Project report

Most businesses have a number of projects in progress at any time. When any project is large or important enough to have a major effect on the business’s performance (profit or cash), there should be a separate report presented with the monthly management accounts. With such a report you can give the board an immediate appreciation of the project’s progress.

Budgeted balance sheet

As with all financial reports it should be on a single page for the board. The most effective way to do this is to use landscape format with the project budget in month-by-month summary across the page. Our Project Report presents not just the profit and loss for a project but the assets and liabilities (mini balance sheet), that is, how the project is being funded. Income is included net of VAT and discounts.

Actual v budget

Our project report shows the project budget in month-by-month summary form on the top half of the page and the actual results in the same format immediately below it. Our example shows a typical start-up situation, giving an immediate appreciation in the progress of the project against budget.