# Status Update > Generate stakeholder status updates. Creates clear, concise progress reports for different audiences. - Skill: `brainally/status-update` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add brainally/status-update` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/brainally/status-update/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Product & Planning - Author: brainAlly (https://skillmd.com/u/brainally) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/brainally/status-update --- ## Quick Start Tell me: 1. **Who is this update for?** (your team, your manager, execs, cross-functional stakeholders) 2. **What time period?** (daily, weekly, monthly, project milestone) 3. **Any specific topics to highlight?** (launches, blockers, metrics, decisions) I'll pull context from your PRDs, meetings, and metrics automatically. You can also just say "pull from my recent work" and I'll scan your workspace for everything that happened. **Shortcut:** `/status-update weekly for my manager` -- and I'll handle the rest. --- # /status-update - Weekly Updates That Actually Get Read When the PM types `/status-update`, create status updates that communicate progress, surface blockers, and keep stakeholders aligned. ## Context Routing Logic (Internal - for Claude) **Automatic Context Checks:** When this skill is invoked, immediately check: | Source | Files/Folders | Search Terms | What to Extract | |--------|---------------|--------------|-----------------| | Recent PRDs | `brain/knowledge/product/features/*.md` | feature being updated | Feature status and changes | | Meeting Notes | `brain/ingestion/meetings/` | this week's meetings | Decisions, action items, blockers | | Action Items | `brain/ingestion/meetings/` | completed / in progress / blocked | Track completion of commitments | | Strategy | `brain/knowledge/strategy.md` | strategic pillars | Tie accomplishments to strategy | | Metrics | `brain/knowledge/product/metrics.md` | baseline, trends | Metric movement and progress | | Stakeholder Profiles | Stakeholder templates | your audience | Communication style for audience | **Context Priority:** 1. Your recent work (PRDs, meetings) FIRST 2. Completed action items SECOND 3. Strategic context (pillars, goals) THIRD 4. Metrics and progress FOURTH **Cross-Skill Links:** - If action items from meetings → Reference `/meeting-notes` - If progress on features → Reference `/prd-draft` or `/feature-results` - If metric updates → Reference `/metrics-framework` and North Star - If blockers → Link to relevant skill for resolution (e.g., `/prd-draft` if scope unclear) --- ## Step 0: Understanding Your Update Context Before drafting, let me gather what happened... **Checking:** - `brain/ingestion/meetings/` for recent meetings this week/period - `brain/knowledge/product/features/` for features you're working on - `brain/knowledge/product/` for recent metric changes - `brain/knowledge/` for strategic context - Stakeholder profiles for communication style of audience **Based on what I find, I'll show you:** ### Your Recent Work **Completed This Week:** - [Shipped features / completed action items] - [Decisions made] - [Blockers resolved] **In Progress:** - [Features in development] - [Research underway] - [Outstanding action items] **Blockers:** - [What's blocking progress] - [Who needs to help] - [When you need resolution by] ### PM-Specific Diagnosis Questions 1. **Accomplishment Type:** What's worth highlighting? (Shipped / learned / decided / shipped) 2. **Metric Movement:** Did metrics move? In expected direction? 3. **Blocker Severity:** Are blockers getting in the way? Need escalation? 4. **Strategic Tie:** How do accomplishments connect to Q# strategy? 5. **Stakeholder Expectations:** What does your audience care about most? --- ## When to Use - Weekly team updates - Monthly progress reports to leadership - Daily standups (async) - Project milestone updates - Quarterly business reviews - Manager 1:1 prep - Stakeholder check-ins --- ## How It Works ### Step 1: Tell Me What's Happened ### Step 2: Get a Structured Update --- ## Step 1: Tell Me What's Happened When the PM types `/status-update`, I'll ask: ``` Let's create your status update. **What period is this covering?