Some I can spot what will make a report more readable for them and change accordingly e.g. only highlight issues rather than also what is going well, even change file format from Word to PPT – but some just hate them all.

For this kind I tend to first try ringing them to walk through the report, but if I still get resistance for attention I’ll acknowledge to them I can see the reports are a little methodical and detailed, but also highlight their importance.

At this point I wont try to push it much more, but I will continue to send through on a weekly basis no matter what!!!

I assure you when an issue arises around budget, time or scope, being able to point to a report where the warning or trigger was highlighted is great leverage in a negotiation.

I will not let a client stop me from best practice PM processes. They can ignore the reports if they like, but they serve more purpose than just adhering to a process or “wasting time on admin”.

I have a nice little template that I use for more complex and long projects, which incorporates overall status on key areas (scope, schedule, issues, resources, budget), and has sections for milestones, risks, CRs, budget and invoicing summaries. It’s a lot of information to convey so I use traffic light colour-coding for the status so you can see at a glance if things are good or bad.

For other clients, particularly those that have lots of small projects, we use a WIP report instead of a big status report. The WIP report is more of a programme report, which summarises the status of each, and the upcoming actions and any issues.

The trick is knowing what level of reporting is appropriate for each project/client.

@David, you’re not… and so you’re very welcome. It really has saved me loads of headaches too! But it’s harder than it sounds to remain disciplined enough to send them every week.