Client reporting guide

Most client reports are written to prove effort. The ones that build trust report decisions, exceptions and what went wrong.

What clients actually want

Three things: is it on track, what needs a decision from me, and what has gone wrong. Everything else is padding that makes those three harder to find.

A report that leads with activity is answering a question the client did not ask, and it trains them to skim.

Client reporting guide, in three chapters

Report exceptions, not activity

A list of completed tasks says you were busy. A note saying phase two slipped four days because a dependency was late, and here is the effect on the date, says you are managing.

The second is shorter and considerably more reassuring, because it demonstrates you would have noticed.

Read next

Client reporting guide, answered.

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