Good, regular project status reports are a very important way to ensure you and your projects are noticed. If you regularly make project status reports for all your projects, you will get noticed and be more likely to keep your job and get promoted.
At the start of your project, ensure you ask the client what kind of reports they want. Automate or standardise your client reports if possible. Ask the right questions to get the best results for you and for the client.
Manage with contracts to improve your project success. Define scope and roles clearly. Putting a lot of the project work out to contract is one way, with the benefit of being able to control the schedule and cost by applying contract terms. Or contract internally.
Projects often fail because the project team members are not clear on their roles and responsibilities. Make sure your project team members know what they are supposed to do with defined roles, clear role descriptions and briefs of what they should be doing.
Ensure your request for offer and also your offer documents list a single contact person for contacting for further details or clarifications.
Avoid problems later by checking early in the project who is responsible for what aspect of the project and who has authority to approve what. Document this.
Due dates are often not set clearly. Be specific with time based language. Specify the date and time something is due. This will reduce misunderstandings on when things are due.
Delays on projects are very common. Record the reasons for all project delays. Notify your client of delays in the project schedule as soon as possible, whether the delay is the clients fault or not.
Booking last minute meetings causes distraction, delays projects, slows people’s work, and doesn’t encourage good attendance. Schedule meetings with as much advance notice as possible.
Make your project definitions and acronym meanings very clear. Put them in an easy to find and easily accessible location for the project team.