| name | status-reporting |
| description | Create stakeholder-friendly project status updates and progress reports. Use when writing a status update, progress report, weekly or milestone recap, release summary, or any stakeholder-facing account of where work stands. |
| lastReviewed | 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z |
Status Reporting Skill
Generate clear, audience-appropriate project status updates. Transform technical progress into stakeholder-friendly communication.
Core Philosophy
"Stakeholders don't need to know HOW you did it — they need to know WHAT it means for them."
Status reports serve different audiences with different needs:
- Executives: Impact, risk, timeline
- Managers: Progress, blockers, resources
- Teams: Details, dependencies, next steps
- Customers: Value delivered, what's coming
Report Templates
Executive Summary (30 seconds)
## Project Status: [Project Name]
**Date**: [Date] | **Status**: 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Blocked
### One-Line Summary
[Single sentence: what happened and what it means]
### Key Metrics
| Metric | Current | Target | Trend |
|--------|---------|--------|-------|
| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |
| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |
### Decisions Needed
- [ ] [Decision 1 with deadline]
### Timeline Impact
[On schedule / X days ahead / X days behind — why]
Weekly Team Update
## Week of [Date Range]
### Completed ✅
- [Achievement 1] — [impact]
- [Achievement 2] — [impact]
### In Progress 🔄
- [Task 1] — [% complete, ETA]
- [Task 2] — [% complete, ETA]
### Blocked 🚫
- [Blocker] — need [resolution] from [who] by [when]
### Next Week Focus
1. [Priority 1]
2. [Priority 2]
3. [Priority 3]
### Metrics
- Velocity: [X] story points
- Bugs: [X] open, [Y] closed
- Coverage: [X]%
### Risks & Mitigations
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| [Risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] |
Stakeholder Email
Subject: [Project] Status — [Date] — [Status Emoji]
Hi [Name],
**Quick Summary**: [One sentence on where we are]
**This Week's Wins**:
• [Win 1 — business impact]
• [Win 2 — business impact]
**Coming Up**:
• [Next milestone] — [Date]
• [Key deliverable] — [Date]
**Need Your Input On**:
• [Decision needed] — [Context, options, recommendation]
Happy to jump on a call if you have questions.
[Sign-off]
Sprint Retrospective Summary
## Sprint [N] Retrospective
### What Went Well 🎉
- [Positive 1]
- [Positive 2]
### What Could Improve 🔧
- [Improvement 1]
- [Improvement 2]
### Action Items
| Action | Owner | Due |
|--------|-------|-----|
| [Action] | [Who] | [When] |
### Sprint Metrics
- Planned: [X] points | Completed: [Y] points
- Carry-over: [Z] items
- Team satisfaction: [Score]/5
Audience Adaptation
Language Translation
| Technical Term | Executive Translation |
|---|
| "Refactored the authentication module" | "Improved security and login reliability" |
| "Reduced technical debt" | "Reduced maintenance costs and risk" |
| "Implemented CI/CD pipeline" | "Automated our release process — faster, safer updates" |
| "Fixed race condition" | "Resolved intermittent bug causing data issues" |
| "Migrated to microservices" | "Made the system more scalable and reliable" |
Detail Levels
| Audience | Detail Level | Focus On |
|---|
| C-Suite | Minimal | Business impact, risks, decisions |
| VP/Director | Summary | Progress, resources, timeline |
| Manager | Moderate | Tasks, blockers, team health |
| Team | Detailed | Technical specifics, dependencies |
| Customer | Outcome | Value delivered, what's next |
Status Indicators
Traffic Light System
| Status | Symbol | Meaning | Action |
|---|
| Green | 🟢 | On track, no issues | Continue |
| Yellow | 🟡 | At risk, needs attention | Monitor closely |
| Red | 🔴 | Blocked, needs escalation | Immediate action |
| Blue | 🔵 | Complete | Celebrate |
| Gray | ⚪ | Not started | Plan |
Trend Indicators
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|
| ↑ | Improving |
| ↓ | Declining |
| → | Stable |
| ⚠️ | Needs attention |
Automation Triggers
When to Generate Status
| Trigger | Report Type |
|---|
| End of day Friday | Weekly summary |
| Sprint end | Sprint report |
| Before stakeholder meeting | Executive summary |
| Milestone completion | Achievement update |
| Blocker encountered | Escalation notice |
| User asks "what did we do" | Session/period summary |
Data Sources
Pull information from:
- Git commits and PR descriptions
- Issue tracker (completed, in-progress, blocked)
- Calendar (milestones, deadlines)
- Session history (what we worked on)
- Metrics dashboards (if available)
Best Practices
DO ✅
- Lead with the most important information
- Use consistent formatting across reports
- Include specific dates and numbers
- Highlight decisions needed
- Acknowledge blockers honestly
- Show progress, not just activity
DON'T ❌
- Bury bad news
- Use jargon with non-technical audiences
- Include unnecessary detail
- Report activity without outcomes
- Over-promise on timelines
- Skip risk assessment
Session Protocol
Generating a Status Report
- Clarify audience: Who will read this?
- Determine scope: What period? What project?
- Gather data: Commits, issues, conversations
- Identify highlights: What matters most?
- Draft report: Use appropriate template
- Adapt language: Match audience level
- Review for clarity: Can a newcomer understand?
Quick Status Commands
/alex-act-core status → Generate session status
/alex-act-core status weekly → Weekly team update
/alex-act-core status exec → Executive summary
/alex-act-core status email [name] → Stakeholder email draft
Integration Points
Triggers for This Skill
- "status update", "status report"
- "what did we accomplish", "summarize progress"
- "stakeholder update", "email to [stakeholder]"
- "sprint report", "weekly summary"
- End of day/week (proactive)
Metrics
- Clarity score: Can reader understand in 30 seconds?
- Completeness: All sections filled appropriately
- Accuracy: Numbers and dates verified
- Audience fit: Language matches recipient
Would Revise If
Revisit this skill by 2026-08-26 (90 days) or sooner if any of the following fires:
- Stakeholder feedback reports the templates as unclear, jargon-heavy, or missing decisions-needed sections ≥3 times within a quarter
- The audience-adaptation table produces tone mismatches when applied verbatim ≥2 times in observed reports
- Reports generated via these templates consistently bury bad news or miss escalation triggers that surface later as preventable surprises
Good status reports build trust. Great ones prevent surprise.
