Status Reporting

---
name: "status-reporting"
description: "Create stakeholder-friendly project status updates and progress reports"
---

# Status Reporting Skill

Generate clear, audience-appropriate project status updates. Transform technical progress into stakeholder-friendly communication.

## Core Philosophy

> "Stakeholders don't need to know HOW you did it — they need to know WHAT it means for them."

Status reports serve different audiences with different needs:
- **Executives**: Impact, risk, timeline
- **Managers**: Progress, blockers, resources
- **Teams**: Details, dependencies, next steps
- **Customers**: Value delivered, what's coming

## Report Templates

### Executive Summary (30 seconds)

```markdown
## Project Status: [Project Name]
**Date**: [Date] | **Status**: 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Blocked

### One-Line Summary
[Single sentence: what happened and what it means]

### Key Metrics
| Metric | Current | Target | Trend |
|--------|---------|--------|-------|
| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |
| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Goal] | ↑/↓/→ |

### Decisions Needed
- [ ] [Decision 1 with deadline]

### Timeline Impact
[On schedule / X days ahead / X days behind — why]
```

### Weekly Team Update

```markdown
## Week of [Date Range]

### Completed ✅
- [Achievement 1] — [impact]
- [Achievement 2] — [impact]

### In Progress 🔄
- [Task 1] — [% complete, ETA]
- [Task 2] — [% complete, ETA]

### Blocked 🚫
- [Blocker] — need [resolution] from [who] by [when]

### Next Week Focus
1. [Priority 1]
2. [Priority 2]
3. [Priority 3]

### Metrics
- Velocity: [X] story points
- Bugs: [X] open, [Y] closed
- Coverage: [X]%

### Risks & Mitigations
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| [Risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [Action] |
```

### Stakeholder Email

```markdown
Subject: [Project] Status — [Date] — [Status Emoji]

Hi [Name],

**Quick Summary**: [One sentence on where we are]

**This Week's Wins**:
• [Win 1 — business impact]
• [Win 2 — business impact]

**Coming Up**:
• [Next milestone] — [Date]
• [Key deliverable] — [Date]

**Need Your Input On**:
• [Decision needed] — [Context, options, recommendation]

Happy to jump on a call if you have questions.

[Sign-off]
```

### Sprint Retrospective Summary

```markdown
## Sprint [N] Retrospective

### What Went Well 🎉
- [Positive 1]
- [Positive 2]

### What Could Improve 🔧
- [Improvement 1]
- [Improvement 2]

### Action Items
| Action | Owner | Due |
|--------|-------|-----|
| [Action] | [Who] | [When] |

### Sprint Metrics
- Planned: [X] points | Completed: [Y] points
- Carry-over: [Z] items
- Team satisfaction: [Score]/5
```

## Audience Adaptation

### Language Translation

| Technical Term | Executive Translation |
|----------------|----------------------|
| "Refactored the authentication module" | "Improved security and login reliability" |
| "Reduced technical debt" | "Reduced maintenance costs and risk" |
| "Implemented CI/CD pipeline" | "Automated our release process — faster, safer updates" |
| "Fixed race condition" | "Resolved intermittent bug causing data issues" |
| "Migrated to microservices" | "Made the system more scalable and reliable" |

### Detail Levels

| Audience | Detail Level | Focus On |
|----------|--------------|----------|
| **C-Suite** | Minimal | Business impact, risks, decisions |
| **VP/Director** | Summary | Progress, resources, timeline |
| **Manager** | Moderate | Tasks, blockers, team health |
| **Team** | Detailed | Technical specifics, dependencies |
| **Customer** | Outcome | Value delivered, what's next |

## Status Indicators

### Traffic Light System

| Status | Symbol | Meaning | Action |
|--------|--------|---------|--------|
| **Green** | 🟢 | On track, no issues | Continue |
| **Yellow** | 🟡 | At risk, needs attention | Monitor closely |
| **Red** | 🔴 | Blocked, needs escalation | Immediate action |
| **Blue** | 🔵 | Complete | Celebrate |
| **Gray** | ⚪ | Not started | Plan |

### Trend Indicators

| Symbol | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| ↑ | Improving |
| ↓ | Declining |
| → | Stable |
| ⚠️ | Needs attention |

## Automation Triggers

### When to Generate Status

| Trigger | Report Type |
|---------|-------------|
| End of day Friday | Weekly summary |
| Sprint end | Sprint report |
| Before stakeholder meeting | Executive summary |
| Milestone completion | Achievement update |
| Blocker encountered | Escalation notice |
| User asks "what did we do" | Session/period summary |

### Data Sources

Pull information from:
- Git commits and PR descriptions
- Issue tracker (completed, in-progress, blocked)
- Calendar (milestones, deadlines)
- Session history (what we worked on)
- Metrics dashboards (if available)

## Best Practices

### DO ✅
- Lead with the most important information
- Use consistent formatting across reports
- Include specific dates and numbers
- Highlight decisions needed
- Acknowledge blockers honestly
- Show progress, not just activity

### DON'T ❌
- Bury bad news
- Use jargon with non-technical audiences
- Include unnecessary detail
- Report activity without outcomes
- Over-promise on timelines
- Skip risk assessment

## Session Protocol

### Generating a Status Report

1. **Clarify audience**: Who will read this?
2. **Determine scope**: What period? What project?
3. **Gather data**: Commits, issues, conversations
4. **Identify highlights**: What matters most?
5. **Draft report**: Use appropriate template
6. **Adapt language**: Match audience level
7. **Review for clarity**: Can a newcomer understand?

### Quick Status Commands

```
/status              → Generate session status
/status weekly       → Weekly team update
/status exec         → Executive summary
/status email [name] → Stakeholder email draft
```

## Integration Points

### With Other Skills
- **proactive-assistance**: Offer status prep at end of day
- **scope-management**: Include scope health in reports
- **alex-effort-estimation**: Include timeline projections
- **project-management**: Pull from project tracking

### Triggers for This Skill
- "status update", "status report"
- "what did we accomplish", "summarize progress"
- "stakeholder update", "email to [stakeholder]"
- "sprint report", "weekly summary"
- End of day/week (proactive)

## Metrics

- **Clarity score**: Can reader understand in 30 seconds?
- **Completeness**: All sections filled appropriately
- **Accuracy**: Numbers and dates verified
- **Audience fit**: Language matches recipient

---

## Related Skills

- [proactive-assistance](.github/skills/proactive-assistance/SKILL.md) — Trigger status prep proactively
- [scope-management](.github/skills/scope-management/SKILL.md) — Include scope health
- [project-management](.github/skills/project-management/SKILL.md) — Project tracking context
- [executive-storytelling](.github/skills/executive-storytelling/SKILL.md) — Advanced narrative techniques

---

*Good status reports build trust. Great ones prevent surprise.*