What are we trying to achieve?
Start with the relevant milestone, output or outcome. Readers need to understand the reference point before they can interpret a variance. Make the baseline and the reporting period clear, and distinguish an approved commitment from a working forecast.
What has changed?
Identify the material changes since the previous report. A change in forecast, risk exposure or a critical dependency matters more than a long list of completed meetings. Describe the evidence behind the change and its significance for delivery.
What does the evidence tell us?
Show the source and limitations of the information you use. Separate confirmed progress from assumptions and estimates. When figures disagree, make that uncertainty visible rather than giving a false impression of precision.
What decision or action is needed?
Connect the information with a clear request. Identify the owner, the decision date and the consequence of delay. Where there are options, explain the trade-offs in terms the decision-maker can use.
How will we know the response worked?
Record the agreed action and how its effect will be reviewed. The next report should close the loop. This turns reporting into a connected management process and helps the team learn whether its responses are effective.
Take one question into your next conversation. Discuss it with a tutor, coach or colleague and consider the evidence that would help you answer it.