Write a project status update for stakeholders in RAG format
beginnerclaude-haikuOperationsProject Managementproject-managementcommunicationstatus-reportingstakeholder-managementoperations
Use case
Use this prompt weekly or bi-weekly to keep stakeholders informed without scheduling a meeting. Good status updates are honest, specific, and action-oriented — they tell people what's going well, what's at risk, and exactly what decisions or unblocking is needed.
The prompt
You are a skilled project manager who writes status updates that stakeholders actually read and act on. Write a project status update based on the information below. **Project name:**{{project_name}}**Reporting period:**{{reporting_period}}**Project phase:**{{project_phase}}(e.g., planning, in progress, testing, launch prep, post-launch) **Overall RAG status:**{{rag_status}}(Red / Amber / Green) **What was accomplished this period:**{{accomplishments}}**What's currently at risk or blocked:**{{risks_blockers}}**What's planned for next period:**{{next_period_plan}}**Decisions or support needed from stakeholders:**{{asks}}**Key metrics or progress indicators:**{{metrics}}**Audience:**{{audience}}(e.g., "executive leadership team", "project steering committee", "department heads") Write a project status update with this structure: ## [Project Name] — Status Update **Period:** [Reporting period] | **Date:** [Date] | **PM:** [Name placeholder] ### Overall Status: [🔴 RED / 🟡 AMBER / 🟢 GREEN] **One-sentence summary:** A single sentence explaining the overall status rating. Why is it Red, Amber, or Green? ### Status by Dimension Rate each dimension with RAG and a 1–2 sentence explanation: | Dimension | Status | Summary | |-----------|--------|---------| | Schedule | 🔴/🟡/🟢 | [On track / N days behind / at risk because...] | | Scope | 🔴/🟡/🟢 | [Scope is stable / scope change requested / creep identified] | | Budget | 🔴/🟡/🟢 | [On budget / X% over / underspending due to...] | | Resources | 🔴/🟡/🟢 | [Fully staffed / gap in X role / key person at risk] | | Quality | 🔴/🟡/🟢 | [On track / defects found / testing revealed...] | | Stakeholders | 🔴/🟡/🟢 | [Aligned / concern from X / decision pending] | ### Accomplishments This Period Bullet list of 3–6 specific, completed items. Use past tense. Be concrete — "Completed user acceptance testing with 8 participants" not "Made progress on testing." ### Risks and Issues For each active risk or issue: - **[Risk/Issue name]** [Status: New / Escalating / Stable / Resolved] - What: Brief description - Impact: If not addressed, what happens? - Action: What is being done? - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date] ### Next Period Plan What will be accomplished in the next reporting period. Be specific and commitments-based, not aspirational. ### Decisions and Asks The most important section for stakeholders. Be explicit: - **[DECISION NEEDED]:** [What decision, what the options are, by when it's needed, and what happens if it's not made] - **[UNBLOCKING NEEDED]:** [What is blocked, who needs to act, and the downstream impact] - **[FYI ONLY]:** [Information that stakeholders should be aware of but don't need to act on] ### Key Metrics | Metric | Last Period | This Period | Target | Trend | **Tone guidance based on RAG:** - Green: Confident and factual. Avoid over-celebrating — just report. - Amber: Honest about what's at risk. Don't minimize. Show that you have a plan. - Red: Direct and serious. No hedging. Lead with the problem and the recovery plan. Don't bury bad news in the middle.
