PeopleMuster

Weekly status report template

A weekly status report tells a client or a manager, in two minutes, whether the project is on track and what you need from them. Lead with one status word, list what shipped and what's next, and end with the decisions only they can make. Send it on the same day every week.

Send one every week on any project that runs longer than a month, and to every client who isn't in your daily stand-up. It also works inside the company: a team lead sends the same sections to the head of delivery every Friday.

WEEKLY STATUS REPORT
Project: [PROJECT NAME]
Client: [CLIENT NAME]
Week ending: [WEEK ENDING DATE]
Prepared by: [PROJECT MANAGER]
Sent to: [RECIPIENTS]

OVERALL STATUS: [STATUS]
Summary: [ONE-LINE SUMMARY]

1. DONE THIS WEEK
- [COMPLETED ITEM]
- [COMPLETED ITEM]
- [COMPLETED ITEM]

2. PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK
- [PLANNED ITEM]
- [PLANNED ITEM]
- [PLANNED ITEM]

3. MILESTONES
Milestone | Due date | Status | Note
[MILESTONE] | [DUE DATE] | [MILESTONE STATUS] | [NOTE]
[MILESTONE] | [DUE DATE] | [MILESTONE STATUS] | [NOTE]
[MILESTONE] | [DUE DATE] | [MILESTONE STATUS] | [NOTE]
Milestones complete: [DONE COUNT] of [TOTAL COUNT]

4. HOURS
Hours this week | Hours to date | Hours planned for the project
[WEEK HOURS] | [HOURS TO DATE] | [PLANNED HOURS]

5. RISKS AND ISSUES
Risk or issue | Impact | What we're doing | Owner
[RISK] | [IMPACT] | [MITIGATION] | [OWNER]
[RISK] | [IMPACT] | [MITIGATION] | [OWNER]

6. DECISIONS NEEDED FROM YOU
Decision | Why it matters | Needed by
[DECISION] | [REASON] | [DECISION DATE]

7. NEXT MEETING
[MEETING DATE AND TIME]

What to put in each blank

[STATUS]
Pick one word: on track, at risk or off track. Choose at risk the first week you have a doubt, not the week the deadline slips.
[ONE-LINE SUMMARY]
Write the one sentence a busy client reads if they read nothing else, such as "Checkout is live on staging; payment testing starts Monday."
[COMPLETED ITEM]
Name finished work the client can see or test. Three real items beat ten tasks copied from your board.
[MILESTONE STATUS]
Use done, on track, at risk or late. Give the new date in the note column whenever a milestone moves.
[PLANNED HOURS]
Enter the hours you estimated for the whole project. Your client sees at a glance how much of the plan is used against how much of the work is done.
[IMPACT]
Say what happens if the risk lands, in days or in scope, such as "launch moves a week".
[DECISION]
Ask one clear question the client can answer yes or no, or by choosing an option. A vague request gets a vague reply.
[DECISION DATE]
Give the date after which the plan changes. Your client moves faster when the cost of waiting is written down.

Before you send it

  • Keep the status honest. A project that's green for eight weeks and red in week nine loses the client's trust faster than one marked at risk in week six.
  • Send it in a quiet week too. Silence worries clients. A two-line report that says nothing moved, and why, keeps them calm.
  • Put section 6 near the top of the email body if the decision is urgent. Most readers stop after the first screen.
  • Book the next meeting in the report itself. Projects drift when weeks pass with no call on the calendar.

PeopleMuster marks every client project On Track or Needs Attention, scores its health, tasks and setup, counts milestones done, and warns you when no meeting has happened for too long.

Questions people ask about this letter

What should a weekly status report include?

An overall status, a one-line summary, work done this week, work planned for next week, milestone progress, risks and the decisions you need. Add hours used against the plan if you bill or budget by time. Six short sections fit on one screen.

How long should a weekly status report be?

One page, or one screen of email. If the reader has to scroll twice, move the detail into an attachment and keep the report to status, progress, risks and decisions.

What does RAG status mean in a status report?

RAG stands for red, amber and green. Green means on track, amber means at risk and needs watching, and red means off track and needs action now. The template uses the three words instead, which clients read without a key.

What day should you send a weekly status report?

Friday afternoon or Monday morning both work, as long as it's the same day every week. Friday suits a client who plans their next week over the weekend; Monday gives your team time to close the week's work first.

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