Check that the report shows what the client got this period, in plain words, with links. Check that anything they need to approve or decide is at the top. Check that every deliverable in the scope is accounted for, that delays are stated with dates, and that there is no internal jargon. Then read it as the client.
The report that gets a one-line reply
"Thanks. So where are we on the website?" That reply means the report did not do its job. The client could not find the answer. Everything else in the report was wasted.
Client reports exist to answer the client's questions before they ask them. Here is how to check that yours does.
The six checks
1. What they got is first and concrete
Not "progress on design." Instead, "The homepage design is ready for your review (link). The About page design is drafted and will be ready Thursday." Things with links.
2. Anything they need to do is at the top
Approvals, decisions, files you are waiting for. If the client needs to act, that goes in the first lines with a date. Buried asks do not get answered.
3. Every item in the scope is accounted for
Go down the scope list. Each deliverable should appear as done, in progress with a date, not started with a date, or paused with a reason. A deliverable that is missing from the report looks forgotten, even if it is not.
4. Delays are stated plainly, with dates
"The signup flow is one week behind because the payment provider's sandbox was down for three days. New date: June 27." Clients handle delays well. They handle surprises badly. More on this.
5. No internal language
"Sprint," "ticket," "staging," "component library," "QA pass." The client may not know these words, and they should not have to. Translate: "being tested," "the draft version of the site," "the reusable design pieces."
6. Hours and money match what they expect
If the report shows hours or budget, check them against the contract. A retainer at 28 hours used of 20 included needs a sentence, not a surprise in the table.
Then read it as the client
Open it on your phone. You are busy. You have forty seconds. Do you know what you got, what is next, and what you have to do? If not, move things until you do.
Example
A design agency's monthly report was four pages of workstream updates. The check found: the client's approval of the homepage was requested on page three; two scope items (the email templates) were not mentioned at all; and the word "sprint" appeared nine times.
The rewrite put the approval request first, added a line for the email templates ("not started, scheduled for July"), and replaced the jargon. The client approved the homepage the same day and did not ask about the templates, because the report had already answered.
Where M-Tracker fits
In M-Tracker, client work lives in a project with each deliverable as a task. Client reports can be built from that record, so every scope item is accounted for automatically, and sent to the client for approval through a link, so sign-off on each deliverable is recorded. Deliverables were checked against their briefs before they were marked done, so what the report shows the client is work that already matches what they asked for.
Make it fast
Paste the report and the scope list into the client report checker. It checks for missing deliverables, buried asks, jargon, and delays without dates.
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