Project status update email that stakeholders actually read
Stakeholders want to know three things: are we on track, what changed, and do you need anything from them. This prompt turns your rough notes, task list or spreadsheet into a status update email with a red/amber/green status, progress against milestones, risks with owners and the decisions you need, in a format busy people can scan in 30 seconds.
The prompt
- Write a project status update email for [PROJECT NAME] to [AUDIENCE]. Use my notes: [YOUR NOTES OR ATTACH THE TRACKER]. Start with a one-line summary and an overall status (green, amber or red) with the reason. Then add short sections: progress since the last update, the next milestones with dates, risks and issues with an owner for each, and decisions or help I need from them by [DECISION DEADLINE]. Use bullets, keep it under 250 words, and use the subject "project name + status: week of [DATE]". Flag anything in my notes that contradicts a milestone date. Save it as a Gmail draft and do not send.
What to change
- [PROJECT NAME]: E.g. "CRM migration" or "Mobile app v2". It is used in the subject too.
- [AUDIENCE]: E.g. "the steering group", "the client team at Norvik" or "my director".
- [YOUR NOTES OR ATTACH THE TRACKER]: Paste bullet notes, or attach your Excel tracker, Jira export or meeting notes.
- [DECISION DEADLINE]: When you need their answer, e.g. "Thursday 14 November".
- [DATE]: E.g. "10 November".
Example result
- The email
- Subject: CRM migration status: week of 10 November
- Hi all,
- Summary: Status amber. User testing is on track, but the data import is one week behind because 18% of old contact records failed validation. Go-live on 2 December is still possible if we approve the clean-up plan below by Thursday.
- Progress since last update
- • Sales pipeline and quote templates configured and signed off
- • 24 of 30 test users finished training
- • First full test import completed (82% clean)
- Next milestones
- • 15 Nov: second test import with cleaned data
- • 22 Nov: user acceptance testing ends
- • 2 Dec: go-live
- Risks and issues
- • Duplicate contacts in the old system (owner: Priya). Clean-up script ready, needs 2 days of review from Sales Ops
- • 6 users not yet trained (owner: Tom). Extra session booked for 13 Nov
- Decision needed by Thursday 14 Nov
- • Approve 2 days of Sales Ops time for the data review, or move go-live to 9 Dec
- Happy to walk through any of this on a 10-minute call.
- Thanks,
- Sam
- How to choose the status color
- • Green: on schedule and budget, no help needed
- • Amber: at risk, but there is a plan, often needing a decision from readers
- • Red: a milestone or budget will be missed without a change in scope, time or people
- Common mistakes
- • Hiding bad news in the last paragraph. Put the status and the reason first
- • Listing tasks instead of outcomes. "Training 80% done" beats "ran training sessions"
- • Asking for a decision without a deadline
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in the project, audience and your notes. Attach the tracker if you have one.
- Paste it into todo.is or message it to your agent on Slack or Telegram.
- Your agent writes the update and points out any dates in your notes that do not add up.
- Edit the draft, send it, and make it weekly: "every Friday at 3 pm, read my tracker and draft this update".
Tips for a better result
- Pick the status color honestly. An amber that turns red with no warning hurts trust more than an early amber.
- Always pair a risk with an owner and a next step, otherwise it reads as a complaint.
- Keep the same section order every week so readers know where to look.
- If your tracker lives in Google Drive, tell your agent the file name so the weekly to-do reads the latest version.
project status update email: FAQ
- What should a project status update include? An overall status with the reason, progress since the last update, upcoming milestones, risks with owners, and any decisions you need. Keep it short enough to read in under a minute.
- How often should I send project status updates? Weekly is the norm for active projects. Monthly works for long, steady projects or senior audiences who only need the big picture.
- What does RAG status mean? Red, amber, green. Green means on track, amber means at risk with a plan, and red means a deadline or budget will be missed without action.
- Can todo.is send the update every week automatically? It can run as a recurring to-do that reads your notes or tracker and saves a fresh draft. It asks for your OK before sending.
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