Stakeholder Communication

---
name: stakeholder-communication
description: "Drafts status updates, steering committee decks, and executive summaries calibrated to audience seniority and information needs. Uses the Pyramid Principle (lead with the answer) and adapts depth, tone, and format by stakeholder type."
category: measurement
default_depth: standard
---

# Stakeholder Communication

Read `docs/workflow-contract.md` once per session before applying this skill. Resolve it from the nearest ancestor of this file containing `manifest.json`; all Shipwright paths are relative to that root.

## Description

Drafts status updates, steering committee decks, and executive summaries calibrated to audience seniority and information needs. Uses the Pyramid Principle (lead with the answer) and adapts depth, tone, and format by stakeholder type.

## When to Use

- Weekly or biweekly status updates to leadership
- Steering committee or executive review preparation
- Cross-functional alignment communications
- Escalation or risk communication to senior leadership
- Project kickoff or completion announcements

## Depth

| Scope | Use When | Sections to Include |
|---|---|---|
| **Light** | Quick weekly status email to a single stakeholder | Identify the audience, Draft the communication (Executive Status Update template only) |
| **Standard** | Steering committee prep or cross-functional update | All sections |
| **Deep** | Board presentation, crisis escalation, or multi-audience comms package | All sections + audience-specific variants of the same update, pre-read document, appendix with supporting data |

**Omit rules:** At Light depth, skip Audience Calibration Guide and template selection. Produce only a single Pyramid Principle status update with bottom line, metrics, risks, and ask.

## Framework

### The Pyramid Principle

Always lead with the conclusion, then support it:

```
Level 1: Answer / Recommendation (what you want them to know or do)
  Level 2: Supporting arguments (why)
    Level 3: Evidence (data and specifics)
```

**Never bury the lead.** Executives read the first sentence. If the most important thing is on page 3, they'll never see it.

### Communication Templates by Audience

#### Template 1: Executive Status Update (C-Suite / VP)

```markdown
# [Product/Initiative] Status Update, [Date]

## Bottom Line
[One sentence: Are we on track, at risk, or off track? What's the most important thing they need to know?]

**Status: 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Off Track**

## Key Metrics
| Metric | Target | Actual | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| [North Star] | [target] | [actual] | [↑/↓/→] |
| [Key metric 2] | [target] | [actual] | [↑/↓/→] |

## Highlights
- [Win 1, quantified impact]
- [Win 2, quantified impact]

## Risks & Blockers
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation | Need from You |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Risk 1] | [impact] | [what we're doing] | [decision or resource needed] |

## Decisions Needed
1. [Decision with options and recommendation]

## Next Week's Focus
- [Priority 1]
- [Priority 2]
```

**Rules for exec communication:**
- Maximum 1 page / 5 minutes of reading time
- Lead with status and bottom line
- Only include risks that require their action
- Every risk should have a mitigation and a clear ask

#### Template 2: Steering Committee Update

```markdown
# Steering Committee Update: [Initiative]
## [Date]

### Executive Summary (30 seconds)
[2-3 sentences: Where are we, what's changed, what needs attention]

### Progress Against Milestones
| Milestone | Target Date | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Milestone 1] | [date] | ✅ Complete | [delivered on time] |
| [Milestone 2] | [date] | 🔄 In Progress | [on track for delivery] |
| [Milestone 3] | [date] | ⚠️ At Risk | [reason and mitigation] |

### Budget Status
| Category | Budgeted | Spent | Remaining | Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Engineering] | $[X] | $[Y] | $[Z] | [On/Over/Under budget] |

### Key Decisions Made Since Last Update
1. [Decision], Rationale: [why], Impact: [what changes]

### Decisions Required from Committee
1. **[Decision needed]**
   - Option A: [description], Pro: [x] / Con: [y]
   - Option B: [description], Pro: [x] / Con: [y]
   - **Recommendation:** [Option X] because [rationale]

### Risks & Issues
| # | Description | Owner | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | [Risk] | [Name] | High/Med/Low | [Mitigating/Monitoring/Escalated] |

### Next Review: [Date]
```

