Each employee in an organization is ultimately accountable to a superior manager. Part of this accountability demands that he drafts and submits a daily report to his line manager. The report thus serves to keep the line manager abreast of the status of the tasks at hand.
It briefs him of the progress of the ongoing projects and lays bare the work plans for the day that follows. Its benefits stretch beyond that. This report may also be relied on by a boss to keep track of the progress of the employees. That way, he will find it a bit easier to appraise the said employee and make any subsequent decisions wisely.
How To Write A Daily Report
Structure the report appropriately
A daily report does not differ any significantly from the business report. As such, it should bear the same structure and tone as that report. Place your full names and department so as to let the supervisor know where exactly the report is emanating from. Lastly, place a header at the top right-hand side of the report to demonstrate in brief the contents of the report that follows.
Summarize the feats and milestones of the day
Now, move on to summarize the feats and milestones you have achieved in the day. In case you are handling an ongoing project, you have to demonstrate here, the progress you have made on that particular day. Highlight any major achievements you have made or serious drawbacks you have encountered on that day with regards to the project at hand.
Outline your planned activities going forward
In this section, you have to spell out the activities you wish to engage in, going forward. These include the planned activities that are more likely to yield the desired outcomes you are yearning for. For fairness’ sake, you have to also point out any problems you might encounter in the course of implementing the tasks. This is to make it possible for you to confront it realistically.
Highlight any Issues and Comments
It is not uncommon for issues and problems to arise in the course of work or implementation of a given issue. Thus, it is only fair that you dedicate a segment of the report to that very reality. These, you shall do, at this stage. Here, you highlight any misgivings on the part of the employees with regard to the ongoing project. Make any suggestions that may possibly remedy the issues.
Appraise the progress so far
As the last approach, you should also appraise your progress thus far. By ‘appraise’ we mean assessing the value of the work you have done. Weigh it against the overall quality that is desired or targeted by the company overall. That way, it will be possible for you to take appropriate steps towards implementing the company’s objectives.
What to Include in Your Daily Report
- The name of the writer or junior employee
- The identity of the line manager or supervisor
- The department from which the report is drafted
- Details about the state of the project at hand
- A list of the resources that are being used to tackle the task
- The amount of time that is allotted to the project
- The progress of the tasks and the accomplishments arrived at thus far
- Any problems that may have arisen on that day
- Some of the ways to mitigate those issues going forward
Mistakes to Avoid When Sending Your Daily Report
- Failing to structure the report as need be
- Overlooking the importance of the address and department
- Using the wrong tone and language
- Hurrying the research and project preparation phase
- Overuse of colors and graphics
- Not meeting the desired lengths and word count
CONCLUSION
There you have them! You now know the pitfalls to avoid in your next report-preparation tasks. With this information in your arsenal, we believe that you can now move with confidence to make a good daily report.
