How to Write a Project Status Update in English

A project status update is one of the most common pieces of writing in remote and hybrid work, and one of the easiest to get wrong in a second language. Too long and nobody reads it. Too vague and your manager has to ask follow-up questions. Too blunt about a problem and it sounds like blame. This guide gives you a template for a project status update in English, example updates for good and bad weeks, and the phrases that make blockers and requests clear.

It draws on the remote-writing units of our Remote Work English course.

The template

Most good status updates answer four questions in this order:

1. Status: On track, at risk or off track?

2. Done: What was completed since the last update?

3. Next: What happens before the next update?

4. Blockers and asks: What is in the way, and what do you need from whom?

Put the status first. A busy reader should know from the first line whether they need to act.

Template text

Status: On track / At risk / Off track

Done this week:

- ...

- ...

Next week:

- ...

- ...

Blockers / asks:

- ...

Keep each bullet to one line where possible.

Example: a good week

Status: On track for the 14 November launch.

Done this week:

- Finished the new sign-up page design and shared it for review.

- Fixed the two payment bugs reported by support.

Next week:

- Start development of the sign-up page.

- Run a usability test with five users.

Blockers / asks:

- None this week.

Example: a week with a problem

Status: At risk. The launch may move from 14 to 21 November.

Done this week:

- Completed the database migration.

- Finished testing on desktop.

Next week:

- Finish mobile testing.

- Decide on the launch date by Wednesday.

Blockers / asks:

- Mobile testing is delayed because we don't have access to the test devices. Could IT confirm by Monday whether we can borrow two devices?

- If we can't get devices by Tuesday, I suggest we move the launch to 21 November.

Notice what the second example does: it names the risk early, explains the cause without blame, makes a specific request with a deadline, and proposes a decision.

Useful phrases

Status

- "We're on track for..."

- "This is at risk because..."

- "We're behind schedule by about a week."

Progress

- "We've completed..."

- "...is now live."

- "...is about 80% done." (Only if you can measure it.)

Blockers

- "We're blocked on..."

- "We're waiting for... from..."

- "This depends on..."

Requests

- "Could you... by...?"

- "We need a decision on... by..."

- "Can someone from... help with...?"

Bad news

- "Unfortunately, ..."

- "To keep the deadline, we would need to..."

- "I'd suggest we..."

Example: a weekly update to a client

Updates to clients need a little more warmth and context than internal ones, but the same structure works:

"Hi Sarah,

Here's this week's update on the website project.

Status: On track for launch on 14 November.

Done: We finished the new product pages and your team's feedback from Tuesday is now included.

Next: Testing on mobile devices, and a short review call with you on Thursday.

From you: Could you send the final product photos by Wednesday? Without them we'll launch with the current images and update them afterwards.

Thanks, and have a good weekend,

Tom"

Example: a short chat update

In Slack or Teams, shorten it even further:

"Update on the sign-up page: on track. Design done, dev starts Monday. One ask: @Leo can you confirm the copy by Friday? Thanks!"

Adjusting for your reader

Your manager wants status, risks and decisions needed.

Your team wants who is doing what next.

A client wants progress, what they need to do and reassurance.

Senior leadership wants one line of status and anything that needs their attention.

Write the same facts, but lead with what that reader cares about.

Writing for remote and international teams

Use dates, not relative words. "Wednesday 12 November" is clearer than "next Wednesday" for readers in other time zones.

Name people for asks. "@Priya, could you..." gets answered; "someone needs to..." does not.

Avoid idioms. "We're in the weeds" or "it's a long shot" can confuse readers whose first language is not English.

Keep the same format every week. Readers learn where to look.

Link, don't paste. Link to the detailed document rather than including it.

Phrases to avoid

Some common phrases make updates weaker or confusing:

"Working on it." Says nothing about progress. Say what is done and what is next.

"ASAP." Means different things to different people. Give a date.

"Small issue." If it affects the deadline, it is not small. Describe the impact.

"Hopefully." Readers want a plan. "We expect to finish Thursday if the data arrives Monday" is more useful than "Hopefully Thursday".

"As per my last message." Can sound irritated in English. Try "As mentioned on Monday,...".

A checklist before you send

1. Is the status in the first line?

2. Are outcomes listed, not just activity?

3. Does every ask have an owner and a date?

4. Are dates written in full?

5. Could a reader in another country understand every phrase?

Common mistakes

- Starting with background instead of status.

- Listing activity ("had meetings", "worked on") instead of outcomes.

- Hiding a problem at the bottom.

- Vague asks with no owner or deadline.

- Writing in long paragraphs instead of bullets.

How often to send updates

Weekly is the default for most projects. Send more often when a project is at risk or close to launch, and less often for long, stable work. Whatever you choose, keep the day consistent: a reader who knows the update arrives every Friday stops asking for it in between. If nothing has changed, a one-line update ("No change: still on track for 14 November") is better than silence.

Spoken updates

The same structure works in a stand-up or video call. Say the status first, then two or three things done and next, then any blocker. "We're on track. This week we finished the design and fixed two bugs. Next week we start development. No blockers." Practise saying it in under 30 seconds.

For meeting language more generally, see teaching meeting English and Zoom English. For editing your update before you send it, use our self-editing checklist.

Teachers: turning this into a lesson

1. Show two updates for the same project, one weak and one strong. Learners list the differences.

2. Learners write an update for their own work (or a provided scenario) using the template.

3. Swap and give feedback on structure and asks.

4. Give one learner a "bad week" scenario and ask them to rewrite their update.

5. Finish with a spoken 30-second version.

Go further

Our Remote Work English course covers Slack etiquette, async writing, Zoom phrases, project updates, video messages, documentation and working across time zones in 22 lessons. The first lessons are free to preview. See also our module on teaching remote work English.