#### Template 3: Cross-Functional Team Update

```markdown
# [Initiative] Team Update, Week of [Date]

## What We Shipped
- [Shipped item, with link to release notes / demo]

## What We Learned
- [Learning from user feedback, data, or experiment]

## What's Next
- [Next sprint goal / focus area]

## Where We Need Help
- **From [Team]:** [Specific request]
- **From [Team]:** [Specific request]

## FYI / Awareness
- [Something other teams should know about]
```

#### Template 4: Risk Escalation

```markdown
# Risk Escalation: [Issue Name]

## Situation (what happened)
[Factual description, 2-3 sentences max]

## Impact (why it matters)
- [Business impact, revenue, users, reputation]
- [Timeline impact, delay, missed commitment]
- [Who is affected]

## Actions Taken
1. [What we've already done]
2. [What's in progress]

## Options & Recommendation
| Option | Pros | Cons | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: [Description] | [pro] | [con] | [cost] |
| B: [Description] | [pro] | [con] | [cost] |

**Recommendation:** [Option] because [rationale]

## Decision Needed By: [Date/Time]
**Decision-maker:** [Name]
```

### Audience Calibration Guide

| Audience | Length | Detail Level | Tone | Focus On |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-Suite | < 1 page | Headline only | Decisive, concise | Outcomes, risks, decisions needed |
| VP/Director | 1-2 pages | Key details | Professional, data-driven | Progress, trade-offs, recommendations |
| Cross-functional peers | 1 page | Moderate detail | Collaborative, open | What's shipping, where you need help |
| Engineering team | As needed | Full detail | Technical, specific | Specs, blockers, technical decisions |
| Board/Investors | 1-2 pages | Curated metrics | Confident, forward-looking | Growth, milestones, market position |

## Minimum Evidence Bar

**Required inputs:** Target audience (role/seniority), the key message or status to communicate, at least one supporting data point or metric.

**Acceptable evidence:** Metric actuals vs. targets, milestone completion status, risk register entries, decision options with trade-offs, specific asks with deadlines.

**Insufficient evidence:** If no metrics or concrete progress data are available, stop and recommend gathering metric actuals and milestone status from the team before running this skill. A status update without data trains stakeholders to ignore future updates.

**Hypotheses vs. findings:**
- **Findings:** Status (on track/at risk/off track), metric actuals, completed milestones, known risks, must be grounded in verifiable data.
- **Hypotheses:** Forecasted completion dates, predicted risk impacts, proposed mitigations, must be labeled as projections.

## Output Format

Produce the appropriate communication document based on the audience:
1. **Identify the audience**, who's reading this and what do they care about
2. **Select the template**, match audience to format
3. **Draft the communication**, Pyramid Principle, lead with the answer
4. **Calibrate the detail**, right depth for the audience
5. **Specify the ask**, every communication should have a clear "so what" for the reader

**Shipwright Signature (required closing):**
6. **Decision Frame**, recommended action or decision for the reader, trade-off, confidence with evidence quality (data freshness, metric reliability), owner, decision date, revisit trigger
7. **Unknowns & Evidence Gaps**, metrics not yet available, risks not fully quantified, stakeholder context gaps
8. **Pass/Fail Readiness**, PASS if the message has a clear conclusion supported by traceable metrics or factual milestones and a clear requested action, including explicit no action needed for informational updates; FAIL if factual status is unsupported or a needed decision is unclear.
9. **Recommended Next Artifact**, Which Shipwright skill to run next and why

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Burying the lead**, Put the most important thing first, not last
- **Status without "so what"**, "We completed 12 tickets" is trivia without "which means we're on track to hit the Q2 target"
- **Asymmetric reporting**, Report risks with the same rigor as wins; hiding bad news erodes trust
- **No clear ask**, If you need a decision, state it explicitly with a deadline
- **Same update for every audience**, What the CEO needs is different from what the engineering lead needs

## Weak vs. Strong Output

**Weak:**
> "The project is going well. We completed several tasks this sprint and are making good progress toward our goals."

No status indicator, no metrics, no specifics, no ask, the reader learns nothing actionable.

**Strong:**
> "Status: At Risk. Activation rate dropped to 18% (target: 25%) after the onboarding redesign shipped 2 weeks ago. Root cause investigation underway. Decision needed by Friday: revert to previous flow or extend the current test 2 more weeks. Recommendation: extend, because week-2 cohort shows early recovery to 22%."

Clear status, quantified problem, deadline, options, and a data-backed recommendation.