** - Daily (standup) - Weekly (team update) - Monthly (leadership update) - Project milestone - Other: [specify] **Who's the audience?** - Your team - Your manager - Cross-functional stakeholders - Executive leadership - All of the above **Update format?** - Quick (3 bullets max) - Standard (progress + blockers + next steps) - Detailed (full context for executives) Now, just tell me what happened this week. Don't structure it - just brain dump and I'll organize it. You can also say "pull from my recent work" and I'll scan: - Meeting notes from this week - PRDs you've updated - Action items you've completed - Conversations in this chat ``` --- ## Step 2: Get Your Structured Update Once I understand what happened: ``` Got it. Creating your [weekly] status update for [audience]. I'm pulling from: - Meeting notes: [X meetings this week] - Completed action items: [Y items] - PRD updates: [Z documents] - Recent decisions: [Context from this chat] Here's your update: ``` --- ## Standard Weekly Update Format ```markdown # Weekly Update: [Your Name] - [Date Range] ## 🎯 Key Accomplishments **Shipped / Completed:** - [Specific outcome with impact] - [Link] - [Specific outcome with impact] - [Link] **Progress Made:** - [Initiative name]: [What moved forward and why it matters] - [Initiative name]: [What moved forward and why it matters] **Decisions Made:** - [Decision]: [Impact and who was involved] ## 📊 Metrics & Impact | Metric | Last Week | This Week | Target | Status | |--------|-----------|-----------|--------|--------| | [Primary metric] | [#] | [#] | [#] | 🟢 On track | | [Guardrail metric] | [#] | [#] | [#] | 🟡 Watching | **What this means:** [One sentence on trajectory toward goals] ## 🚧 Blockers & Risks **Blocking me:** 1. [Specific blocker] - **Need:** [Specific help] from @[Person] by [Date] 2. [Specific blocker] - **Need:** [Specific help] from @[Person] by [Date] **Risks I'm watching:** - [Risk description] - **Mitigation:** [What you're doing about it] **Nothing blocking?** → ✅ No blockers this week ## 🔜 Next Week **Top Priorities:** 1. [Specific deliverable] - Due [Date] 2. [Specific deliverable] - Due [Date] 3. [Specific deliverable] - Due [Date] **Meetings/Milestones:** - [Important meeting] on [Date] - [Purpose] - [Milestone] target for [Date] ## 💬 Discussion **Questions for the team:** - [Question where you need input] - [Question where you need input] **Where I could use help:** - [Specific area] - If you have experience with [X], would love to chat --- **Full context:** [Link to detailed project board / PRD / doc] ``` --- ## Format Variations by Audience ### For Your Manager (1:1 Prep) ```markdown # 1:1 Prep: [Date] ## ✅ Since Last Time - [Thing you committed to] - Done - [Thing you committed to] - In progress (70%) - [Thing you committed to] - Blocked by [X] ## 🎯 This Week's Wins [1-2 things that went really well] ## 🤔 Where I'm Stuck 1. **[Problem]** - What I've tried: [A, B, C] - What I need: [Your advice on X] ## 💭 Topics for Discussion - [Topic 1]: [Why it's important] - [Topic 2]: [Why it's important] - [Topic 3]: [Why it's important] ## 📈 Career Development [Any progress on goals you've set together] ## 🔜 My Commitments for Next Week 1. [Commitment] 2. [Commitment] 3. [Commitment] ``` **Why this works:** - Shows you're on top of commitments - Highlights wins (self-advocacy matters) - Makes it easy for manager to help you - Drives the agenda (you're not passive) - Tracks career growth - Clear commitments (accountability) --- ### For Executive Leadership ```markdown # Product Update: [Initiative Name] - [Date] ## Executive Summary **Status:** 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Off Track **This week in one sentence:** [The single most important thing that happened] ## Progress **What shipped:** - [Feature/milestone] → [Business impact] **What moved forward:** - [Initiative]: [Progress and why it matters to the business] **Key metrics:** - [Metric]: [Number] → [Direction and why] ## Blockers Needing Leadership Support 1. **[Blocker]** - Impact: [What this is preventing] - Need: [Specific decision or resource] - By when: [Deadline] *No escalations needed* → ✅ Team is