Your project success relies on you communicating project status. Use these tips and templates to help
1. Keep your update short – aim for 5 minutes or less.
2. If you have project objectives, compare progress with these objectives.
3. Provide a 1-page document so that people can take away the key messages.
4. Provide easy-to-understand status indicators – “Red / Amber / Green” (RAG) status for each update item.
Project Update in more detail
Project updates are a crucial part of project and product management.
- Keep your update short – aim for 5 minutes or less.
- Provide some introductory context – remember that everyone’s mind is elsewhere.
- Avoid going into detail – just give the headlines!
- If there are any issues, provide some suggested solutions.
- If you have project objectives, compare progress with these objectives.
- Show this side-by-side: Targets vs Actual Progress.
- RAG Status is a good way of highlighting good and bad progress.
- If you bear bad news, it always pays to have some suggested solutions.
- Provide a 1-page document so that people can take away the key messages.
- Once again – keep it simple.
- Use a Status Report or Dashboard template (see below).
- Provide easy-to-understand status indicators – “Red / Amber / Green” RAG status for each update item.
- RAG Status: this can be achieved with traffic lights, or dials, or just simply the Red, Amber, Green colours.
- Dials: While it may seem a bit of a gimmick, dials can be very popular with corporate stakeholders.
Short on time?
Use these templates to help with business best practice:
Business Topics
- Operations.
Operations is a key function in any business. Led by the COO, operations can cover a wide range of business-critical processes.
- Dashboards, Reports and Status Presentations
- RAG Status Reports & Dashboards
- Business Reports
Template Types
Related Business Best Practices
How do I present a Strategy Progress Report?
Executives and stakeholders have short attention spans. Use this guide to focus on important points.
How do I present a Project Update?
Your project success relies on you communicating project status. Use these tips and templates to help
How do I create and use a Risk Log?
You need a Risk Log so that you can track and manage your project risk. How do you create one and then use a Risk Log?
What is the best RAG Status graphic?
RAG Status – Red / Amber / Green – can be shown in a variety of formats. Which is the best RAG Status graphic?
All Business Best Practice
See all Business Best Practice here.