REPORT WRITING
Meaning of project report
Factors to consider in project report writing
Formats of a project report
Importance of project report presentation
Challenges faced in project report writing
A project report is a comprehensive document that provides a detailed account of a project’s
objectives, methodology, findings, and recommendations. It serves as a formal record of the
project; documenting its planning, execution, and outcomes. Project reports are commonly used
in academic, business, and research settings to communicate the progress and results of a project
to stakeholders, supervisors, or clients.
Factors to Consider in Project Report Writing
There are four questions one should ask before writing a report
1. Who is going to read the report/document (audience)?
2. What are the objectives of the report (purpose)?
3. What are the key points?
4. What is the best structure of the report (format)?
1. Know your audience
You must write your report in a way that is both easy to understand and relevant to their needs.
You must find out as much as possible about the audience and the following checklist will help
you:
What are their interests?
Is English their language?
Are they technical/business/non-special people?
Are they decision makers?
Can they gain anything from it?
What do they really want/need to know?
2. Objectives of the report
A strict objective may be given e.g. monthly financial reports showing project expenses versus
budget for the project and progress of the work. Such a report would consist of straight forward
facts with no conclusions or predictions. However, in practice, project report have wider
objectives but in a brief way and will be broad based because it will also include both those of
the project and those of project team and their predictions
3. Key points
Requires the exercise of judgment to decide what to include and what to leave out i.e. what is
relevant to the audience
4. Structure
Report contents are
a) Title: Should be clearly written, precise and concise i.e. direct and to the point
b) Introduction: Describes what the report is for, who the target is and the outcome expected
c) Executive summary/summary: Is a list of the main points of the report preferably in the
order they were presented in the main body of the document. Where appropriate, it
should include a summary of the conclusion as well
d) Body of the report/body: A series of sections, chapters or whatever is appropriate for the
scale of the report which includes the information in sufficient detail to meet the
requirements of the reader
e) Conclusions and recommendations: Are the key facts that have been narrowed down
at/laws/theories which should be put down together in a logical order, fashion to
underline the importance of the report.
f) Appendices: Background and specialists’ information in detail to support the main body
of the report. Typically, these include technical terms, statistical data, legal materials that
would either be too long and detailed
Factors Determining the Length of the Report
The length of the report will depend on
1. Organization policy
2. Contents requirement
3. Resources
4. Medium used
5. The reporter
6. Period
7. Purpose
Steps in Report Writing
Report writing is not an ad-hoc activity but a logical and systematic process that requires time
and resources because the idea behind reporting is to communicate. The following steps may be
suggested when writing a report:
1. Define the problem
2. Investigate the source of information
3. Gather the necessary information
4. Analyze the information
5. Organize the information
6. Write the report
Types of Reports
The following are some of the project reports that can be generated
1. Inception reports: Report produced within the first months after project launch. The main
purpose is to communicate with stakeholders and agencies
2. Progress reports: Reports produced periodically during implementation phase of the
project
3. Completion/final report: Written to give information about the completed project
4. Variance reports: Comparing actual results to baselines
5. Trend reports: Examining project results over time to see if performance is improving or
deteriorating
Importance of Project Report Presentation
The main purpose of report is to provide information for decision making or action, to inform,
recommend and propose. In summary the importance of report presentation include
1. Gives a list of lessons learnt and any recommendations for improvement
2. Report written at close regular intervals show the actual state of the project as compared
to the project plan
3. Reports help in crucial decision making i.e. to sustain or terminate a project
4. Are tools for communication with stakeholders and agencies
5. They can be kept and used for future reference/future work i.e. they act as sources of
information for literature review
6. Offers opportunity to receive feedback which can be valuable for improving your project
7. Presentation help clarify complex concepts and ideas i.e. through the use of charts,
graphs, and images.
Qualities of a Good Report
An effective report should meet the following characteristics:
1. Should be interesting and the form of communication should catch attention of the
audience
2. Should be understandable i.e. the language should be fit for the audience
3. A good report should be convincing i.e. should be an opinion of a few but a true picture
4. A good report should be timely i.e. it should be written immediately the project is
completed and given to readers on time
5. A good report should be participatory i.e. the community should decide on how and what
to communicate to other interested parties
6. Should be precise i.e. clear about the exact purpose
7. Should be relevant i.e. information in report should have bearing on central purpose
8. Clarity i.e. proper arrangement of facts
9. Simple and unbiased language
10. Reader oriented i.e. should consider target beneficiary
Challenges Faced in Report Writing
Writing a project report can come with its fair share of challenges. Some common challenges in
project report writing include
1. Project report writing is tedious and time consuming therefore the project team members
may at times take longer time waiting report at the expense of the actual project work
2. It is expensive in terms of stationary, typesetting, photocopying, printing etc
3. Choosing the structure to use may at times be difficult i.e. choosing structure that suits
the project sponsor
4. Lack of information or disjointed information which could be difficult to harmonize to
give a comprehensive report
5. Language barrier i.e. analyzing and interpreting data collected for the project oftentimes
is a challenge because of the language used in project management
6. Requirements for extra information i.e. the particular information that donor requires to
be provided with e.g. audited accounts
7. Lack of communication skills i.e. requisite social and communication skills to technically
express the project intentions and concept
8. Inadequate or limited resources e.g. getting people with technical skills required
9. Revision and editing is another challenge i.e. difficulty in catching all errors when
reviewing and editing the report for grammar, spelling, punctuation.