Say goodbye to frustrated clients

Effective communication is crucial for the success of any software project. Without it, your clients get frustrated, projects run over budget, and deadlines are missed. It can lead to misunderstandings and confusion. It’s important to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of the project's goals and timelines, as well as the project's current state. This can help avoid miscommunication and ensure the project stays on track. By getting everyone on the same page, the team can work together more efficiently and effectively, and increase the chances of delivering a high-quality product that meets your client's needs.

To ensure everyone is on the same page, your status reports touch on four key areas:

1. Project progress
2. Issues & Risks
3. Next Steps
4. Metrics & Key Performance Indicators

Let’s examine the details of each of these.

Project Progress

When reporting on progress for your software project in the last sprint of a software project, you need to provide a clear and concise overview of what was accomplished. This should include a list of tasks or features that were completed, as well as any work that is still in progress. It can also be helpful to provide details about the progress that has been made toward the completion of each feature, such as the percentage of completion or the amount of time that has been spent on it. Additionally, it can be useful to highlight any notable achievements or milestones that were reached during the sprint.

Issues and Risks

You should always include an overview of any challenges or problems that have arisen since the last report. This might include technical issues, such as bugs or performance problems, as well as project-related risks such as changes in scope or delays in delivery. It can be helpful to provide details about each issue or risk, such as the impact it has had on the project, the actions that have been taken to address it, and any ongoing efforts to resolve it. Additionally, it's important to provide an assessment of the likelihood and impact of each issue or risk, as well as any contingency plans that have been put in place to mitigate their effects on the project.

Next Steps

It's important to provide a clear and concise overview of what tasks or features are planned for the next reporting period. This might include a list of the specific tasks or features that are planned, as well as any dependencies that need to be addressed in order to move forward with them. It can also be helpful to provide an estimate of the time and effort that will be required to complete each task or feature, as well as any risks or challenges that might impact their progress. Additionally, it can be useful to provide an overview of the overall project plan, including any key milestones or deadlines that are coming up in the near future.

Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

While the project team needs the above three items, your status reports will be circulated to people outside the project team as well. For them, it’s important to provide information that gives a clear picture of the progress and efficiency of the project. This can include metrics such as team velocity, budget consumed, and investment per sprint. By tracking resource utilization, project managers and team members can make adjustments as needed to ensure that the project stays on track and within budget. While a scorecard or chart is helpful to visualize this information, it is also helpful to provide a written summary or explanation of the data to give context and highlight any significant trends or changes.

Getting on the same page with your clients and team is important because it helps to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of expectations. This can help to prevent misunderstandings, miscommunications, and conflicts, which can all lead to delays and other problems. By getting on the same page, team members can work more efficiently and effectively towards the common goal, resulting in a better outcome for the project. Additionally, getting on the same page can help to establish trust and respect among team members, which is critical for building a strong, collaborative team.

Engage Can Help

Engage is a client expectation management tool that can ensure your clients aren't frustrated by providing better client portals, scorecards, and status reporting.  Give it a try.  It's free for your first 3 projects!