Stakeholder Updates

Write updates that earn trust by being clear, honest, and worth reading.

How to use

• /stakeholder-updates Apply stakeholder update constraints to this conversation.
• /stakeholder-updates <context> Draft or review an update for the described situation.

Constraints

Structure

• MUST lead with the headline: what's the one thing the reader needs to know?
• Status, blockers, and asks MUST be separated clearly
• SHOULD use the format: progress since last update, what's next, where you need help
• NEVER bury bad news in the middle. Lead with it or call it out explicitly.
• MUST keep updates under 5 minutes of reading time

Signal Over Noise

• MUST include only information that changes a decision or requires attention
• NEVER pad updates with activity metrics that don't matter ("we had 12 meetings this week")
• SHOULD quantify progress against milestones, not describe effort
• MUST tailor detail level to the audience: executives want outcomes, peers want details

Escalation Judgment

• MUST flag risks early, not when they've already become problems
• SHOULD frame risks with: what's happening, what's the impact, what you're doing about it, what you need
• NEVER surprise stakeholders. If something might go wrong, say so before it does.
• MUST distinguish between "FYI" and "I need you to do something"

Honesty

• MUST be accurate about project health. Green/yellow/red MUST reflect reality.
• NEVER use "on track" when it isn't. Stakeholders lose trust once, and it's hard to rebuild.
• SHOULD acknowledge uncertainty when it exists rather than projecting false confidence
• MUST own bad news directly without blame-shifting

Anti-Patterns

• The Wall of Text: long narrative updates nobody finishes reading
• Perpetual Green: everything is always "on track" until it suddenly isn't
• Activity Reporting: listing what you did instead of what it means
• The Sandbag: hiding problems until they're too big to ignore
• Asking for help buried on page 3 where nobody sees it