Construction Progress Report Template: Free Excel Download
A ready to use Excel template that turns your daily site diary records into a weekly or monthly progress report your client and project manager can actually act on. Built by quantity surveyors.
Will Doyle
Founder and CEO, Gather · Chartered QS · Last reviewed 22 July 2026
A construction progress report is the periodic summary a contractor issues to the client and project team, converting daily site records into a single view of planned versus actual progress, key risks and forecast completion. It exists so decisions get made on the current position, not last month's.
Most standard forms of contract (including NEC4 clause 32) require the contractor to show progress against the Accepted Programme at each reporting date.
What a good progress report covers
Most progress reports fail in one of two ways. Either they're built from memory the night before the client meeting, or they're built from a diary nobody kept consistently through the month. Both produce a report that looks tidy and says nothing true. This template starts from the diary, not from memory.
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Reporting period and activity reference | Ties the report back to the programme line it is reporting against |
| Planned % complete vs actual % complete | The single number a client or PM reads first |
| RAG status per activity | Flags where slippage is building before it becomes a delay claim |
| Narrative and cause of variance | Turns a number into a decision, and gives the QS a paper trail if the variance becomes a compensation event |
| Forecast completion date | Rolls the period's actual progress into a revised programme forecast |
How to build the report
Five steps, once per reporting cycle. Each one starts from the diary record rather than from someone's recollection of the period.
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Pull the period's diary entries
Export or collate every daily diary entry for the reporting period against each programme activity.
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Set planned vs actual percentage
Compare the programme's planned percentage complete against the actual percentage recorded on site for each activity.
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Apply RAG status
Flag each activity red, amber or green based on the variance between planned and actual.
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Write the variance narrative
Explain the cause of any red or amber status, using the diary record as evidence.
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Roll up the forecast
Update the forecast completion date based on the period's actual progress.
The template, field by field
| Ref | Activity | Planned % | Actual % | RAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.14 | Substructure, Block C | 65% | 70% | Green |
| 2.19 | M&E first fix, Level 2 | 40% | 22% | Red |
| 2.21 | Cladding, East elevation | 30% | 28% | Amber |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Each row links back to a programme activity code, and the narrative column carries guidance notes on what a defensible variance explanation looks like.
Download the free template
The Excel file with planned vs actual tracking, automatic RAG status and a forecast completion roll up, built around a weekly reporting cycle.
Download the free template (.xlsx) Free download. No email needed. Yours to use and share with your team.How Gather automates this
A progress report's only as honest as the diary behind it. If an activity's real status lives in a supervisor's head rather than a daily record, the report inherits that gap, and the client meeting runs on a guess dressed up as a percentage.
Gather's AI QS reads every daily record as it comes in and flags the events, delays and instructions that turn into money later, so the entitlement is captured while the evidence is still fresh.
See how the AI QS reads your site diaries A 30 minute call. No commitment. See if it fits how your team already works.Frequently asked questions
What should a construction progress report include?
At minimum: the reporting period, planned versus actual percentage complete per activity, a RAG status, a narrative explaining any variance, and a forecast completion date rolled up from the period's actual progress.
How often should a progress report be issued?
Weekly for internal commercial and site management use, monthly for formal client and contract reporting. Most NEC4 contracts set the formal cycle in the contract data, but the weekly internal cycle is what catches slippage early.
Is Excel enough for progress reporting?
Excel works well for the report itself. What it cannot do is tell you when today's diary entry contradicts last week's planned progress, which is where the honest picture usually gets lost.
How is this different from an earned value report?
A progress report tracks physical percentage complete against the programme. Earned value adds cost, converting physical progress into planned value, earned value and cost variance. Use both together if the contract requires CVR.
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