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Throughout my design career, reports were mandatory for progress monitoring but always felt mechanical and exhausting. For example:
Your manager guides you, sometimes micromanaging by asking what's on your plate, how much you've finished, when you'll complete each task, and more.
Once a quarter, you fill out tons of forms and answer dozens of bizarre questions about your mental state and engagement 😬.
Does this seem familiar? This corporate approach makes reporting exhausting, and I doubt anything good will come from it.
I can prove that reports aren't so bad. In fact, they help you work better on projects and boost your career. So how can we create a positive reporting experience:
Change Direction — Instead of waiting for your manager to ask for updates, create your own reporting channel. Set up a dedicated space in your team messenger (Slack or Discord) and write daily reports on your workload and progress.
You take the lead instead of waiting for instructions, then show your manager to confirm you're on the right track. Bonus: you cut down on sync meetings with your manager.
Create Structure - Your report should be clear and easy to skim. Avoid a random reporting style, this adds complexity. Here's my approach, but feel free to customize the structure for your needs:
By telling your manager what current status on your project, what works, what doesn't, you direct them. You take greater ownership over your projects and your career.
There are clear benefits for a business, allowing managers to spend more time on higher-leverage tasks instead of following up with reports or tracking down work.
Efficient, responsible individual contributors who quickly operationalize solutions are more likely to be promoted, invested in, and trusted with key projects.