The Double-edged Sword of Interim Reports
April 2025
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Ah, the interim report. I have developed a sort of Pavlovian wincing response when I learn that a new contract has an interim report as a deliverable. It’s a shame, because I get it, I get why clients want them!
To start, let’s define an interim report. This is key because “interim” can mean different things to different people. When I hear “interim report,” I think of it as a preview to the final report, literally reporting on an initial period of time before the final report. An interim report is an evaluation report that presents data up to the mid(ish) point of a project and likely includes all or most of the data collection target audiences that are planned for the final report, but perhaps with a smaller sample size. The intention of an interim report is to give an early(er) glimpse into the final findings and potential recommendations. An interim report can use data that has been gathered regularly throughout a project or it can use data from a dedicated interim phase of the project.
Why Clients Ask for Interim Reports
Transparency and Accountability
Clients invest substantial resources into projects and naturally seek assurance that their investment is managed effectively. Interim reports offer a window into the project's progress, fostering a sense of accountability. By receiving a mid(ish) point report, clients can ensure that the project is adhering to the agreed timelines and budget and is on track to meet goals. Another accountability measure is ensuring that the evaluator, who may be a new contracted relationship, is conducting a quality evaluation. An interim report can offer assurance that the final evaluation will provide the insights the client is seeking.
Risk Management
Interim reports play a role in risk management. They help identify potential issues early in the project lifecycle, allowing for timely interventions. Clients appreciate the ability to address problems before they escalate, which can save time, money, and frustration in the long term. Interim reports can highlight to a client a number of things that can be adjusted before the final report: perhaps the interpretation of data needs tweaking, or there are quality or reliability issues with the data, or perhaps a key informant voice is missing and should be added to the next data collection cycle. On a larger scale, an interim evaluation report may highlight issues with the project itself such as poor leadership or lack of standardized processes.
Informed Decision-Making
For many clients, interim reports can help inform decision-making. By gleaning insight into the evaluation learnings, project leads can make strategic adjustments, allocate resources more efficiently, or align the project's direction with achieving goals.
So, then, what’s the issue?
The Challenges of Interim Reports
Time-Consuming and Resource-Intensive
One of the primary challenges of producing interim reports is the time and resources required. Compiling accurate and comprehensive reports demands a significant investment, from the evaluation budget, in the time of those participating in your data collection, and in your client’s time to engage with and review the interim report.
Added data collection burden to participants at a midway point may make them less likely to engage in your summative evaluation data collection, though this may be a minor risk, depending on your population. Project teams also need to be prepared to invest additional time to engage in sensemaking, reviewing reports and distributing the findings appropriately. I’ve often been bothered by the use of time and money on an interim report, particularly when there isn’t a clear rationale for the value that report will deliver.
Disruption to the Project Workflow
The process of preparing interim reports can disrupt the natural workflow of a project. I find that the programs I evaluate often have two data collection time points: one that focuses on implementation or design, a process evaluation, and one that focuses on outcomes. If you add an interim report between those, depending on the duration of your evaluation, there may be little to no break between all the data collection activities.
Further, the demands on the project team, to be engaged with the interim evaluation process and findings may divert their attention away from running the program effectively. This interruption can lead to a loss of momentum and productivity, ultimately affecting the project's timeline.
Risk of Misleading Information
An interim report has findings of course, but they are only a preview of the summative findings. There’s a reason you had planned to collect more data for the summative report or for longer periods of time.
Presenting an interim report may feed into decision-making, which is exactly why clients want them. The problem is that the data may not be complete, may not be triangulated and may not be reliable or representative. For example, say you had planned to interview ten program participants for your evaluation, by the time the interim report data needs to be analyzed, you’ve interviewed four, so you present those four. The problem is that those four participants do not sufficiently represent the population and skew early decision-making and course corrections for the project. Interim reports may run the risk of generating too much enthusiasm at the interim phase of a project, minimizing the intended role of the final findings.
Considerations for Including an Interim Report (or not)
As a rule of thumb, if a project is one year or less I advocate NOT to have an interim report. The reason is simply timing. By the time we get an evaluation plan drafted, develop a data collection strategy, and build the tools, there simply isn’t enough time to collect data, analyze and report on it all by the mid(ish) point of the project. Projects longer than a year or ones that collect data regularly throughout the project may be better aligned to interim reports.
Alternatives
This may be a bit of a semantics game, but there are several alternatives to interim reports.
1. Regular Evaluation Project Status Updates
Check out our template for status updates. I love this approach and use it in nearly all of my projects. Evaluation status updates check so many of the client’s boxes for why they wanted an interim report in the first place: you have a dedicated place to document and discuss project or evaluation risks, the client can be reassured that you are completing your evaluation activities as agreed to, and everyone is up to speed on what data collection activities you have planned or completed.
2. Implementation Reports
I have learned that sometimes when a client says “interim” they mean “implementation” or process evaluation. It’s not so much that they want a midpoint update, but they want part of your evaluation to have a different focus. That different focus is what differentiates interim from implementation for me. An interim report is a preview of the final report, mimicking the data collection audiences and tools, while an implementation report focuses on operations, planning, design and decision making in getting the program running. Implementation reports may have a stronger focus on project team members as participants, and likely the survey or interview questions are different than the ones that will be asked for your summative or outcome evaluation. I love implementation reports and often complete them as early as possible in a project. They still allow for course corrections, if needed, but they are not intended as a preview into the final outcomes.
3. Topic/Content-Specific Reports
Similar to an implementation report, your client may want a separate, standalone report on any specific topic related to the project. I once had a client who had created a new role on the team, and they wanted to know how well that role was being integrated and what key characteristics for success they should focus on if hiring again. That was a specific standalone report that I was happy to deliver!
4. Dashboards
Dashboards get mixed reviews in the evaluation world. It is possible, if you are collecting data regularly over a long period of time, that presenting the data to your client at regular intervals for monitoring purposes will also check a lot of their boxes.
5. Meetings
Meetings sound like such a lame alternative, but it’s true. Nothing beats conversation and dialogue around the project and the evaluation. All the better if the meetings have a regular cadence, and have time carved out on each agenda to address project and evaluation risks. Meetings can serve double duty as sensemaking sessions or participatory analysis as well.
These alternatives can offer clients the transparency they seek without the extensive effort and resource cost required for traditional interim reports.
Interim reports can be a pivotal point of contact between clients and evaluators. But I propose they are also a double-edged sword. While they can provide transparency, accountability, and valuable insights, they can also pose significant challenges in terms of time, resources, and potential disruption to workflow. Striking the right balance between meeting client demands and maintaining efficient project execution is crucial. By carefully considering the necessity and frequency of interim reports and exploring alternative communication methods, evaluators can navigate this complex landscape and ensure the best outcomes for their clients and projects.