majiayu000 Stakeholder Update Skill
Instructions
Help create clear, concise stakeholder updates that communicate progress, risks, and asks effectively.
Behavior
- Lead with the headline — Don't bury the lead
- Use consistent structure — Same format builds trust
- Be honest about risks — Surface problems early
- Include clear asks — What do you need from them?
- Keep it scannable — Executives skim
Tone
- Confident but not arrogant
- Transparent about challenges
- Action-oriented
- Respectful of reader's time
Update Structure
## [Project/Team] Update — [Date]
### TL;DR
One sentence summary. What's the single most important thing to know?
### Status: On Track / At Risk / Off Track
### Progress This Period
- [Completed item 1]
- [Completed item 2]
- [In progress item]
### Key Metrics
| Metric | Target | Actual | Trend |
|--------|--------|--------|-------|
| [Metric 1] | X | Y | up/down/flat |
### Risks & Blockers
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation | Owner |
|------|--------|------------|-------|
| [Risk 1] | [High/Med/Low] | [What we're doing] | [Who] |
### Asks
- [ ] [What you need from leadership]
### Next Period
- [ ] [What's coming next]
Principles
Headline First
Bad: "We had several meetings this week and discussed various topics..." Good: "We're on track to launch March 1st. Key risk: Android testing capacity."
Specific Over Vague
Bad: "Good progress on performance" Good: "Reduced P99 latency from 450ms to 180ms (-60%)"
Honest About Problems
Bad: "Minor delays expected" Good: "Timeline at risk: 2-week slip likely due to API dependency. We need [specific help]."
Clear Asks
Bad: "Would be helpful to have more resources" Good: "Requesting: 1 additional Android engineer for 3 weeks, or we slip by 2 weeks"
Examples
Example 1: Weekly Update
User: Help me write a weekly update for my team's work on push notification improvements.
Good Response:
Push Notifications Update — Week of Feb 10, 2026
TL;DR
Delivery rate hit 94% (target: 95%). Android token refresh fix deployed, monitoring results.
Status: At Risk
On track for delivery rate target, but Android reachability work is behind schedule.
Progress This Week
- Android token refresh fix deployed — Live for 10% of users, expanding Monday
- iOS delivery optimization — P99 latency down from 2.1s to 1.4s
- Rich media support — Design complete, engineering started (40% done)
- Quick reply buttons — Blocked on iOS 17 API approval
Key Metrics
| Metric | Target | This Week | Last Week | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery rate (iOS) | 95% | 96.2% | 95.8% | up |
| Delivery rate (Android) | 95% | 91.4% | 89.2% | up |
| P99 latency | <2s | 1.4s | 2.1s | up |
Risks & Blockers
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick reply blocked on Apple | High | Escalated to partner team, ETA next week | Ahmed |
| Android engineer out sick | Med | Redistributing work, 3-day slip possible | Michelle |
Asks
- Decision needed: Should we launch rich media without quick reply, or wait?
- Escalation help: Apple approval taking 2+ weeks — can leadership contact reach out?
Next Week
- Android token refresh: expand to 100%
- Rich media: complete implementation
- Quick reply: resolve Apple blocker
Adjust anything?
Example 2: Executive Summary
User: Write an executive summary of our Q1 progress for leadership.
Good Response:
Client Messaging Q1 2026 — Executive Summary
Bottom Line
Strong Q1. Delivered 3 of 4 planned initiatives. Push delivery rate at 94% (target: 95%), with clear path to close the gap in Q2. Team velocity improved 20% after process changes.
What We Shipped
| Initiative | Status | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Android token refresh | Shipped | +5% delivery rate, +2M reachable users |
| Push performance optimization | Shipped | -60% latency (2.1s to 0.8s) |
| Inbox redesign | Shipped | +15% inbox open rate |
| Rich media push | 70% | Slipped to Q2 (Apple approval delay) |
Key Metrics
| Metric | Q4 2025 | Q1 2026 | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Push delivery rate | 89% | 94% | 95% | At Risk |
| Message success rate | 10% | 14% | 15% | At Risk |
| Team velocity (points/sprint) | 45 | 54 | 50 | On Track |
What Worked
- Focus on Android — Concentrated effort closed the iOS/Android delivery gap
- Process improvements — Async standups + clearer ownership = faster shipping
- Partner alignment — Early stakeholder involvement reduced late-stage churn
What Didn't
- Apple dependency — Underestimated approval timeline for new notification APIs
- Scope creep — Rich media grew 40% from original spec
- On-call burden — Team spent 15% of time on unplanned support
Q2 Priorities
- Close the delivery gap — 94% to 99% (Android token + FCM reliability)
- Ship rich media — Unblock Apple, launch by April
- Reduce support burden — Self-service tools for partners
Asks
- Headcount: Request 1 additional engineer for Q2 to maintain velocity
- Executive support: Apple escalation for notification APIs
- Decision: Invest in self-service tooling vs. dedicated support engineer?
Want me to adjust the framing or add more detail anywhere?
Example 3: Quick Status
User: I need a quick Slack update about a feature delay.
Good Response:
Quick update on [Feature]:
Status: 1-week delay (new target: Feb 22)
Why: Discovered edge case in Android 12+ that breaks the happy path. Fix is straightforward but needs testing.
Impact: No user-facing impact (feature not launched). Marketing aware and adjusting.
What we're doing:
- Fix ready for review today
- Full QA this week
- Still on track for Feb launch window
No action needed — will update if anything changes.
Good for Slack?