Great project status updates and reports are essential to project management. Here's how to do it in an email.
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You hear it a lot now (erm, LinkedIn), but the cliche is true — communication can either make or break a company, relationship or a project.
Companies moving to remote-first setting has increased the importance of clear communication, and most well-functioning teams are proponents of overcommunication.
When it comes to client and project communication, it's critical to write clear and concise project status updates and do it frequently. Whether you use email, Slack, or some other channel, the basic principles are the same, and these examples can help you get started.
So if you're looking for project status update email samples (or need some help with your first or next status email), here are our tips.
Reports can get quite boring, thus we created a smart email template to do the heavy lifting. Try it out yourself below:
To write your status report in email, follow these basic steps:
Draft and edit the email. Be sure to send it at the same time each week or on other agreed-upon timeframes to ensure that your recipient always knows what to expect at each stage.
A project status email update provides someone with insight into where the project stands. Reporting on the status is often necessary at various project stages, not just at the beginning or end. The rule of thumb is to send project status updates weekly or biweekly, but your schedule might vary.
We recommend that you are transparent in your reports. If you make mistakes or if progress has been slow, it's most often best to be upfront about what has happened and why.
Try to address issues early and let your clients or employer know if you encounter problems. A project status report is often the best way to be proactive about this.
The amount of detail that goes into these reports depends on the project goals and objectives and any communication standards established at the start.
In short, you need to provide project status emails throughout the project that communicate:
Writing reports is tedious and it can sometimes feel like you aren't working on what you should be working on. Thus it's important to make sure you're efficient with reporting, use modern project management software, and build processes that help you be effective at work.
Here are a few tips for creating your email status update or report for the project you're working on completing for a client or employer.
The format for the project status email should be specific to your goals and what's expected. It should include:
With that in mind, you should work to create a simple introduction, a timeline of the project, any budget factors, links and attachments that communicate the details of accomplishments, a summary of where the project stands, and any questions. Be sure to encourage the client to ask any questions as well.
Your subject line for the project update should be clear and concise. You don't need to pack it full of information – save the good stuff for what's inside.
We encourage you to include a week number or a date in the subject line. This helps the recipients stay on top of what's happening (and also helps you check whether you have remembered to send a report in a give week).
Here are some examples:
The end of the project status email should include any details necessary to the project. These are the action steps you want the reader to take. That way, they can easily see what they are supposed to be doing. Make it visually easy to see this information, but keep it direct and include one task per line.
To avoid confusion, address a specific person when writing out tasks that should be completed. Here's an example:
Hi (Recipient's name),
Tasks for the week:
(Your company name):
Sincerely,
(Your name)
For a formal email, you'll want to use terms like:
Asking for project status in an email is a bit different. If you are the manager or the client and need more information about where the project stands, write an email that gets right to the point and asks those questions.
Your goal should be to be professional and polite in the content you create. You want people to communicate openly with you so you know where the project stands at any given time.
Try to stress the importance of clear communication but remember that new habits take time to develop. Give kudos when your team members send good reports.
You could highlight good reports in your weekly meetings or internal communication channels. This can motivate your team to improve the quality of subsequent status reports and updates.
Try to ask questions in the proper manner. For example, instead of saying, "Can I get an update on the project?" try something different. "I'm checking in with you to determine how the project is progressing. I want to help in any way that I can. Could you update me on where we stand and if any challenges need to be addressed?"
When sending updates like this, you want to be sure you are being clear about your needs and not creating any roadblocks. You don't want the receiver to shut down and not communicate or think you are being aggressive or hard to work with.
Here are a few project status email examples to help you. Remember that these are just a guide. Update them as you need to.
Take a look at the project status email sample that is best suited for your specific needs below and apply it as a tool to help you flesh out your email.
Remember that I don't know the context or nature of your project. Thus I encourage you not just to copy these templates and samples but make them your own before sending them to the person you need to.
Use the project status update email sample as a way to communicate the current status of your project to anyone that is involved in it. This project status update email sample is versatile enough to be used in any way that works for you.
Hi (Recipient's name),
I'm contacting you to update you on (project name). We are on track to achieve our goals by (your deadline).
Get back to you soon,
(Your name)
A project status report usually provides more information about the project, how things have progressed, and what has been accomplished so far. Don't fall for the trap of leaving bits of information out.
Because of your hands-on work on the project, you often have the best information about the project's progress and current status. Even though it might feel redundant, it's important to repeat what has been accomplished and how your goals are progressing to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Oversommunicating in your project reports is not a bad idea. We all forget things, so make it easy for others to stay on top of the progress with a detailed report.
Hi (Recipient's name),
The project we are working on for you is progressing as we expected. I wanted to provide a report of where things stand.
We have made great progress on the project this week, accomplishing the milestones we set out to complete at the start of the week. This week, (name of project team member) and I have worked towards the design and development goals we discussed last week. Our design team will continue to flesh out a few samples to send your way this week.
We have delivered 6 articles out of the total 10 we agreed on in the past month. Our content development team is working on 4 new pieces that will be delivered by (Deadline) to complete this project. We have completed the outlines and plan to finish the first drafts this week.
We also expect to be able to provide you with visual materials before our video call next Tuesday so that you can comment on them during our meeting. Then we will make edits and deliver the final versions by (deadline).
