project-status-report

Project Status Report Skill

Produces a clear, structured project status report — the weekly communication that keeps stakeholders informed without requiring a meeting.

Required Inputs

• Project name
• Reporting period
• Current RAG status (Red / Amber / Green)
• Key milestones (due, delivered, coming)
• Issues or blockers
• Decisions needed from stakeholders
• Budget status (if tracked)
• Audience (steering committee / sponsor / PMO / full team)

Output Structure

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Project Status Report: [Project Name]

Period: [Date range] | Author: [PM] | Next report: [Date]

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Overall Status

| Dimension | Status | Last period | Trend |

|---|---|---|---|

| Overall | Red / Amber / Green | [Last] | Improving / Stable / Declining |

| Schedule | | | |

| Budget | | | |

| Scope | | | |

| Risks | | | |

RAG definitions:

• Green: On track. No significant issues.
• Amber: At risk. Issues identified but mitigations in place.
• Red: Off track. Escalation or decisions required to recover.

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Executive Summary

[3-5 sentences. Headline story. If it is Red, say so immediately and why. Never bury bad news after good news.]

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Milestone Progress

| Milestone | Due date | Status | Comment |

|---|---|---|---|

| [Milestone] | [Date] | Complete / At risk / Delayed / On track | [One line] |

Completed this period: [What was delivered]

Due next period: [What is expected]

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Issues and Blockers

[Issue title] — Critical / High / Low

• Description: [What the issue is]
• Impact: [What happens if unresolved]
• Owner: [Who is resolving]
• Action: [What is being done]
• Resolution date: [When it will be closed]

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Risks

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | Owner |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| [Risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] | [Name] |

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Decisions Required

| Decision | Background | Options | Recommendation | Needed by |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| [Decision] | [Context] | [Options] | [Recommendation] | [Date] |

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Budget Summary

| | Budget | Actual to date | Forecast | Variance |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| Total | £ | £ | £ | £ F/A |

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Next Period Plan

[3-5 specific bullet points — what will happen next period]

Writing Rules

• Never soften a Red status
• Milestones are binary: complete or not complete
• Decisions must be genuinely actionable
• Keep to one page where possible

Quality Checks

• [ ] Red status is stated immediately (not buried after positives)
• [ ] Every issue has a named owner and a resolution date
• [ ] Decisions required are genuinely actionable by the audience
• [ ] Milestones are binary (complete or not complete — no "85% done")
• [ ] Executive summary can stand alone for a stakeholder who reads nothing else

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not rate project health as Green while listing unresolved critical blockers
• [ ] Do not report milestone progress as a percentage — milestones are binary: complete or not complete
• [ ] Do not bury risks at the bottom — if something is high risk, it belongs in the executive summary
• [ ] Do not leave decisions required without specifying who must decide and by when
• [ ] Do not write an executive summary that requires reading the full report to understand — it must stand alone

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Write a project status report for [project]"
• "Generate a RAG status update for [project]"
• "Write the steering committee report for [project]"