unblocked ## Looking Ahead **Next milestone:** [Milestone] on [Date] **Biggest risk:** [Risk] - [How you're mitigating] **Forecast:** [On track to hit/miss goal because...] ## Request [One specific thing you need from leadership, or "None - just keeping you informed"] --- **Details:** [Link to full project update] ``` **Why this works:** - Status color (🟢🟡🔴) lets them triage instantly - One sentence summary respects their time - Business impact, not feature lists - Only escalates what needs their level - Forward-looking (they care about trajectory) - Explicit ask (don't make them guess) --- ### For Cross-Functional Stakeholders ```markdown # Project Update: [Initiative Name] - Week of [Date] ## TL;DR - **What happened:** [One sentence] - **Impact:** [Why stakeholders should care] - **Action needed:** [What you need from them, if anything] ## Progress This Week **Completed:** ✅ [Milestone with impact] ✅ [Milestone with impact] **In Flight:** 🚧 [What's being worked on] - [% complete] - [ETA] **Next Up:** 📅 [What starts next week] ## Decisions Made **Decision:** [What was decided] - **Rationale:** [Why] - **Who was involved:** [Names] - **Impact:** [What this affects] ## What I Need From You **[Stakeholder Group]:** - [ ] [Specific ask] by [Date] - [ ] [Specific ask] by [Date] **No action needed from:** [Teams that can ignore this] ## Risks & Blockers [Any cross-functional dependencies or issues affecting their area] **Or:** ✅ No cross-team blockers this week ## Timeline - [Milestone]: [Date] - [Status] - [Milestone]: [Date] - [Status] - [Launch]: [Date] - [Status] --- **More details:** [Link to project doc] **Questions?** Reply here or Slack me ``` **Why this works:** - TL;DR lets people decide if they need to read more - Clear on what's needed from each group - Explicitly says who can ignore it (respects time) - Decisions section keeps everyone aligned - Timeline gives visibility without meetings --- ### Daily Standup (Async) ```markdown **Yesterday:** - [Thing I completed] - [Thing I completed] **Today:** - [Thing I'm focusing on] - [Thing I'm focusing on] **Blockers:** - [Specific blocker] - need help from @[person] - *Or:* None **Available for:** - [Questions/topics people can ping you about] ``` **Why this works:** - Super fast to read and write - Makes blockers visible immediately - "Available for" encourages collaboration --- ## Smart Features ### Auto-Pull from Your Work I'll scan: **Recent meeting notes:** - Decisions from stakeholder meetings - Customer insights from interviews - Action items you completed **PRD updates:** - Features moved to different stages - Decisions documented - Blockers flagged **Your recent conversations:** - Progress you mentioned - Problems you discussed - Help you received **Action items across all sources:** - Completed ✅ - In progress 🚧 - Blocked 🚫 Then I'll ask: ``` I found these from your recent work: ✅ Completed: - Shipped voice task feature to beta (47% adoption in 24hrs) - Finalized pricing page redesign - Completed 8 customer interviews 🚧 In Progress: - Legal review for voice feature (waiting 2 weeks) - Onboarding redesign (in design review) 🚫 Blocked: - API integration (need response from Legal) **Should I include all of these, or want to adjust?** ``` ### Metrics Tracking I'll automatically format metrics tables: ``` **Want to include metrics?** I can pull from: - Your PRDs (success metrics defined there) - Recent conversations (metrics you mentioned) - Manual input (just tell me the numbers) Format options: - Simple: [Metric] is [up/down] [X%] - Table: Week-over-week with targets - Chart: I can suggest data visualization ``` ### Blocker Intelligence When you mention blockers, I'll: 1. **Categorize them:** - Waiting on others - Resource constraints - Technical blockers - Unclear requirements 2. **Suggest escalation:** - Who should unblock this - When to escalate to leadership - Alternative paths to explore 3. **Track recurrence:** - "This is the 3rd week this is blocked - recommend escalating" ### Progress Insights I'll flag patterns: ``` ⚠️ **Pattern detected:** You've mentioned "waiting for design" in 3 consecutive updates. **Suggestions:** - Schedule dedicated design time - Escalate to design