4.4Visual reports & dashboards
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Project includes ready-to-use visual reports (Report tab): Overview, Dashboard, Costs, Progress, Resources — dynamic pages mixing charts, tables and indicators.
- These reports can be customized (add or remove elements, change fields) to match your own steering indicators.
- You export to Excel (pivot tables) or Visio for tailor-made analysis; the report is the communication deliverable that turns planning into decisions.
Running mini-case — Meriem prepares her reporting for management
Meriem, project manager in an engineering & construction (BTP) company in Algiers, must present the status of the extension project to the executive committee. A 200-row Gantt chart would be unreadable: she opens the Report tab and starts from the built-in “Dashboard” report. She customizes it — she removes a not-very-useful chart, highlights milestones and costs — to match the indicators management expects. For a detailed analysis requested by management control, she then exports the data to Excel for a pivot table. She remembers the reflex: stay in Project for routine reporting (live data) and export for tailor-made work; a good report is readable by non-specialists.
Standalone case for this section: it returns in the course, the diagram, the script and the 48h challenge of section 4.4.
1. Built-in reports
Steering also means communicating. Project includes ready-to-use visual reports (Report tab): Overview, Dashboard, Costs, Progress, Resources… These are dynamic pages mixing charts, tables and indicators, updated in real time. You can customize them (add or remove elements, change fields) to match your own indicators.
2. Export and communicate
To go further, you export to Excel (tailor-made analyses via pivot tables) and to Visio (diagrams). These reports are the reporting deliverable intended for the team, the sponsor or management: good reporting turns planning into decisions, in a format readable by non-specialists.
3. Working vs communicating
A view (the Gantt chart) is the working space: you build and modify the schedule there. A report is a communication deliverable: a formatted page, designed to be presented rather than edited. In practice, Meriem works in views and communicates through reports — always adapting the level of detail to her audience.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — Working vs communicating
Two complementary uses, as Meriem distinguishes them:
View (Gantt) : WORK space, you edit.
Report : COMMUNICATION deliverable, you present.
-> for a committee: Dashboard or Timeline > detailed Gantt.Reading: the view is for working; the report is for communicating, in a format readable by non-specialists.
Lesson: you stay in Project for routine reporting and export (Excel/Visio) when the analysis goes beyond native reports.
Section vocabulary
- Report (Project)
- Dynamic page (Report tab) mixing charts, tables and indicators, generated from project data.
Simple example: Meriem opens the “Dashboard” report.
What it is not: a simple Gantt editing view.
Reflex: communicate status → a report.
- Dashboard
- Synthetic report combining key indicators (progress, costs, milestones) for an overview.
Simple example: Meriem presents a dashboard to the committee.
What it is not: the detailed list of all tasks.
Reflex: overview → the dashboard.
- Custom report
- Report created or adapted by the user (fields, charts, formatting) according to their needs.
Simple example: Meriem removes a chart and highlights milestones.
What it is not: a built-in report left as is.
Reflex: adapt to your indicators → a custom report.
- Visual report (Excel/Visio)
- Export of data to Excel (pivot tables) or Visio (diagrams) for external analysis.
Simple example: Meriem exports to Excel for a pivot table.
What it is not: a report kept internal to Project.
Reflex: tailor-made analysis → Excel/Visio export.
- Reporting
- Structured communication of project status (progress, risks, costs) to stakeholders.
Simple example: Meriem prepares the monthly reporting.
What it is not: an informal note without figures.
Reflex: inform stakeholders → reporting.
In practice — In practice — Produce reports and dashboards
- Explore the built-in reports (Report tab > Dashboard, Costs, Progress, Resources), as Meriem does.
- Customize a report: add or remove charts, change the displayed fields and the formatting.
- Export to Excel (Report > Visual Reports) for a pivot table analysis, or to Visio.
- Prepare a synthetic dashboard for the sponsor (progress, milestones, costs, risks).
Step-by-step script — reporting like Meriem (4 min)
1) Open the Report tab and browse the built-in reports (Dashboard, Costs, Progress). 2) Choose the “Dashboard” report and customize it (remove a chart, highlight milestones). 3) Adapt the level of detail to the audience (synthesis for management). 4) For a detailed analysis, export to Excel (pivot tables) or Visio. 5) Check that the report is readable without explanation by a non-specialist.
Simple rule: stay in Project for routine reporting (live data), export when the analysis goes beyond native reports.
Copy-paste template — my reporting sheet
Built-in : Report tab (Dashboard, Costs, Progress, Resources)
Custom : add/remove elements, change fields
Export : Excel (pivot tables) / Visio (diagrams)
Audience : synthesis for management, detail for the team
Rule : work in views, communicate via reports.Built-in report
Meriem starts from the “Dashboard” report provided by Project.
Custom report
Meriem removes a useless chart and highlights the key milestones.
Excel export
Meriem exports to Excel for a pivot table requested by management control.
Adapted reporting
Meriem prepares a synthesis readable by non-specialists for management.
✓ Best practices
- Start from the built-in reports, then customize.
- Export to Excel for tailor-made analysis.
- Adapt the report to the audience (synthesis for management).
✗ Common pitfalls
- Presenting a detailed Gantt chart where a dashboard would suffice.
- Sending a raw .mpp to someone who does not have Project.
- Multiplying exports instead of using live reports.
Key takeaways
- Project offers dynamic built-in reports (Dashboard, Costs, Progress, Resources).
- They mix charts, tables and indicators, up to date in real time, and can be customized.
- You export to Excel (pivot tables) and Visio for external analyses.
- Good reporting turns planning into decisions, readable by non-specialists.
48h challenge — apply it tomorrow
Like Meriem, open the Report tab and start from a built-in report (e.g. Dashboard). Customize it (remove an element, highlight a milestone, change a field) to adapt it to your audience, then export a version to Excel for a pivot table analysis. Explain in one sentence why you keep routine reporting in Project and export only for tailor-made work.
- I choose the right built-in report for my need.
- I customize a report according to my audience.
- I know when to export to Excel or Visio.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Project's “reports” and “views”?
A view (such as the Gantt chart) is your working space: you build and modify the schedule there. A report is a communication deliverable: a formatted page, mixing charts and tables, designed to be presented (management, client) rather than edited. In practice: you work in views, you communicate through reports. For a committee, a “Dashboard” report or a Timeline is far more telling than a detailed Gantt chart.
Is it better to make reports in Project or export to Excel?
Both have their place. Built-in reports are fast, always up to date and sufficient for standard reporting. You export to Excel for tailor-made analysis: cross-reference the data differently (pivot tables), apply specific calculations or integrate the figures into company reporting. Visio is for diagrams. Rule: stay in Project for routine reporting; export when the analysis goes beyond native reports.
What are Project reports (Report tab) used for?