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-23description: Create stakeholder-friendly project status updates and progress reports4---5
6# Status Reporting Skill
7
8Generate clear, audience-appropriate project status updates. Transform technical progress into stakeholder-friendly communication.
9
10## Core Philosophy
11
12> "Stakeholders don't need to know HOW you did it — they need to know WHAT it means for them."
13
14Status reports serve different audiences with different needs:
15- **Executives**: Impact, risk, timeline
16- **Managers**: Progress, blockers, resources
17- **Teams**: Details, dependencies, next steps
18- **Customers**: Value delivered, what's coming
19
20## Report Templates
21
22### Executive Summary (30 seconds)
23
24```markdown
25## Project Status: [Project Name]
26**Date**: [Date] | **Status**: 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Blocked
27
28### One-Line Summary
29[Single sentence: what happened and what it means]
30
31### Key Metrics
32| Metric | Current | Target | Trend |
33|--------|---------|--------|-------|
34| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |
35| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |
36
37### Decisions Needed
38- [ ] [Decision 1 with deadline]
39
40### Timeline Impact
41[On schedule / X days ahead / X days behind — why]
42```
43
44### Weekly Team Update
45
46```markdown
47## Week of [Date Range]
48
49### Completed ✅
50- [Achievement 1] — [impact]
51- [Achievement 2] — [impact]
52
53### In Progress 🔄
54- [Task 1] — [% complete, ETA]
55- [Task 2] — [% complete, ETA]
56
57### Blocked 🚫
58- [Blocker] — need [resolution] from [who] by [when]
59
60### Next Week Focus
611. [Priority 1]
622. [Priority 2]
633. [Priority 3]
64
65### Metrics
66- Velocity: [X] story points
67- Bugs: [X] open, [Y] closed
68- Coverage: [X]%
69
70### Risks & Mitigations
71| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
72|------|------------|--------|------------|
73| [Risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] |
74```
75
76### Stakeholder Email
77
78```markdown
79Subject: [Project] Status — [Date] — [Status Emoji]
80
81Hi [Name],
82
83**Quick Summary**: [One sentence on where we are]
84
85**This Week's Wins**:
86• [Win 1 — business impact]
87• [Win 2 — business impact]
88
89**Coming Up**:
90• [Next milestone] — [Date]
91• [Key deliverable] — [Date]
92
93**Need Your Input On**:
94• [Decision needed] — [Context, options, recommendation]
95
96Happy to jump on a call if you have questions.
97
98[Sign-off]
99```
100
101### Sprint Retrospective Summary
102
103```markdown
104## Sprint [N] Retrospective
105
106### What Went Well 🎉
107- [Positive 1]
108- [Positive 2]
109
110### What Could Improve 🔧
111- [Improvement 1]
112- [Improvement 2]
113
114### Action Items
115| Action | Owner | Due |
116|--------|-------|-----|
117| [Action] | [Who] | [When] |
118
119### Sprint Metrics
120- Planned: [X] points | Completed: [Y] points
121- Carry-over: [Z] items
122- Team satisfaction: [Score]/5
123```
124
125## Audience Adaptation
126
127### Language Translation
128
129| 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" |
136
137### Detail Levels
138
139| 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 |
146
147## Status Indicators
148
149### Traffic Light System
150
151| 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 |
158
159### Trend Indicators
160
161| Symbol | Meaning |
162|--------|---------|
163| ↑ | Improving |
164| ↓ | Declining |
165| → | Stable |
166| ⚠️ | Needs attention |
167
168## Automation Triggers
169
170### When to Generate Status
171
172| 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 |
180
181### Data Sources
182
183Pull information from:
184- Git commits and PR descriptions
185- Issue tracker (completed, in-progress, blocked)
186- Calendar (milestones, deadlines)
187- Session history (what we worked on)
188- Metrics dashboards (if available)
189
190## Best Practices
191
192### DO ✅
193- Lead with the most important information
194- Use consistent formatting across reports
195- Include specific dates and numbers
196- Highlight decisions needed
197- Acknowledge blockers honestly
198- Show progress, not just activity
199
200### DON'T ❌
201- Bury bad news
202- Use jargon with non-technical audiences
203- Include unnecessary detail
204- Report activity without outcomes
205- Over-promise on timelines
206- Skip risk assessment
207
208## Session Protocol
209
210### Generating a Status Report
211
2121. **Clarify audience**: Who will read this?
2132. **Determine scope**: What period? What project?
2143. **Gather data**: Commits, issues, conversations
2154. **Identify highlights**: What matters most?
2165. **Draft report**: Use appropriate template
2176. **Adapt language**: Match audience level
2187. **Review for clarity**: Can a newcomer understand?
219
220### Quick Status Commands
221
222```
223/status → Generate session status
224/status weekly → Weekly team update
225/status exec → Executive summary
226/status email [name] → Stakeholder email draft
227```
228
229## Integration Points
230
231### With Other Skills
232- **proactive-assistance**: Offer status prep at end of day
233- **scope-management**: Include scope health in reports
234- **alex-effort-estimation**: Include timeline projections
235- **project-management**: Pull from project tracking
236
237### Triggers for This Skill
238- "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)
243
244## Metrics
245
246- **Clarity score**: Can reader understand in 30 seconds?
247- **Completeness**: All sections filled appropriately
248- **Accuracy**: Numbers and dates verified
249- **Audience fit**: Language matches recipient
250
251---
252
253## Related Skills
254
255- [proactive-assistance](.github/skills/proactive-assistance/SKILL.md) — Trigger status prep proactively
256- [scope-management](.github/skills/scope-management/SKILL.md) — Include scope health
257- [project-management](.github/skills/project-management/SKILL.md) — Project tracking context
258- [executive-storytelling](.github/skills/executive-storytelling/SKILL.md) — Advanced narrative techniques
259
260---
261
262*Good status reports build trust. Great ones prevent surprise.*
majiayu000