Status Reporting Skill
Generate clear, audience-appropriate project status updates. Transform technical progress into stakeholder-friendly communication.
Core Philosophy
"Stakeholders don't need to know HOW you did it — they need to know WHAT it means for them."
Status reports serve different audiences with different needs:
- Executives: Impact, risk, timeline
- Managers: Progress, blockers, resources
- Teams: Details, dependencies, next steps
- Customers: Value delivered, what's coming
Report Templates
Executive Summary (30 seconds)
## Project Status: [Project Name]
**Date**: [Date] | **Status**: 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Blocked
### One-Line Summary
[Single sentence: what happened and what it means]
### Key Metrics
| Metric | Current | Target | Trend |
|--------|---------|--------|-------|
| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |
| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |
### Decisions Needed
- [ ] [Decision 1 with deadline]
### Timeline Impact
[On schedule / X days ahead / X days behind — why]
Weekly Team Update
## Week of [Date Range]
### Completed ✅
- [Achievement 1] — [impact]
- [Achievement 2] — [impact]
### In Progress 🔄
- [Task 1] — [% complete, ETA]
- [Task 2] — [% complete, ETA]
### Blocked 🚫
- [Blocker] — need [resolution] from [who] by [when]
### Next Week Focus
1. [Priority 1]
2. [Priority 2]
3. [Priority 3]
### Metrics
- Velocity: [X] story points
- Bugs: [X] open, [Y] closed
- Coverage: [X]%
### Risks & Mitigations
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| [Risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] |
Stakeholder Email
Subject: [Project] Status — [Date] — [Status Emoji]
Hi [Name],
**Quick Summary**: [One sentence on where we are]
**This Week's Wins**:
• [Win 1 — business impact]
• [Win 2 — business impact]
**Coming Up**:
• [Next milestone] — [Date]
• [Key deliverable] — [Date]
**Need Your Input On**:
• [Decision needed] — [Context, options, recommendation]
Happy to jump on a call if you have questions.
[Sign-off]
Sprint Retrospective Summary
## Sprint [N] Retrospective
### What Went Well 🎉
- [Positive 1]
- [Positive 2]
### What Could Improve 🔧
- [Improvement 1]
- [Improvement 2]
### Action Items
| Action | Owner | Due |
|--------|-------|-----|
| [Action] | [Who] | [When] |
### Sprint Metrics
- Planned: [X] points | Completed: [Y] points
- Carry-over: [Z] items
- Team satisfaction: [Score]/5
Audience Adaptation
Language Translation
| Technical Term |
Executive Translation |
| "Refactored the authentication module" |
"Improved security and login reliability" |
| "Reduced technical debt" |
"Reduced maintenance costs and risk" |
| "Implemented CI/CD pipeline" |
"Automated our release process — faster, safer updates" |
| "Fixed race condition" |
"Resolved intermittent bug causing data issues" |
| "Migrated to microservices" |
"Made the system more scalable and reliable" |
Detail Levels
| Audience |
Detail Level |
Focus On |
| C-Suite |
Minimal |
Business impact, risks, decisions |
| VP/Director |
Summary |
Progress, resources, timeline |
| Manager |
Moderate |
Tasks, blockers, team health |
| Team |
Detailed |
Technical specifics, dependencies |
| Customer |
Outcome |
Value delivered, what's next |
Status Indicators
Traffic Light System
| Status |
Symbol |
Meaning |
Action |
| Green |
🟢 |
On track, no issues |
Continue |
| Yellow |
🟡 |
At risk, needs attention |
Monitor closely |
| Red |
🔴 |
Blocked, needs escalation |
Immediate action |
| Blue |
🔵 |
Complete |
Celebrate |
| Gray |
⚪ |
Not started |
Plan |
Trend Indicators
| Symbol |
Meaning |
| ↑ |
Improving |
| ↓ |
Declining |
| → |
Stable |
| ⚠️ |
Needs attention |
Automation Triggers
When to Generate Status
| Trigger |
Report Type |
| End of day Friday |
Weekly summary |
| Sprint end |
Sprint report |
| Before stakeholder meeting |
Executive summary |
| Milestone completion |
Achievement update |
| Blocker encountered |
Escalation notice |
| User asks "what did we do" |
Session/period summary |
Data Sources
Pull information from:
- Git commits and PR descriptions
- Issue tracker (completed, in-progress, blocked)
- Calendar (milestones, deadlines)
- Session history (what we worked on)
- Metrics dashboards (if available)
Best Practices
DO ✅
- Lead with the most important information
- Use consistent formatting across reports
- Include specific dates and numbers
- Highlight decisions needed
- Acknowledge blockers honestly
- Show progress, not just activity
DON'T ❌
- Bury bad news
- Use jargon with non-technical audiences
- Include unnecessary detail
- Report activity without outcomes
- Over-promise on timelines
- Skip risk assessment
Session Protocol
Generating a Status Report
- Clarify audience: Who will read this?