lead - Explore if you can prototype yourself - Clarify design dependencies earlier in process ``` --- ## Update Frequency Guide ### Daily (Async Standup) **Length:** 3-4 bullets **Focus:** Today's work + blockers **Audience:** Immediate team ### Weekly (Team Update) **Length:** 5-7 sections **Focus:** Progress, metrics, next week **Audience:** Cross-functional team ### Bi-Weekly (Stakeholder Update) **Length:** Full format with decisions **Focus:** Milestones, decisions, cross-team impact **Audience:** Broader stakeholders ### Monthly (Leadership Update) **Length:** Executive summary + details **Focus:** Business impact, trajectory, escalations **Audience:** Leadership team ### Quarterly (Business Review) **Length:** Comprehensive with appendix **Focus:** Results vs. goals, learnings, next quarter plan **Audience:** Executive team + board --- ## Common Mistakes to Avoid ### ❌ Activity Lists, Not Outcomes **Bad:** "Had 5 meetings, sent 12 emails, reviewed 3 PRDs" **Good:** "Validated onboarding redesign with 8 users - 75% said it's clearer than current flow" ### ❌ Vague Progress Updates **Bad:** "Making good progress on the API integration" **Good:** "API integration 70% complete - Auth flow done, payment flow testing, shipping Friday" ### ❌ Buried Blockers **Bad:** "Working through some challenges with the legal review process" **Good:** "🚨 Blocker: Legal review pending for 2 weeks, need escalation to ship by Q1" ### ❌ No Clear Asks **Bad:** "Looking forward to feedback" **Good:** "Need: Design review by Wed to stay on track for Friday launch" ### ❌ TMI (Too Much Information) **Bad:** 10 paragraphs of every task you did **Good:** 3 key outcomes + link to details ### ❌ Sandbagging Problems Don't hide risks hoping they'll resolve. Flag them early. **Bad:** Mentioning a blocker for the first time when it's already caused a delay **Good:** Mentioning risks when they're still manageable --- ## Pro Tips ### 1. Lead With Impact Start with outcomes, not activities. What changed as a result of your work? ### 2. Use Consistent Format Pick a format and stick with it. Makes it easier for people to scan week-over-week. ### 3. Be Honest About Blockers Your job isn't to hide problems. It's to surface them early so they can be solved. ### 4. Make Asks Explicit Don't hint. Clearly state: "I need X from Y by Z" or "No help needed" ### 5. Track Your Wins Keep a running "wins" doc. Makes updates easier and helps with performance reviews. ### 6. Link Don't Repeat Reference PRDs, docs, and previous updates instead of re-explaining context. ### 7. Celebrate Others Call out teammates who helped you. Builds goodwill and visibility for them. --- ## Integration With Other Commands ### After Meeting Notes ``` Use `/meeting-notes` throughout the week. Then use `/status-update` on Friday. I'll pull: - Decisions from your meetings - Action items you completed - Blockers that surfaced - Customer insights you captured ``` ### Before 1:1s ``` Use `/status-update` to prep for your manager 1:1. I'll format it as: - Wins (self-advocacy) - Blockers (where you need help) - Discussion topics (drive the agenda) - Commitments (accountability) ``` ### For Launch Updates ``` After a launch, use `/status-update` with "launch update" context. I'll include: - What shipped - Early metrics - User feedback - Next iteration plans ``` --- ## Weekly Update Workflow **Monday morning:** - Review last week's commitments - Note what shipped or moved forward **Throughout the week:** - Keep a "wins" scratch pad - Note blockers as they come up - Track metrics in flight **Friday afternoon:** - Use `/status-update` - I'll pull from your week's work - Review and send --- ## After I Create Your Update ``` Here's your status update! **Want me to:** - [ ] Make it shorter (condense to key points) - [ ] Make it more detailed (add context) - [ ] Adjust tone (more formal/casual) - [ ] Create versions for different audiences - [ ] Draft a Slack message to share this - [ ] Add metrics or data visualization - [ ] Flag patterns or concerns I noticed What would help? ``` --- ## Special Situations ### When Everything is On Fire 🔥 ```markdown # Status Update: [Date] - URGENT ## 🚨 Critical Situation **What