delivery-status

Delivery Status Reports

Overview

Generate structured delivery status reports that drive decisions and surface risks early. Status reports are the primary communication channel between delivery teams and stakeholders. They must be forward-looking — what's next matters more than what happened.

When to Use

• Weekly project status updates
• Steering committee or governance meeting summaries
• Executive roll-ups across multiple workstreams
• Sprint reviews or iteration summaries
• Escalation reports when issues need attention
• Any recurring delivery communication

Instructions

Step 1: Identify the Report Type

Determine which format to use based on the audience and context:

Type	Audience	Cadence	Format
Weekly Update	Delivery team + client PM	Weekly	Detailed, operational
Steering Committee	Client leadership + Baufest leadership	Bi-weekly/Monthly	Strategic, summary-level
Executive Roll-up	C-suite / Portfolio level	Monthly/Quarterly	High-level, multi-project

Load the appropriate example for format guidance:

• For weekly updates, see examples/weekly-update.md
• For steering committee summaries, see examples/steering-committee.md
• For executive roll-ups, adapt the steering committee format with a multi-project view

Step 2: Gather Status Information

Ask the user for (skip what's already provided):

1. Project/engagement name and reporting period
2. Overall health — Green / Amber / Red with brief justification
3. Key accomplishments this period (keep to 3–5 items)
4. Upcoming milestones — what's next and when
5. Risks and blockers — anything threatening delivery
6. Decisions needed — what needs to be resolved and by whom
7. Metrics — velocity, burn rate, quality metrics, or other KPIs if available

Step 3: Draft the Report

Apply these principles:

• Forward-looking framing: Lead with what's ahead. "Next week, the team will..." comes before "This week, the team completed...". Past accomplishments provide context; future actions drive value.
• RAG status with teeth: Red/Amber/Green must have specific, measurable criteria. Define what "Green" means for this project. Don't default to Green to avoid difficult conversations.
• Risks are opportunities to lead: Surface risks early with clear mitigations. "Risk: API vendor has not confirmed SLA → Mitigation: Fallback architecture designed, decision needed by March 15."
• Decisions, not updates: Every report should make clear what decisions are needed, from whom, and by when. Status without asks is just noise.
• Quantify progress: "Sprint velocity: 34 points (target: 30). 4 of 6 epics complete. On track for Phase 2 milestone on April 1."
• Concise: Weekly updates should be scannable in 2 minutes. Steering committee summaries in 5 minutes. If it's longer, cut it.

Step 4: Format and Deliver

Output as a structured Markdown document matching the appropriate format example. Use Baufest voice: precise, confident, forward-looking.

Output Format

A structured Markdown document matching the selected report type. Each report has standardized sections for consistency across projects. Typical length: 1 page (weekly) to 3 pages (steering committee).

References

• See weekly-update.md for weekly status report format
• See steering-committee.md for governance meeting summary format