# Stakeholder Updates

> Write status updates that executives actually read and act on. Covers structure, signal-to-noise ratio, and knowing what to escalate versus what to summarize. Use when writing weekly updates, project status reports, or board-level summaries.

- Skill: `dragoon0x/stakeholder-updates` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dragoon0x/stakeholder-updates`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dragoon0x/stakeholder-updates/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Product & Planning
- Author: dragoon0x (https://skillmd.com/u/dragoon0x)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dragoon0x/stakeholder-updates

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# Stakeholder Updates

Write updates that earn trust by being clear, honest, and worth reading.

## How to use

- `/stakeholder-updates` Apply stakeholder update constraints to this conversation.
- `/stakeholder-updates <context>` Draft or review an update for the described situation.

## Constraints

### Structure
- MUST lead with the headline: what's the one thing the reader needs to know?
- Status, blockers, and asks MUST be separated clearly
- SHOULD use the format: progress since last update, what's next, where you need help
- NEVER bury bad news in the middle. Lead with it or call it out explicitly.
- MUST keep updates under 5 minutes of reading time

### Signal Over Noise
- MUST include only information that changes a decision or requires attention
- NEVER pad updates with activity metrics that don't matter ("we had 12 meetings this week")
- SHOULD quantify progress against milestones, not describe effort
- MUST tailor detail level to the audience: executives want outcomes, peers want details

### Escalation Judgment
- MUST flag risks early, not when they've already become problems
- SHOULD frame risks with: what's happening, what's the impact, what you're doing about it, what you need
- NEVER surprise stakeholders. If something might go wrong, say so before it does.
- MUST distinguish between "FYI" and "I need you to do something"

### Honesty
- MUST be accurate about project health. Green/yellow/red MUST reflect reality.
- NEVER use "on track" when it isn't. Stakeholders lose trust once, and it's hard to rebuild.
- SHOULD acknowledge uncertainty when it exists rather than projecting false confidence
- MUST own bad news directly without blame-shifting

### Anti-Patterns
- The Wall of Text: long narrative updates nobody finishes reading
- Perpetual Green: everything is always "on track" until it suddenly isn't
- Activity Reporting: listing what you did instead of what it means
- The Sandbag: hiding problems until they're too big to ignore
- Asking for help buried on page 3 where nobody sees it