What Is a 5-15 Report?

Yvon Chouinard, founder and CEO of outdoor equipment company Patagonia®, devised the 5-15 Report in the 1980s. He spent much of the year out of the office, dreaming up new clothing designs and testing out his current lines, and he created the report-writing approach so that he could stay in touch with the business while he was “out and about.”

Many organizations have adopted this type of report as an easy format for monitoring progress and keeping report-writing to a minimum. It is designed to take no more than 15 minutes to write and five minutes to read. You should focus on the highlights of the past week or month, to give your team a sense of what is working and what isn’t. Many managers are under the false impression that longer equals better, but the truth is no one wants to read a needlessly long report.
The simple, 5-15 report format allows you and your managers to stay efficient, catch up on the negatives and positives of the week, and bring up any nagging concerns.

Better yet, a weekly 5-15 report allows team members to:

• Communicate successes without feeling awkward
• Capture important lessons
• Demonstrate awareness of next steps
• Alert managers to setbacks without asking for support

The Benefits of Using a 5-15 Report

A 5-15 Report is a simple but effective tool that can benefit any size of business.

It gives you a snapshot of your organization’s or team’s progress by telling you simply and concisely what is happening with projects, people and processes. It can also highlight any areas that need extra support.

But its main benefit is that it saves you that most valuable of commodities: time.

What is Included in a 5-15 Report
The structure of the report can vary but, in general, it will have the following elements:

1. Achievements. Detail your accomplishments during the period. Include activities you have completed and objectives you’ve met. (REQUIRED)
2. Plans. List the objectives and priorities for you for the following period. Make these as specific as possible, and set dates for completion. (REQUIRED)
3. Potential Challenges. If you think it may be difficult for you to achieve your goals, explain why. (REQUIRED)
4. Opportunities. Describe any lessons you have learned over the relevant period, note any areas where you can improve, and identify any opportunities that have opened up. (REQUIRED)
5. Suggestions. What problem does your team need to resolve? Are there ways that you can improve how things are done?
6. People and Morale. How do you feel? How do your team members feel? Be direct in describing the work climate around you.
7. Risks. Are there any key risks that you’ve identified? What can you do to mitigate them?

This report WILL be completed by ALL Bongardians at the end of their work week and emailed to their manager before signing off on Friday (or whatever day is the end of their week) – so please set a recurring task in your calendar to complete it, and respect the 15 minute timeline (think Hemingway and not Tolstoy).
The fillable PDF is available in the BONGARDIANS folder on the Drive.