The document provides guidance on writing progress reports. It discusses the different types of progress reports, addressing questions readers have, and how to structure a report. Key points include that progress reports discuss the status of past and future work, results produced so far, whether the project is on schedule, and recommendations for next steps. The report should be brief, 1-2 pages, and focus on immediately useful details for the reader.

1. Progress Reports

2. Today’s Agenda
 Election Day
 Due Date Change
 Grades
 Progress Reports
 Structuring Your Presentation
 Writing Assignment

3. Election Day
 We’re going to end class early so you
can vote.

4. Due Date Change
 Progress Reports due Nov. 20th.

5. Grades
 I’ve been swamped with the election.
 You’ll have your memos back by
Thursday. Pinkie swear this time.
 Reports back by Tuesday.
 Revised projects back by Thursday

6. Progress Reports
 Generally fairly easy documents
 Discussing what’s going on
 Where you are

7. Progress Reports
 Two kinds
 Progress on a single project
 Progress on all of your projects

8. Concern with the Future
 Readers want to plan for the future
 Progress reports cover information in
the past
 How to manage other projects

9. Reader Questions
 What work does your report cover?
 What is the purpose of the work?
 Is your work progressing as planned?
 What results have you produced?
 What progress do you expect?
 How do things stand overall?
 What do you think we should do?

10. Superstructure
 Introduction
 Facts and Discussion
◦ Past Work
◦ Future Work
 Conclusions
 Recommendations

11. Defining Objectives
 Focus on the specific ways your
readers will use the information
 Determined by organizational
conventions

12. Research (?)
 Rarely need to conduct outside
research in order to develop a
progress report.
 “Research” is your own memory
 Make notes
 Brevity is key

13. Planning
 Write quickly.
 Plan a simple organization
 Chapter 26 has examples
 Very short report

14. Crafting - Introduction
 Address the first two questions
 What work does the report cover?
 What is the purpose of the work?
 May be able to skip the second
question based on the audience.
 Background information

15. Crafting – Facts and
Discussion
 Is your work progressing as planned?
 What results have you produced?
 What progress do you expect to
make?
 Compare what happened with plans
 Why are there discrepancies between
the two?

16. Crafting – Facts and
Discussion
 Brief reports are better
 Specific details
 Immediately useful details
 What can your reader use?

17. Crafting - Conclusions
 Overall views on the progress of your
report
 Short reports can skip this
 Longer reports on several projects
need this
 Can be placed in the introduction
 “Work is on schedule” or “work has
fallen behind”

18. Crafting - Recommendations
 Necessary
 What do we do with this information?
 What do you think we should do?
 Refocusing or altering your project

19. Tone
 Persuade readers you’re doing a good
job
 Don’t be too optimistic
 Be honest
 Stay credible.
 Be straightforward about problems.

20. Length
 Shorter is better
 Cover all the pertinent details
 1-2 pages, usually.

21. Structuring Your Presentation
 Structure around your progress report
 How are you doing so far?
 If you decided not to write about your
proposal, but about the instruction
manual, tell us why.
 What difficulty did you have?
 What made your work easier?

22. Writing Assignment
 Write the outline to your progress
report
 Answer the reader questions (next
slide)
 Use this to structure your progress
report

23. Reader Questions
 What work does your report cover?
 What is the purpose of the work?
 Is your work progressing as planned?
 What results have you produced?
 What progress do you expect?
 How do things stand overall?
 What do you think we should do?