If you ever wondered how to make production reports more accessible and efficient, you came to the right place! Whether we like it or not, production reports are something that the clients want to receive.

It may be daily or weekly, but in the end – the clients want to know what is going on with their orders. And rightfully so! They have probably paid you a fair amount of money to get the service/product. Additionally, you can create this kind of report even if the client does not request it. It will help you to keep track of the progress.

Well then, if you want to find some way to organize your product reports – you are in luck! In this article, we go deep into this fascinating world of production reports!

We will discuss its benefits, why it is essential to have a template for those, and what elements should be included in the daily production report template. With that in mind, let’s dive in!

But first, let’s go over the software that is best suited for this kind of job. Ultimately, depending on the client and order, you will have to manage delicate data with many functions overlapping. 

In that case, we highly recommend using Microsoft Office. It is the best software that allows you to combat potential problems and gives your daily production reports an element of professionalism that other software lack.

This template is for the most advanced production reports you’ll ever look at. In essence, even looking at it may sometimes break your mind. But – it is a highly detailed tool that will allow you to track the order and give your client some in-depth information. It is that well structured.

So, if you have many products you need to speak for, this tool will make it much easier and cleaner. Worth a shot for sure. It is not recommended for a smaller project, though, as it will be too overwhelming. 

You can download this template for free at OnlineClothingStudy.org.

Production Report Template #2

On the other hand, this template is much easier on the eyes. It is best suited for regular, daily reports for a medium/small company with similar services. The best thing about this template is the fact that it shows you a lot of information in a concise way.

If you have some smaller projects that are not that advanced or do not want to put too many details into your production report, this will work exceptionally well for you.

You can download this template for free at SamplesTemplates.Org.

Production Report Template #3

The third and last production report on our list is also for the more minor needs, but it is not to be underestimated. Thanks to its clear divide between different columns, it fits the invoice-like design of various office documents.

In this template, everything is clear as a day, and you really can’t go wrong with choosing this one for sure.

You can download this template for free at Report-Templates.org.

So, now that we know what kind of software is best to create a well-crafted production report let’s go over some details. Mainly, we need to define what is the topic of our conversation. 

A production report usually refers to a document detailing what tasks were undertaken to fulfill the client’s order. It can be sent in bulk via e-mail or on request. You can also just create those to keep track of your production progress.

You may think now – well, it is an analytics report. Why is it called differently if it does the same thing in the end? Although some people may use the terms loosely, it is not the same.

The main difference between those two is that a report only states what is happening and gives you an unbiased version of the information.

On the other hand, analytics is the work of someone who compiles all the data and then analyzes it, meaning – it processes all the information. It presents some personal or logical effects of said data. Whether those would be subjective or objective, it’s a different story.

Production Report - Is It Necessary?

As with most things in life – it depends on many different factors. The most important being – did the client demand that we provide such a document? If not, we could if it is within our policy. We can also create an in-house document to track what we are working on and see the progress.

Should You Implement It?

If you want to implement a production report in your company, consider all the facts. It may cost you money and time to create and send it out. But – you will gain a professionalism badge from your customers and show that you go out of your way to satisfy their needs. And in business, appearance is almost all that matters.

Let’s discuss the benefits of implementing production reporting into your company’s life. Many advantages go along with it, and some you will be indeed surprised to hear.

In essence, it is a very efficient way of keeping track of your orders and making the customer feel like they are always up to date with the information. It also motivates you to complete the project faster to update the production report.

Business Insights

Let’s face it. If you do not make your employees bring in the call sheet day after day, they will probably not do it from the goodness of their hearts. What they will do, though, is give you some great insight into how your company works and what they did in the past 8 hours.

Whether you work in food and craft services or as a line producer, you always want your employees to update you with the essential information they can give.

So, give those call sheets some attention. You can learn a lot from them. It can also get you ahead of the competition, primarily if you work with the same information as them. Their employees have the same work hours, similar meal times, etc., and analyzing those elements and improving on them, could give you an upper hand.

Customer Satisfaction

The most critical factor in the whole business is the customer. You want to make them happy if your company depends on their satisfaction.

So, as we’ve stated before, it is always great to go one step ahead and go this extra mile – all to make them feel taken care of. Especially considering that it does not require special equipment or getting the camera department ready to film the production report efforts.

You must put additional effort into a specific day or hour and keep tracking your progress. It is that easy and can benefit you greatly!

So, now that we know what kind of benefits come from production reporting, let’s see what kind of issues it can produce.

