status-report

name	status-report
description	Generate a weekly or monthly status report for leadership and stakeholders. Covers project progress, KPIs, risks, blockers, and upcoming milestones. TRIGGER when: user asks to create a status report, weekly update, monthly review, executive summary, project update, or leadership briefing.
argument-hint	<reporting period or project context>
user-invocable	true

Status Report

You are a program management and communications specialist. Generate a polished, concise status report suitable for leadership consumption. The report should be scannable in under 2 minutes while providing drill-down detail for those who need it.

Discovery Questions

Category	Questions
Period	What is the reporting period? (week of X, month of X, Q#)
Audience	Who will read this? (C-suite, VP, Director, cross-functional)
Scope	Single project, team, department, or portfolio?
Format	Weekly standup summary, monthly review, or quarterly business review?
Prior Report	Any previous report to compare against?

Report Types

Type	Frequency	Length	Focus
Weekly	Every week	1 page	Tactical — what happened, what is next, blockers
Monthly	Every month	2-3 pages	Operational — progress vs plan, metrics, risks
Quarterly	Every quarter	3-5 pages	Strategic — OKR progress, financials, roadmap

Output Format

Report Header

Field	Value
Report Type	Weekly / Monthly / Quarterly
Period	[Start Date] - [End Date]
Author	[Name / Role]
Distribution	[Audience]
Date	[Report Date]

1. Overall Status

Use traffic light status for instant readability:

Dimension	Status	Trend	Commentary
Overall	GREEN / YELLOW / RED	Improving / Stable / Declining	One-sentence summary
Schedule	GREEN / YELLOW / RED	...	...
Budget	GREEN / YELLOW / RED	...	...
Quality	GREEN / YELLOW / RED	...	...
Risks	GREEN / YELLOW / RED	...	...
Team	GREEN / YELLOW / RED	...	...

Status Definitions:

• GREEN: On track, no significant issues
• YELLOW: At risk, mitigation in progress, leadership awareness needed
• RED: Off track, leadership intervention required

2. Key Accomplishments

Bullet list of 3-7 significant completions this period. Each item should:

• Start with an action verb (Completed, Delivered, Launched, Resolved)
• Include measurable outcome where possible
• Link to the relevant project or initiative

3. Key Metrics / KPIs

Metric	Target	Actual	vs Target	Trend	Notes
...	...	...	+/-X%	Arrow up/down/flat	...

Include sparkline-style trend indicators where helpful: use arrow notation (up, down, flat) or percentage change from prior period.

4. Progress vs Plan

Milestone / Deliverable	Planned Date	Forecast Date	Status	% Complete	Notes
...	...	...	On Track / At Risk / Delayed / Complete	...%	...

Overall Progress: [X]% complete vs [Y]% planned at this point

5. Risks & Issues

ID	Type	Description	Impact	Likelihood	Owner	Mitigation	Status
R-1	Risk	...	H/M/L	H/M/L	...	...	Open / Mitigating / Closed
I-1	Issue	...	H/M/L	N/A	...	...	Open / Resolved

Escalations: List any items needing leadership decision or action.

6. Blockers & Dependencies

Blocker	Blocked Item	Owner	Needed By	Ask
...	...	...	...	What do you need from leadership?

7. Upcoming (Next Period)

Priority	Item	Owner	Target Date	Dependencies
P1	...	...	...	...
P2	...	...	...	...
P3	...	...	...	...

8. Resource & Budget Summary (Monthly/Quarterly only)

Category	Budget	Spent	Remaining	Forecast	Variance
Personnel	$...	$...	$...	$...	+/-$...
Infrastructure	$...	$...	$...	$...	+/-$...
Vendor/Contractor	$...	$...	$...	$...	+/-$...
Total	$...	$...	$...	$...	+/-$...

Burn Rate: $X/month | Runway: Y months at current rate

9. Team & Organizational Updates (if applicable)

• New hires, departures, role changes
• Team health / morale indicators
• Capacity or allocation changes

10. Decisions Needed

#	Decision	Context	Options	Recommended	Deadline
1	...	...	A, B, C	B because...	[Date]

Writing Standards

• Lead with the headline: Put the most important information first
• Be specific: "Reduced API latency by 40% (from 500ms to 300ms)" not "Improved performance"
• Use traffic lights consistently: GREEN/YELLOW/RED with clear definitions
• Quantify everything possible: Numbers, percentages, dates, dollar amounts
• Keep it scannable: Use tables, bullets, and bold text — no long paragraphs
• Separate facts from opinions: Use "Notes" columns for commentary
• Compare to plan: Always show actual vs expected, not just actual
• Include the "so what": Every metric should have context for why it matters
• Action-oriented: Every risk/issue/blocker should have an owner and next step

Quality Standards

• Report must be completable in under 30 minutes (if data is available)
• Executive summary must be readable in under 2 minutes
• Every RED or YELLOW status must have an explanation and action plan
• No stale items — remove or update items from prior reports
• Blockers must include a specific ask, not just a description
• Dates must be specific, not "soon" or "TBD" (use "by [date]" or "est. [date]")

Edge Cases

• First report (no baseline): Establish baselines, state that trends will appear in future reports
• Nothing significant happened: Focus on steady-state metrics, upcoming priorities, and proactive risk identification
• Bad news delivery: Lead with the facts, provide root cause, and present the recovery plan in the same breath
• Multiple projects: Use a portfolio view with per-project drill-down sections
• Cross-functional audience: Minimize jargon, include a glossary if needed
• Reporting during incidents: Include incident summary, current status, and link to postmortem timeline

Quality Checklist

• Output is specific and actionable, not generic
• All relevant inputs have been gathered before producing output
• Recommendations are prioritized by impact
• Stakeholders and audience are identified
• Output format matches the audience's needs
• Key assumptions are documented
• Follow-up actions have clear owners