help will get it done
quicker?”, make sure you answer their question. Answering with “It’s going well, it should be done by Friday”,
will indicate how it’s going to them, but it won’t answer their question – will adding another person get it
done quicker? Bef ore you f inish talking or responding, make sure you’ve answered their question.
Use the Same Medium
2. Using the same medium essentially means providing an update to your work using the same method that
has been requested of you. There are many dif f erent ways to ask someone the progress of their work:
Ask them at their desk
Call them on the phone
Send them an email f or an inf ormal response
Ask f or a f ormal report
Ask them in a meeting
If someone asks you using a certain method, it’s usually because they want the status report delivered the
same way. Unless, of course, they explicitly say so. If you get an email asking f or an update on the status
of your development work, don’t walk to their desk and tell them, don’t call them and let them know – reply
to their email with your response. Likewise, if they call you and ask f or an update, let them know over the
phone. Same with other communication methods.
The exception to this is if they ask f or a specif ic way to be inf ormed. Your manager could call you and ask
you to email an update to them – in this case, send the email. Your manager could email you and ask you to
give a status update in your upcoming meeting. In this case – you guessed it – leave it to the meeting.
The reason f or this is to be consistent with your communication, and to be seen as someone who can and
knows how to give good status reports. It’s also seen to be considerate of requests by others – all
valuable things to know in the IT industry!
Be Proactive If Possible
If you’ve been given work to do by someone, it can be a good idea to let them know how it’s going bef ore
they ask – being proactive about your task. This doesn’t necessarily mean giving them updates every day
about it. It probably applies to cases where you’ve reached a milestone or a problem with the work.
If you’ve just reached a milestone or a main point of your work, it can be a good time to let your manager
know. If you’ve reached a delay or problem with your work, it’s a good time to let them know. If you have a
suggestion or a question about the work, let them know. It’s good to get in f irst and let your manager know,
bef ore they ask f or your status update. This can save time and make the work easier!
Well, there are a f ew tips on how you can give better status reports and progress updates f or your work –
to your manager, to other teams or other people. Do you have any other tips? Post your comments below!
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Prof essional!
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