Progress Report Checklist

Introduction

This section should provide a quick overview of the report (Remember: you don't need one sentence for each item - one or two sentences total may suffice). These sections may be separate or combined.

___ Does it clearly state the purpose/context for the report?

___ Does it state the time period covered? Ex. "From October 24, 2000 through November 15, 2000").

___ Does it briefly and concretely summarize the project's current status? (Be as concrete as possible for your readers - instead of "on-schedule" say "we have completed 50% of our research, as scheduled.")

Background

This section serves to remind your audience of the key issues and goals of the project; it's particularly important if the audience must keep track of multiple projects and thus probably doesn't have the specifics of each one in mind at all times.

___ Does it briefly state the project (general topic, major points)?

___ Does it define your responsibilities/major tasks?

Body

This sections should explain what you've done so far, what needs to be done, what changes you've had to make, and what I can do to help

Does the report
___ Summarize what you should have done by this point?

___ Summarize what you have actually done to date (purpose and outcomes)? Be as concrete as you can in this section - include major sources and major findings and avoid vague comments like "things are going well" - after all, my definition of well and your definition may be different. Include numbers and percents as appropriate - I found 20 sources; I've read 35% of the articles I've collected; etc.

___ Summarize all problems encountered?

___ Explain how you plan to deal with those problems?

___ Request explicit assistance from the reader, if necessary?

___ Indicate whether or not you are on schedule?

___ Indicate any changes you have made to your schedule?

___ Provide clear, specific details about the work planned for the rest of the semester?

Conclusion

This section should recap "the big picture," keep the dialogue between writer and reader open, and point out any critical actions required on the reader's part.

___ Does the conclusion adequately summarize the project's current status?

___ Does it politely offer more information or assistance?

___ Does it summarize what the reader needs to do?

Format and Layout

The document design should make the information easily accessible.

___ Is the format correct?

___ Is the document initialed/signed as appropriate?

___ Does the document include appropriate headings and subheadings to make the organization clear and the information easy to find?

___ Does it use bullets and/or lists effectively?

___ Does each paragraph begin with a clear topic sentence?

___ Are the pages numbered, with appropriate headers and footers?

___ Does it include helpful illustrations where appropriate?

Style, Grammar, Mechanics

___ Is the writing concise and direct?

___ Is the tone appropriate?

___ Is it free of errors (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.) ?