How a project report is prepared, step by step

Step 1: define the project and the reader

We start by agreeing what the project is: product, site, scale, timing, funding route. We also ask who will read the report. A bank, an investor, a government scheme and a partner each want different things. The reader sets the format, the depth and the emphasis.

Work can be done remotely by video call and shared data, with site visits by arrangement.

Step 2: collect what already exists

We ask for what you have: site details, plant quotations, licence correspondence, past accounts for an existing business, sales records, any research. Much of the delay in any report comes from searching for documents. Sending them early helps. Where something does not exist, we note it as a gap to fill and say who will fill it. A missing plant quotation is a small gap. A missing site decision is a large one. It changes the order of everything else.

Step 3: test the idea

For a new project we check whether it is worth the full report. This is the feasibility step: demand, licence route, site, scale and a rough model, as in a feasibility study for a brewery. If the idea fails here, you save the cost of a detailed report. If it passes, the findings carry forward.

Step 4: build the technical and market sections

We map the plant chain and capacity, utilities, staffing, layout and the approvals sequence. Alongside, we build the market section from your price lists, outlet visits, distributor conversations and, where needed, research. Each number gets a source. The aim is that every figure in the model can be traced back to a quotation, a price list or a stated judgement.

Step 5: build the model

The financial model is built once, with an assumptions sheet that drives everything. It includes the project cost, means of finance, profit and loss, cash flow, balance sheet, repayment schedule, break-even, NPV, IRR and payback. We then run sensitivity and scenario tests. A simple check to run: if the model says a project costing 100 returns 30, 35, 40, 40 and 40, the NPV at 12 percent should be about 31. Changing one input should move the output as expected. The tests are explained in sensitivity analysis for a drinks project.

Step 6: write and cross-check

The text is written from the model, not the other way round. Every table in the report is pulled from the model. Then we check that capacity, cost, finance, volumes and dates agree across all sections. This is where most errors surface. They are the ones a lender spots first. See common mistakes in brewery project reports.

Before the report is final, we walk through the main numbers with you: cost, capacity, volume, price, funding and returns. You are the one who will answer the lender's questions, so you need to be able to defend each figure. If something looks wrong to you, we trace it back and either fix it or note why it stands. Changes after this point go through the model first, so the report and the model never drift apart.

Step 7: review, revise and hand over

A second person reads the report cold and tests the model. Findings are fixed and the report is re-read. For a major raise or loan, you may also want a reviewer outside the team, as in getting an independent review.

At hand-over you receive a written report, the live financial model with formulas intact, an assumptions page with sources and a short list of open items such as approvals still to be confirmed. You should be able to open the model, change a price or a volume and see the answer move. If a lender asks for a different layout, the model lets us reissue the numbers quickly and consistently.

What we need from you

Honest information, including the awkward parts. Prompt answers to questions. Access to quotations and people who know the site and the market. Decisions on scale and funding when we reach a fork. Realistic expectations matter too. A report improves your chances by removing avoidable objections. Banks and investors decide on their own criteria. We cannot promise a loan, an investment or an approval.

Common questions

How long does a project report take?

It depends on the project and on how quickly information arrives. We agree a timeline once we know the scope. We do not promise a fixed number of days up front.

Do I need to visit the site with you?

Not always. Work can be done remotely by video call and shared data, with site visits by arrangement.

What documents should I gather first?

Plant quotations, site details, any licence correspondence, past accounts if you are an existing business and your own price and sales information.

Can you work from my existing model?

Yes. We can review and rebuild it, then carry the findings into the report.