Variables
{{{{project_name}}}}Replace with your {{project name}}{{{{reporting_period}}}}Replace with your {{reporting period}}{{{{project_phase}}}}Replace with your {{project phase}}{{{{rag_status}}}}Replace with your {{rag status}}{{{{accomplishments}}}}Replace with your {{accomplishments}}{{{{risks_blockers}}}}Replace with your {{risks blockers}}{{{{next_period_plan}}}}Replace with your {{next period plan}}{{{{asks}}}}Replace with your {{asks}}{{{{metrics}}}}Replace with your {{metrics}}{{{{audience}}}}Replace with your {{audience}}
Example
Input
project_name: NetSuite ERP Migration reporting_period: Week of January 22, 2024 project_phase: In progress — data migration phase rag_status: Amber accomplishments: Completed chart of accounts configuration in NetSuite (approved by VP Finance). All open AR invoices migrated and validated. NetSuite training for AP team completed (all 5 team members attended). risks_blockers: Historical data quality issue found — 18% of pre-2022 transactions have missing cost center codes. Cleaning will take 2 extra weeks. Salesforce Admin is still not allocated (competing priority from Sales Ops project). Without Salesforce integration, cutover cannot happen. next_period_plan: Begin AP historical data migration. Finalize integration spec with Sererra. Escalate Salesforce Admin allocation to COO. asks: Need COO to resolve Salesforce Admin allocation conflict by January 26. Need VP Finance to approve revised cutover date (June 24 instead of June 17). metrics: "Milestones complete: 4/12 (33%). Data records migrated: 1,240 of 8,500 (15%). Budget spent: $42K of $150K (28%). Days to cutover: 145." audience: Executive leadership team (CEO, CFO, COO, VP Finance)
Output
## NetSuite ERP Migration — Status Update **Period:** Week of January 22, 2024 | **PM:** [Name] ### Overall Status: 🟡 AMBER **Summary:** The project is progressing but two issues — a data quality problem and an unresolved resource conflict — threaten the June cutover date if not addressed this week. ### Status by Dimension | Dimension | Status | Summary | |-----------|--------|---------| | Schedule | 🟡 | 7 days behind due to data quality remediation; cutover date shift requested | | Scope | 🟢 | Scope is stable; no changes requested | | Budget | 🟢 | 28% of budget spent, tracking to plan | | Resources | 🔴 | Salesforce Admin not allocated — blocks integration milestone | | Quality | 🟡 | 18% of pre-2022 transactions have data quality issues requiring remediation | | Stakeholders | 🟢 | Executive team aligned; VP Finance engaged and responsive | ### Accomplishments This Period - Chart of accounts configuration completed and approved by VP Finance - All open AR invoices (1,240 records) migrated to NetSuite and validated against source - Finance team NetSuite training completed — all 5 team members attended - Sererra delivered integration architecture document on schedule ### Risks and Issues **Data quality — missing cost center codes** [Status: New] - What: 18% of pre-2022 transactions (estimated 1,300 records) have missing cost center codes, which will cause reporting errors in NetSuite - Impact: If unresolved, historical reporting will be inaccurate and audit-trail will have gaps - Action: Finance Analyst (Jin Park) is remediating manually; Sererra is building a bulk-correction tool (ready Week 5) - Owner: VP Finance - Due: February 16 **Salesforce Admin not allocated** [Status: Escalating] - What: The Salesforce Admin needed for the Stripe/Salesforce integration is still supporting a competing Sales Ops project - Impact: Integration spec cannot be finalized; cutover is blocked without this integration - Action: COO decision needed to resolve resource conflict - Owner: COO - Due: January 26 — critical ### Next Period Plan - Begin AP historical data migration (target: 2,000 records migrated by Jan 29) - Finalize integration spec with Sererra (pending Salesforce Admin allocation) - Submit revised cutover date for VP Finance approval ### Decisions and Asks - **[DECISION NEEDED — January 26]:** COO to resolve Salesforce Admin allocation conflict. Options: (A) Pause Sales Ops project for 3 weeks; (B) hire contractor Salesforce Admin ($8K); (C) delay ERP cutover by 4 weeks. If not resolved by Jan 26, recommend Option B to protect go-live date. - **[DECISION NEEDED — January 29]:** VP Finance to approve revised cutover date of June 24 (shifted 7 days from original June 17). No downstream impact on month-end close. - **[FYI ONLY]:** Data remediation is adding approximately 2 weeks to the migration phase but is fully within the buffer built into the schedule. We do not anticipate further slippage from this issue. ### Key Metrics | Metric | Last Week | This Week | Target | Trend | |--------|-----------|-----------|--------|-------| | Milestones complete | 2/12 | 4/12 | 12/12 by June 24 | ↑ | | Records migrated | 0 | 1,240 | 8,500 | ↑ | | Budget spent | $28K | $42K | $150K | On track | | Days to cutover | 152 | 145 | 0 | On track |
Tips for best results
- 1The 'Decisions and Asks' section is the reason busy executives read status updates. Lead with what you need, not what happened.
- 2Amber status requires more explanation than Red or Green. Be specific: what is the risk, what is the plan, and what would make this turn Red?
- 3Never bury bad news in a sub-bullet. If the project is at serious risk, that must be the first thing a stakeholder reads.
- 4Status updates should be sent on a predictable schedule. Stakeholders who get them irregularly assume something is wrong when they stop coming.
Related prompts
Build a risk register for a project with mitigation strategies
intermediateGenerate a comprehensive risk register for a project, including risk identification, scoring, mitigation plans, and ownership assignments.
Operationsrisk-managementproject-managementplanning
Write a project brief from a vague idea or stakeholder request
intermediateTransform an ambiguous stakeholder request or rough idea into a structured project brief with clear scope, objectives, and success criteria.
Operationsproject-managementplanningscope
Build a stakeholder communication plan for a project
intermediateCreate a structured stakeholder communication plan that maps audiences, communication needs, cadence, and channels for a project or initiative.
Operationscommunicationstakeholder-managementproject-management
Need help implementing this prompt in your workflow?
Book a call