Catalog

5.11 Progress Reporting

Quarterly or monthly progress reports should be prepared and used as a tool for managing and monitoring the project. Progress reports on the project are essential to allowing ADB, the EA, and other key project personnel to monitor the project. These reports should be concise, accurate, and issued in a timely manner.

In preparing the project progress reports, actual developments during project implementation should be compared with projections made during detailed planning. If actual developments vary from the original expectations, the reasons must be determined so that corrective action can be taken as soon as possible. The reports must be up-to-date, show deviations from original estimates, and identify potential problem areas. The reports are a tool to assess how the benefits flowing from the project compare with its costs, and whether benefit flows correspond with original expectations.

While the kind of information needed in progress reports will vary between projects and sectors, the reports should usually include summaries of

• tasks completed since the previous reporting period;
• tasks planned for the next reporting period;
• main issues and any deviations from schedule, with proposed remedial actions;
• project expenditure and loan disbursements;
• financial progress compared with the budget;
• compliance with loan covenants; and
• action points required by each party (consultant, contractor, EA, and ADB).