Crafting Concise Updates For Project Management

Project managers, only report what matters Project updates shouldn't be a data dump. They should be a signal boost. Most stakeholders don't care about every single task, ticket, and speed bump. They want clarity. They want outcomes. They want action and impact. Report smarter by: ☝ Highlighting the key points early Don't make them dig. Say the important stuff: what's on track, at risk, and a need to know now. Think TL;DR first. ✌ Separate detail by audience The dev team might want specific Jira info. Leadership probably wants 3 high-level bullets. Tailor your updates to show you respect time and what your audience wants. 🤟 Focus on movement, not just activity You should never say "we had 4 meetings and I sent out 8 emails." You should say "we cleared X blocker which pulled delivery back on-track and saved us 3 hours on testing." Specific movement will trump outlined (but not actioned) motion. If your update doesn't drive clarity or action, it's just noise. Keep them sharp, short, AND strategic. 🤙

The right communication takes 10 seconds longer for you to say, and saves your team's hours of mental energy every week. Years ago, I ran a project that was ahead of schedule, under budget, and getting executive praise. But, my team looked sea-sick at every check-in, raising issues that THEY themselves were working on. Instead of dismissing their stress, I got curious. After a few conversations, the pattern became clear. My updates gave the team just enough information to worry about problems, without the clarity needed for them to close the loop. The same clarity I worked so hard to develop when connecting with executives was gone when I was communicating with my team. Now, I close opportunities for second-guessing by following a simple structure. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 / 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 / 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 / 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁-𝗜𝗳? Instead of saying “we’re waiting on the vendor” I’ll say: We’re waiting on our vendor's response to our integration requirements. Mark sent them the specs on Tuesday, they committed to feedback by Friday EOD, and if I don’t hear back by Monday mid-day, I’ll escalate to their account manager. It takes 10 extra seconds to say, but now, instead of worrying about the vendor, your team can focus on the work that matters. #communication #projectmanagement #changemanagement ____________ If this post resonated, you learned something or found it interesting drop a follow or connect. 2-3x a week I write about the messy, human side of project and change management, and occasionally share my thoughts on AI.

The Project Status Report That Saves Time (And Your Sanity) Ever spent more time writing a project status report than actually managing the project? Yeah, me too. Until I found the 15/5 Rule—a simple approach that changed how I communicate project updates. ✅ 15 Minutes to Write ✅ 5 Minutes to Read That’s it. No fluff, no endless paragraphs—just clear, actionable updates that stakeholders actually read. Here’s How It Works: 1️⃣ Start with the Big Picture → What’s the project’s current status? (On track, at risk, or off track?) 2️⃣ Highlight Key Updates → What changed since the last update? What’s completed, in progress, or delayed? 3️⃣ Call Out the Risks → What’s keeping you up at night? What needs attention before it becomes a bigger issue? 4️⃣ List Next Steps → What’s happening next, and who needs to take action? Why It Works: 🔹 Respects everyone’s time—concise, to the point, and actionable. 🔹 Builds trust—stakeholders don’t feel lost in unnecessary details. 🔹 Keeps YOU focused—no more over-explaining, just leading. A well-structured status report shouldn’t feel like another project in itself. Try the 15/5 approach. Your future self (and your stakeholders) will thank you. Do you have a go-to structure for project reporting? Drop it in the comments! 👇 🔔 Follow Craig for an exploration of project management and more. ♻️ Repost to help others.