| name | writing-a-status-update |
| description | Use when drafting a recurring stakeholder update (weekly status, monthly report, project update) |
| kind | content |
| audience | knowledge-worker |
| ai-tools | any |
| complexity | simple |
| time | 5 min |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| source | bundled |
Writing a Status Update
What this does
Drafts a short, scannable status update for a manager, board, or team. Headline + wins + blockers + next.
When to use
- Weekly status to your manager
- Monthly project update to stakeholders
- Quarterly board update
- Any recurring "what happened, what's next" message
What you bring (Inputs)
- This period's wins (raw list)
- This period's blockers (with the asks)
- Next period's focus
- Optional: relevant metric
What you get (Output)
A 5-bullet update with a one-sentence headline.
How it works (Steps)
- Write the headline: one sentence naming the most important thing this period.
- List wins as results, not activities. "Shipped X" beats "worked on X."
- List blockers, max 1. For each: name the blocker, name the ask, name the deadline.
- State next period's focus in one sentence.
- Optional: add one metric line.
- Trim ruthlessly to 5 bullets total.
Quality bar
- Under 5 bullets total
- Every win is a result, not an activity
- Every blocker has an explicit ask + deadline
- Headline stands alone (someone could read just it)
- No jargon outside the team's shared vocabulary
Variations
- Board update: add a "decisions needed" section
- Team-internal: add a "shoutouts" line (one or two names with the specific thing)
- Project update: replace wins/blockers with "milestones hit / at-risk / next milestone"
- Rush mode: 3 bullets max — wins + asks only
Example
Input: Wins: shipped onboarding redesign, hired senior PM, fixed billing bug. Blocker: legal review on terms-of-service pending 2 weeks. Next: ship pricing page A/B test.
Output:
Headline: Shipped onboarding redesign + hired senior PM; pricing test is gated on legal.
Wins:
- Shipped onboarding redesign (activation +12% week-1)
- Hired senior PM (Sam, starts Apr 28)
- Fixed billing bug (zero recurrences in 7 days)
Blocker:
- Legal review on new ToS pending 2 weeks. Need: Sara to push by Wed, else pricing test slips a week.
Next: ship pricing page A/B test by EoW.