Remember that those are not necessarily happening in your company but are just a compilation of some things to keep in mind to get the desired results.

It Takes Time…

As we’ve stated a few times before, production reports inevitably take time and preparation if you want to do them right. Of course, it’s not a big and significant thing that will break your company’s budget, but one of your employees will have to keep track of what is going on.

Also, multiple people must work together to create a production report. IT, warehouse, production, and sales, everyone will need to give their information to the person who is making the report. Especially if it is being done daily or if you create custom reports.

…So Stay on Track

You can get ahead of this problem by sending automated reports or hiring a person whose sole job is to collect this data. 

It is always easier to send out data all the time so that it can be compiled in one single document at the end of the day than asking everyone for it when you need it.

Data Is Spread Around…

You will quickly notice that one of the issues you will most likely encounter is no one place to gather data.

Many branches of your and many other companies will have to be gathered in one source. 

…So Compile It

The best way to combat this kind of problem is to create a system of data management that will compile all the necessary data in one single file. There will be lots and lots of reports coming your way, so you need to create a database and a system that the employees will then use to get the necessary data.

Compiled Data Gives No Insights…

Static reports can often be pretty uninteresting and full of crispy data that do not advance the company's efforts. Sometimes the compiled information cannot be detailed enough or too basic in their findings.

Additionally, it can often lead to requests for more information, especially this kind that was not included in the initial, basic report.

…So, Find More Data

The best way to combat those issues is to use the “everyday” data being compiled and dynamic reporting. That way, you will always be on top of things and ready to make serious business decisions. Be more detailed, be on time, don’t wait for information, and get them instantly. It is certainly possible.

The Process Is Too Slow…

Sometimes you may encounter the problem of overall efficiency tanking due to employees being unable to compile the data efficiently. In most companies, the problem is pretty similar.

Data compilers do not have enough authority to demand some parts of data or, in other cases, don’t have enough information to compile data efficiently.

…So Speed It Up

You can always grant those employees some insight and authority in the limited aspect so they can fulfill their obligations promptly.

It is always a great idea to optimize everywhere you can, and if you see that one of the employees cannot do their job the best way possible, give them a way to do it. The manufacturing process takes enough time. There is no reason to make it harder.

Whether it’s detailed information or some personal touch, every good production report has to have some boilerplate of information that always comes in handy. In this case, unlike other reports, you can trace this one directly to the amount of money you are making, so be sure to include at least some of those in your report.

It is usually divided into Front/Back, so we will also go this route. So, here are some of the production data to include in your report.

Front

On the front page, you will not include all the key performance indicators during the production process. 

Title

Here, you should include your company's name and a logo if you have one.

Dates

In this bracket, you need to put all the information about the date, day, and the number of your deadline, e.g., day 23 of 35.

Stakeholders

Those are the people who are working on your project. They could be managers, contact people, or anyone important.

Actions

In this part, you need to include all the actionable insights that took place during the day. 

Locations

You only add this part if necessary. It means all the work that was accomplished during the day.

Key Times

Here, you need to include the most important dates (with hours) of any operations during that day, such as travel time, lunchtime, etc.

Progress

Here, you should include what kind of progress you made to fulfill the customer’s order and what other tasks were completed in the current version compared to the previous form. It is essential to make it as detailed as possible.

Signatures

You may think this is not essential, but you would be wrong. You need to add the signatures of people taking responsibility for this report. Those will also be people who will be liable for all the mistakes.

Back

Here is some additional information that was not important to include in the front.

Stakeholders' Times/Actions

Here, you need to create a report on all the stakeholders involved in this project, what they did during this time, and how long it took them to do it. You don’t need to be as detailed as in this example. You can omit some sensitive information if you need.

Additional Notes

This part is essentially a free-for-all. You can add all the information you feel would be beneficial to know. You can also leave it blank if you feel like it.

It is good to have something like this for unexpected situations, like if the transportation didn’t get to the company, you could not make the product. Plenty of things could go wrong, so it is good to have a place to add those notes.

However you will go about it – production reports are time-consuming, pretty irritating because you have to keep track of them, and overall a nuisance. But it can also be a powerful tool that will surely benefit you.

We hope that we have provided you with enough information to go on with your production report. The main focus of this article is to shift your perception of the whole expected quality of the word.

You can increase the productivity of every employee by simply seeing the reported advances they claim to be doing. We wanted to explain why, with the proper schedule, you can make your company much more productive. 

Whether you deliver goods or shoot a scene in a movie, the production reports should be completed with the same diligence.