- Determine scope: What period? What project?
- Gather data: Commits, issues, conversations
- Identify highlights: What matters most?
- Draft report: Use appropriate template
- Adapt language: Match audience level
- Review for clarity: Can a newcomer understand?
Quick Status Commands
/status → Generate session status
/status weekly → Weekly team update
/status exec → Executive summary
/status email [name] → Stakeholder email draft
Integration Points
With Other Skills
- proactive-assistance: Offer status prep at end of day
- scope-management: Include scope health in reports
- alex-effort-estimation: Include timeline projections
- project-management: Pull from project tracking
Triggers for This Skill
- "status update", "status report"
- "what did we accomplish", "summarize progress"
- "stakeholder update", "email to [stakeholder]"
- "sprint report", "weekly summary"
- End of day/week (proactive)
Metrics
- Clarity score: Can reader understand in 30 seconds?
- Completeness: All sections filled appropriately
- Accuracy: Numbers and dates verified
- Audience fit: Language matches recipient
Related Skills
- proactive-assistance — Trigger status prep proactively
- scope-management — Include scope health
- project-management — Project tracking context
- executive-storytelling — Advanced narrative techniques
Good status reports build trust. Great ones prevent surprise.
1---2name: status-reporting-33description: Create stakeholder-friendly project status updates and progress reports4---56# Status Reporting Skill78Generate clear, audience-appropriate project status updates. Transform technical progress into stakeholder-friendly communication.910## Core Philosophy1112> "Stakeholders don't need to know HOW you did it — they need to know WHAT it means for them."1314Status reports serve different audiences with different needs:15- **Executives**: Impact, risk, timeline16- **Managers**: Progress, blockers, resources17- **Teams**: Details, dependencies, next steps18- **Customers**: Value delivered, what's coming1920## Report Templates2122### Executive Summary (30 seconds)2324```markdown25## Project Status: [Project Name]26**Date**: [Date] | **Status**: 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Blocked2728### One-Line Summary29[Single sentence: what happened and what it means]3031### Key Metrics32| Metric | Current | Target | Trend |33|--------|---------|--------|-------|34| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |35| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |3637### Decisions Needed38- [ ] [Decision 1 with deadline]3940### Timeline Impact41[On schedule / X days ahead / X days behind — why]42```4344### Weekly Team Update4546```markdown47## Week of [Date Range]4849### Completed ✅50- [Achievement 1] — [impact]51- [Achievement 2] — [impact]5253### In Progress 🔄54- [Task 1] — [% complete, ETA]55- [Task 2] — [% complete, ETA]5657### Blocked 🚫58- [Blocker] — need [resolution] from [who] by [when]5960### Next Week Focus611. [Priority 1]622. [Priority 2]633. [Priority 3]6465### Metrics66- Velocity: [X] story points67- Bugs: [X] open, [Y] closed68- Coverage: [X]%6970### Risks & Mitigations71| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |72|------|------------|--------|------------|73| [Risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] |74```7576### Stakeholder Email7778```markdown79Subject: [Project] Status — [Date] — [Status Emoji]8081Hi [Name],8283**Quick Summary**: [One sentence on where we are]8485**This Week's Wins**:86• [Win 1 — business impact]87• [Win 2 — business impact]8889**Coming Up**:90• [Next milestone] — [Date]91• [Key deliverable] — [Date]9293**Need Your Input On**:94• [Decision needed] — [Context, options, recommendation]9596Happy to jump on a call if you have questions.9798[Sign-off]99```100101### Sprint Retrospective Summary102103```markdown104## Sprint [N] Retrospective105106### What Went Well 🎉107- [Positive 1]108- [Positive 2]109110### What Could Improve 🔧111- [Improvement 1]112- [Improvement 2]113114### Action Items115| Action | Owner | Due |116|--------|-------|-----|117| [Action] | [Who] | [When] |118119### Sprint Metrics120- Planned: [X] points | Completed: [Y] points121- Carry-over: [Z] items122- Team satisfaction: [Score]/5123```124125## Audience Adaptation126127### Language Translation128129| Technical Term | Executive Translation |130|----------------|----------------------|131| "Refactored