We would like to discuss a few concerns regarding the layout and the scope of the next project we are set to begin next week. Could you update us on when we will receive additional information on the topic for the following 10 articles? We would need this by Thursday to stay on schedule because it takes us roughly a week to do our keyword research and preparation, before we start writing, and then roughly another week to complete 4 new articles.
Kindly,
(Your name)
A project status email to a boss or manager may differ slightly from one to a client or customer. The following sample email to a manager is a basic idea of what to communicate. Be sure to update it to fit your communication style with your boss. Of all status updates, those to a manager must be quite clear but not over-the-top formal.
Hi (Recipient's name),
Here's this week's update on (Project name). Thus far, everything is moving along well
Kindly,
(Your name)
When communicating directly with your client, you want to be sure not to hide any details and not overwhelm them. Often, the client does not know the whole process of accomplishing your work and might expect the final project to be delivered in a way that's not feasible.
An email to the client about project status should give them peace of mind that the project is going smoothly, and if it isn't, the assurance that problems are addressed accordingly. Here's how to write an email to a client sharing the status of the project.
Hi (Recipient's name),
I hope all is well with you! Here's a short update on our project. It's important to keep you in the loop at all stages.
Our goal is to provide you with the first draft of the project and visuals at latest on (Date) so that we can get the final version out by (Deadline). We are currently on track to do that.
This week, we worked to flesh out more of the details of the project and completed some rough drafts. I will share those in the attachment to show you where we stand. This isn't the final copy, and we would be happy to apply your feedback.
We will provide another update next week about the project's status.
Regards,
(Your name)
Sending a weekly project status report email is one of the best ways to keep those involved in the know of what's happening and the project moving forward. It can feel tedious to do this, so you want to keep it short and to the point but still detailed and informative.
With a consistent weekly report you can establish clear communication habits with your client or manager that will help you stand out as a person who gets things done and can manager projects.
Sometimes, a list-like format of updates makes it easy for the manager or other receiver to get a glance at what's happening. Here is a weekly project status email template to follow.
Hello (Recipient's name),
Weekly report for (Project name) [Week number]
Timeline:
We're on time for completion of the project on (Deadline). No issues here.
If you are the person that has issued the project and you have not heard back from your employee or provider about it, you may get a bit worried.
A follow-up email on project status can give insight into what's happening. Don't be afraid to reach out for clarification and more of the information you need, especially when you have deadlines to meet.
At the same time, you want to be sure you are being professional in these communications. This follow-up project status email sample can help you with that process.
Hello (Recipient's name),
I wanted to thank you again for taking on my project. I'm anxious to learn the status of it to schedule my work in a way to ensure that I can meet my own deadlines.
Do you anticipate the project being completed on the date we discussed (date)?
As we discussed, there are many components to this project. Thus I'm more than happy to answer any questions or clarify any of the objectives. Please let me know if any bottlenecks arise.
I would appreciate hearing back about the current state of the project soon.
Thank you,
(Your name)
The final status email is often near the project's wrap-up when you are likely to be sending the project soon or completing the objectives. This is a good way for you to communicate positively to encourage repeat business or to help ensure everyone is on the same page. Here's a project final status email with a thank you sample to guide you.
Hi (Recipient's name),
I'm excited to announce that we have reached the end of the project and expect to deliver it to you on (Date).
To this point, everything is on track, and we expect no further insights needed, though we are always here to answer any questions you may have.
I also wanted to thank you for trusting our team to work with you on this project. I feel that we met your objectives as defined at the start and stayed on schedule. We appreciate your insights and feedback here to ensure we improve our services.
Please let us know if you have any questions, and let's wrap up the project in our scheduled meeting next week.
Kindly,
(Your name)
This project status update request email sample is to the point. It ensures that the person receiving it is fully aware of your expectations and needs.
Hi (Recipient's name),
I'm writing to request an update on the project (details).
It's important to me that we have good communication through this project. Could you kindly update me on what's being worked on and if there are any questions I can answer?
Thank you,
(Your name)
In some situations, you may need to set up a meeting to discuss the project. This is not always due to a bad situation, but when there's a need for more information than an email can offer. Here's a way to communicate that positively.
HI (Recipient's name),
We've started working on your project and have a lot of great ideas to work with here. There is quite a bit to unpack, though.
Kindly,
(Your name)
If you need something quick to get started, check out these project status report templates that you can use just to fill in the blanks and get information to your client quickly.
Don't forget to check out Flowrite's smart template, that turns words into ready-to-send project status reports.
Hi (Recipient's name),
Hi (Recipient's name),
As per our conversation, I wanted to keep you up to date on each of the steps in the project to ensure you know where we are in this process.
Best regards,
(Your name)
Let's face it. Sometimes you will have to do so much reporting that it feels like you don't have time to do any work itself. It's those moments and projects when Flowrite can really help.
With Flowrite, you can increase the efficiency of communications with your clients or managers while saving time for the real work, like this:
Our smart template turns words into ready-to-send reports.
When writing a project status email, try make them clear and simple, but lean on the side of overcommunicating instead of leaving things off the email.
Unless the client or manager needs a full list of the tasks accomplished, outline just what's needed to keep the project moving.
It’s no rocket science, but nonetheless a crucial part of any client or managerial relationships in project work. So the next time you send a project status report email make sure to use these tips and samples, and let us know how it goes!
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