Headline (1-2 sentences)
The one thing your reader should walk away knowing. If they only read this line, what matters most this week?
Shipped this week
- Concrete outcomes, not activity. "Migrated 80% of read traffic" beats "continued migration work".
- Link to the artifact (PR, dashboard, doc) wherever possible.
On track / At risk
Two short lists. "At risk" is the section executives read first — be specific about why, what you're doing about it, and what would change the outcome.
Decisions needed
What you need from your reader, with options and a recommendation. Make it easy to reply with a single sentence.
Next week
Top three priorities. Not the full backlog — the three things that matter most.
Common pitfalls
- — Padding the update with activity to look productive. Outcomes only.
- — Burying risks. Surfacing a risk early is leadership; hiding it is a career-limiting move.
- — Inconsistent cadence. Same day, same shape, every week.