[SI Developer Story] 07. Weekly Report Story

SI Developer Story
#7. Weekly Report Story

Basically, SI projects involve developing programs as requested by the client company.

Therefore, client companies conduct weekly reports every week to assess the progress of the work and monitor whether the performing company is doing its job properly.

Weekly reports include the following contents.

The weekly report includes the following contents.

• Work done this week
• Work to be done next week
• Progress rate based on WBS
• Special circumstances

Roughly speaking, it shows what you did this week, what you will do next week, and whether the work is behind schedule or proceeding smoothly based on the WBS (schedule).

If you meet a kind client, you can find a way to adjust even if the schedule is delayed, and resolve it through discussion. However, if you meet a devilish client, you may feel like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse when submitting the weekly report.

Therefore, when writing the contents of the weekly report, avoid using development-related terminology and write it in an easy-to-understand manner, even for non-IT personnel. Also, exaggerate what you actually did. If the client, who doesn't understand the content of the work, starts bombarding you with questions, you will lose precious development time.

Furthermore, these weekly reports accumulated week after week are included in the deliverables at the end of the project and serve as evidence to defend yourself if any problems arise. For example, if a situation arises where the client agreed to do something, the client's signature on the agreed contents in the weekly report serves as evidence to prove it. Therefore, be sure to accurately record the agreed contents and schedule-related information and obtain the client's signature.

Weekly reports are mostly written by the PM, but in my case, I started writing them after more than a year and reported directly to the client. Fortunately, I met kind clients, and most of the weekly reports went smoothly, but the initial burden was indescribable. Therefore, if you are a newbie, understanding the necessary wording for weekly reports, the knack of organizing the work content, etc., in advance will prepare you for the day you have to write them yourself in the future.