Communication is the heart of any project.
When doing a project together with other people, it is important to keep everyone updated on the status of the project. But if you work alone, you still owe status updates. You’ll update the client. You’ll update the boss. And if you don’t check in on a regular basis, don’t be surprised if the project explodes from scope creep, misunderstandings, and delays.
A status update is a spoken or written report on the current state of a project. Employees usually let the team know the status of their tasks and when the deadlines may change. Project managers update the executives or clients.
But an update isn’t just a regular weekly or daily status report. It’s also one-off reports that something has changed, like a deadline getting moved or a feature added. In change management, an update can get a scope change approved, avoiding scope creep.
Main Types of Status Updates
The size of your team and the scope of the project determine how you deliver and how often you give updates. Here are the main types of status updates.
Time-based updates recap work completed within a given period and then focus on the next. Here are common intervals.
- A daily update is the most frequent.
- A weekly update is a good choice.
- A monthly update fits some projects.
- A quarterly update is the least frequent.
Updates also come in many shapes.
- Informative - A status update that provides a high-level summary of the project schedule and timeline without any action items.
- Progress report - A status update that provides a brief summary of the progress made on the project and the next steps or activities needed to be completed.
- Action - A status update that includes specific action items for a team to complete a project or task.
- Risk update - A status update that includes new risks or roadblocks that could potentially impact a project timeline and how a team will work to overcome them.
Six Elements
The content of a status update varies depending on the situation and the frequency of delivery but there are six elements that often appear in most status updates. Even if you deliver an update out loud it can be a good idea to jot down a few notes.
A status update should begin with the basics at the top: project name, project manager, and date. If relevant, also consider adding overall cost, estimated time, and start date.
The project summary is one of the most important sections of the status update. If you need to get the point across quickly, this section of the status update should summarize the major tasks for tracking as well as who is responsible for them. Consider putting it in an easy-to-scan table or list. Tracking milestones can help everyone know how progress is going.
Marking each milestone complete, in progress, or overdue is one way to know if a team is staying on track. It’s also a good way to spot anything that needs to be discussed.
If team members are late in delivering work or if a client has roadblocks with approvals, then those stakeholder concerns need a summary in the status update. Include the main risks and check for areas to discuss resolutions.
Team wins are worth a highlight. Make a shoutout to completed milestones or tasks finished early. Recognition drives motivation. Fewer highlights in a daily report? Consider combining wins with challenges in longer update times.
In an update, leave links to reference documents, for example the project roadmap, task checklists, or the RACI chart (who is responsible for what). That way people have something to reference during a discussion.
The next steps in an update are whatever work comes immediately after anything that has been completed or any new challenges. The scope of the next steps depends on the interval of the update - for example, a daily update can cover the priorities for just the next day, while a weekly update could include what to do next in the week to come.
Four Best Practices
An update is only useful if well organized. Follow these four best practices to help you get them done.
When an update meeting is successful it is short and to the point.
The purpose of the meeting is decided before the meeting, so include it in the video call details or send a quick direct message. Be sure to say it again when the meeting begins, and refocus with these meeting questions:
- What action items do we have still to complete?
- Do we need any more resources?
- Are there any risks I should know about?
- What are the next steps we need to take?
Giving a general “everything is good” update leaves the team in the dark and discourages team members from looking into each individual part of the project. Instead, go deep into specific tasks and milestones, and give specific and detailed updates.
Be as specific when assigning action items as when tracking milestones. In the end, everyone should be on the same page and ready to complete work, so make clear next steps the last item for the meeting.
Don’t just ask for openness from your teammates - model it. You have to lead in transparency, and the whole team should know exactly what is expected from the project kickoff through to the end. Updates are better when you know where each team member stands.
Update reviews that leverage visuals are more engaging and easier to understand. Here are options already baked into your workspace: Gantt charts, dashboards, Kanban boards.
Save this sample status update for your next project to keep the team in the loop on progress, or customize it for your own needs.
Robotic Shark: We are three days ahead of schedule as we create a Robotic Shark to fill our robotic sea creature line. With 65% of the work completed, we have four tasks remaining before we start the next set of tasks.
Stakeholder concerns: Matt has suggested that we make the eyes on the shark align more cartoonishly. Lori wants the lasers to be green rather than red. The laser color change would add three weeks to the project and an additional $280,000.
Highlights: Teeth rows two and three were finished ahead of schedule. Nice work, Hoagie.
Team notes: Suyin will be out one week this month. Penguin Robotics’ Michael Brody will be filling in. Here’s the RACI chart, Gantt chart, and project roadmap.
Next steps: I’ll review the progress on the AI before the next status meeting.
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