The Problem with Most Daily Work Reports

Most daily work report templates are too complex. They ask for 20 fields, time tracking, percentage complete, and other details that take 30 minutes to fill out. Result? People stop using them after week two.

If you manage a small team or just want to keep everyone aligned without the overhead, you need something simpler.

A Daily Work Report Template That Takes 5 Minutes

Here's a format that actually gets filled out:

What I did today:

• Completed task X

• Made progress on Y (specify what part)

• Helped teammate with Z

What I'm doing tomorrow:

• Will finish Y

• Starting task A

• Meeting with client about B

Blockers/needs:

• Waiting on design files for A

• Need 15 min with Sarah about database access

That's it. Three sections, bullet points, plain language.

Example Phrases to Copy and Adapt

• "Finished the customer FAQ section (8 questions)"

• "Debugged login issue

• found the problem, fix tomorrow"

• "Reviewed 3 pull requests, left comments"

• "Blocked: need API credentials from DevOps"

• "Tomorrow: implement the fix and test on staging"

• "Prepared slides for Thursday's demo (slides 1-10 done)"

Real Example: Marketing Team at a SaaS Startup

A 5-person marketing team struggled with visibility. Everyone was busy but the manager couldn't tell what was actually shipping. They tried complex project management tools but adoption was poor.

They switched to this simple daily format sent via Slack at 4:30pm. Within two weeks, duplicate work dropped, handoffs got smoother, and the manager stopped interrupting people with "quick status checks." The reports took each person 3-5 minutes to write.

Tips for Making Daily Reports Stick

Set expectations clearly:

• When to submit (end of day works best)

• Where to post (email, Slack, or a tool)

• How much detail (bullets, not essays)

• Response time for blockers (manager commits to addressing within 24h)

Don't ask for:

• Time tracking

• Percentage complete

• Long explanations

• Future planning beyond tomorrow

FAQ

Q: What if someone has nothing to report? A: That's a red flag. Everyone should have at least 2-3 bullets about what they worked on. If truly nothing, they should explain why (waiting on something, unclear priorities, etc).

Q: Should contractors/part-time people do daily reports too? A: Yes, but adjust frequency. Part-timers might do reports only on days they work. Contractors benefit from the visibility and clear communication about blockers.

Make Daily Reporting Even Simpler

If you like this template but want to make daily reports even easier, check out AIAdvisoryBoard.me. It handles the collection, formatting, and distribution of daily updates automatically

• your team just fills in their bullets, and managers get a clean summary. No more chasing people or formatting emails.