happened:** [Incident/crisis in one sentence] **Current status:** [Where things stand right now] **Impact:** - Users affected: [Number/percentage] - Business impact: [Revenue/reputation/etc.] - Timeline: [How long has this been happening] ## Immediate Actions Taken 1. [Action] - [Owner] - [Status] 2. [Action] - [Owner] - [Status] 3. [Action] - [Owner] - [Status] ## Root Cause [What went wrong - be honest and technical] ## Next Steps **In the next 24 hours:** - [Action] - [Owner] - [Action] - [Owner] **This week:** - [Action] - [Owner] ## Prevention [What we're doing to prevent this from happening again] ## Help Needed [Specific escalations or resources needed] ``` ### When You're Behind ```markdown # Status Update: [Date] - Adjusted Timeline ## Situation **Original target:** [Date for milestone] **New target:** [Date for milestone] **Reason:** [Honest explanation] ## What Happened [Clear, non-defensive explanation of why timeline shifted] ## Impact **Who this affects:** [Teams/stakeholders] **Dependencies:** [What's now blocked or delayed] **Mitigation:** [How you're minimizing impact] ## Revised Plan [New milestones and dates] ## Lessons Learned [What you'll do differently next time] ## Discussion [Open for questions and feedback] ``` ### When You're Ahead of Schedule ```markdown # Status Update: [Date] - Accelerated Progress ## Good News We're ahead of schedule on [initiative]! **Original timeline:** [X] **Current pace:** [Y weeks ahead] **Why:** [What went right] ## Options Given the extra time, we could: 1. [Option A] - [Pros/cons] 2. [Option B] - [Pros/cons] 3. Ship early and move to next priority **Recommendation:** [Your suggestion] **Need decision by:** [Date] to capitalize on momentum ``` --- ## Output Integration ### Where Files Go **Status updates:** - Weekly/recurring: Save to `outputs/status-updates/[date]-[audience].md` - Archive: Move finalized updates to `brain/ingestion/meetings/` for historical record - Share: Send directly or paste into Slack/email ### Link to Other Work After creating status update: - **Share with team** - Post to Slack or email to stakeholders - **Update PRDs** - Feature progress gets reflected in PRD status - **Track metrics** - Reference current metric values and progress - **Follow up on blockers** - Schedule follow-ups on items that need resolution - **Archive for 1:1** - Use this in your manager 1:1 prep ### Cross-Skill Integration **Feeds into:** - Team alignment - Status updates keep stakeholders informed - Manager 1:1s - Status gives your manager context for your work - Quarterly reviews - Status updates are artifacts for performance reviews - Strategy evaluation - Metric progress ties back to strategy **Pulls from:** - `/meeting-notes` - Recent decisions and action items from meetings - `/prd-draft` - Feature status and progress on PRDs - `/feature-results` - Shipped feature performance - `/metrics-framework` - Current metric values and movement - `brain/knowledge/` - Strategic context and goals --- --- ## Output Quality Self-Check Before delivering the status update, verify: - [ ] **Outcomes over activities:** Every bullet describes an outcome or impact, not just a task completed - [ ] **Specificity:** Numbers, dates, and names are included -- no vague "making progress" language - [ ] **Blocker clarity:** Each blocker has a specific ask, a named person, and a deadline - [ ] **Strategic tie-in:** At least one accomplishment connects to a strategic pillar or OKR - [ ] **Audience-appropriate tone:** Executive updates lead with impact; team updates lead with details - [ ] **Actionable next steps:** Every "next week" item has a clear deliverable and date - [ ] **No buried risks:** Risks and blockers are visible, not hidden in prose - [ ] **Consistent format:** Matches the format used in previous updates (if any exist) - [ ] **Right length:** Daily = 3-4 bullets, Weekly = 5-7 sections, Executive = 1-page max - [ ] **Human voice:** Reads like the PM wrote it, not like AI generated it If any check fails, revise before delivering. --- **Remember:** Great status updates make collaboration easier. They surface problems early, celebrate wins publicly, and keep everyone aligned without requiring meetings.