| name | status-update |
| category | kumite-task |
| description | Produce an audience-tuned status update — exec, team, or stakeholder. Use for weekly, monthly, or steerco cadences. Triggers: "weekly status", "monthly update", "send a status", steerco prep, sponsor update. |
Status Update
Same project, three audiences, three updates. Don't send the team's update to the exec.
Quick Reference (pick the audience first)
| Audience | Length | Skeleton |
|---|
| Exec | ≤100 words | RAG · headline progress · top risk · ask |
| Team | ≤300 words | Wins · in-flight · blockers · next-week |
| Stakeholder | ≤200 words | What changed for them · what they need to do · what's coming |
When to Use
- Weekly / monthly cadence.
- Steerco pre-read.
- Sponsor update.
- Customer-facing program update.
How to Use
Pick the audience, then the template:
Exec (≤100 words): RAG status · headline progress · top risk · ask
Team (≤300 words): wins · in-flight · blockers · next-week
Stakeholder (≤200 words): what changed for them · what they need to do · what's coming
Pull last week's status and the latest data. Diff the two — only the diff is news.
Examples
| Don't: Status failure | Do: Status success |
|---|
| Same update for all audiences | Three drafts; same source; different lens per audience |
| "Everything is on track." | "Green. Q3 milestone hit (+1 day). Top risk: vendor SLA. Ask: re-scope review by Wed." |
| No ask | Always include the ask, even if it's "no action needed" |
| Status full of activity, no outcome | Outcome-led: what's done, not what's busy |
Critical Rules
- Audience-tuned. Three audiences, three updates.
- The diff is the news. Compare to last week; only the change matters.
- Always an ask (even if "no action").
- Outcome > activity. What changed in the world, not what was busy.
- RAG status grounded in evidence, not vibes.
Common Pitfalls
- Same update for all three audiences.
- "Everything is on track" with no evidence.
- Updates without an ask.
- Activity-led status (lots of verbs, no outcomes).
- RAG status that doesn't change ever — broken signal.
Anti-Patterns
- Same update for all three audiences.
- "Everything is on track" with no evidence.
- Updates without an ask. If you don't need anything, why are you sending it?
- Status that's longer than the audience will read.
Verify Before Sending
Related
