Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Chapter 16. Reporting on Projects

Because communication is such a large part of project management, reports are a mainstay for presenting project information to others. They’re also handy when you want to see what’s going on. During planning, reports show you what your schedule’s dates, costs, and resource workloads look like. Once the project is under way, you can use high-level reports to see whether the project is on track. If it isn’t, then more detailed reports help you find the problem spots.

Different audiences want different information. For example, teams like to know what tasks lie ahead. Executives, on the other hand, usually want a high-level view of the project’s progress and how it compares with the plan. They get concerned if project-related red flags are flying. Coming prepared with reports that show your plan for correcting the project’s course can keep status meetings on an even keel.

In Project 2013, graphical reports have taken the place of the text-based reports that were available in previous versions of the program. These new reports present project information in ways that are easy to digest. Graphical reports are easy to customize, too.

Project 2013 also offers visual reports, which use Excel pivot tables and Visio pivot diagrams to turn heaps of data into meaningful information. Moreover, visual reports can twist data around to show information from different perspectives. For example, from one angle, you may see tasks that are in trouble; but by turning the ...