Skill: delay-communication

Skill: delay-communication

Purpose

Craft professional, clear, and constructive communication when a delivery is delayed. Protects stakeholder trust while presenting a credible recovery plan.

When to Use

• Release date needs to move
• Sprint scope will not be delivered as planned
• External dependency causes timeline slip
• Scope changes force a delay

Framework: Delay Communication

Principle: The 4 C's

Every delay communication must cover:

1. Clarity — What exactly is delayed, by how much
2. Cause — Why it happened (factual, no blame)
3. Consequence — What the impact is on downstream plans
4. Correction — What the recovery plan is

Step 1 — Gather Information

Ask for:

• What was the original commitment (date, scope)?
• What is the new expected date or reduced scope?
• Root cause of the delay
• What has been done to recover?
• Who is the audience (team, stakeholders, executives)?

Step 2 — Draft the Communication

Subject: Delivery Update: [Feature/Release Name] — Timeline Adjustment

Opening (1 sentence): State the situation directly and without softening language.

"The [Release Name] delivery has been revised from [original date] to [new date]."

Context (2–3 sentences): Explain the cause factually.

"The delay was caused by [root cause]. This was identified on [date] when [event/signal]."

Impact (1–2 sentences): State downstream consequences clearly.

"This affects [dependent teams/features/commitments]. [Downstream item] will now [move/adjust by X]."

Recovery Plan (bullet list):

• What actions are being taken
• By whom
• By when
• What will be delivered by the revised date

What We Need (if anything): State explicit asks: decisions, approvals, resource support.

Closing: One line expressing ownership and commitment.

Step 3 — Tone Calibration

Adjust based on audience:

• Team: Direct, action-focused, collaborative
• Stakeholders: Professional, factual, solution-oriented
• Executive: Brief, impact-first, decision-ready

Output Format

1. Ready-to-send communication (email or message format)
2. Talking points for verbal delivery
3. Suggested next command: /status-update or /steering-deck