the authentication module" | "Improved security and login reliability" |132| "Reduced technical debt" | "Reduced maintenance costs and risk" |133| "Implemented CI/CD pipeline" | "Automated our release process — faster, safer updates" |134| "Fixed race condition" | "Resolved intermittent bug causing data issues" |135| "Migrated to microservices" | "Made the system more scalable and reliable" |136137### Detail Levels138139| Audience | Detail Level | Focus On |140|----------|--------------|----------|141| **C-Suite** | Minimal | Business impact, risks, decisions |142| **VP/Director** | Summary | Progress, resources, timeline |143| **Manager** | Moderate | Tasks, blockers, team health |144| **Team** | Detailed | Technical specifics, dependencies |145| **Customer** | Outcome | Value delivered, what's next |146147## Status Indicators148149### Traffic Light System150151| Status | Symbol | Meaning | Action |152|--------|--------|---------|--------|153| **Green** | 🟢 | On track, no issues | Continue |154| **Yellow** | 🟡 | At risk, needs attention | Monitor closely |155| **Red** | 🔴 | Blocked, needs escalation | Immediate action |156| **Blue** | 🔵 | Complete | Celebrate |157| **Gray** | ⚪ | Not started | Plan |158159### Trend Indicators160161| Symbol | Meaning |162|--------|---------|163| ↑ | Improving |164| ↓ | Declining |165| → | Stable |166| ⚠️ | Needs attention |167168## Automation Triggers169170### When to Generate Status171172| Trigger | Report Type |173|---------|-------------|174| End of day Friday | Weekly summary |175| Sprint end | Sprint report |176| Before stakeholder meeting | Executive summary |177| Milestone completion | Achievement update |178| Blocker encountered | Escalation notice |179| User asks "what did we do" | Session/period summary |180181### Data Sources182183Pull information from:184- Git commits and PR descriptions185- Issue tracker (completed, in-progress, blocked)186- Calendar (milestones, deadlines)187- Session history (what we worked on)188- Metrics dashboards (if available)189190## Best Practices191192### DO ✅193- Lead with the most important information194- Use consistent formatting across reports195- Include specific dates and numbers196- Highlight decisions needed197- Acknowledge blockers honestly198- Show progress, not just activity199200### DON'T ❌201- Bury bad news202- Use jargon with non-technical audiences203- Include unnecessary detail204- Report activity without outcomes205- Over-promise on timelines206- Skip risk assessment207208## Session Protocol209210### Generating a Status Report2112121. **Clarify audience**: Who will read this?2132. **Determine scope**: What period? What project?2143. **Gather data**: Commits, issues, conversations2154. **Identify highlights**: What matters most?2165. **Draft report**: Use appropriate template2176. **Adapt language**: Match audience level2187. **Review for clarity**: Can a newcomer understand?219220### Quick Status Commands221222```223/status → Generate session status224/status weekly → Weekly team update225/status exec → Executive summary226/status email [name] → Stakeholder email draft227```228229## Integration Points230231### With Other Skills232- **proactive-assistance**: Offer status prep at end of day233- **scope-management**: Include scope health in reports234- **alex-effort-estimation**: Include timeline projections235- **project-management**: Pull from project tracking236237### Triggers for This Skill238- "status update", "status report"239- "what did we accomplish", "summarize progress"240- "stakeholder update", "email to [stakeholder]"241- "sprint report", "weekly summary"242- End of day/week (proactive)243244## Metrics245246- **Clarity score**: Can reader understand in 30 seconds?247- **Completeness**: All sections filled appropriately248- **Accuracy**: Numbers and dates verified249- **Audience fit**: Language matches recipient250251---252253## Related Skills254255- [proactive-assistance](..\proactive-assistance/SKILL.md) — Trigger status prep proactively256- [scope-management](..\scope-management/SKILL.md) — Include scope health257- [project-management](..\project-management/SKILL.md) — Project tracking context258- [executive-storytelling](..\executive-storytelling/SKILL.md) — Advanced narrative techniques259260---261262*Good status reports build trust. Great ones prevent surprise.*
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