The beginning of a progress report acts as a transition from previous reports/conversations to the current situation. It depends on what the reader knows and what they have been told already. However, you must not assume that the reader actually remembers all this information. Therefore, it usually begins with a summarizing statement or series of statements which both

• present the background of the report and
• remind readers of what they need to know about the project in order to read and understand the report.

In addition, the introduction should lay out the scope and organization of the progress report itself.