Projects

Project Status Report Template

A status report tells readers in thirty seconds whether the project is on track, what changed since last time, and what you need from them. This template defines green, amber and red up front, so the color means the same thing every week.

Updated 2026-10-27

Copy and adapt

The template

Project status reportTemplate

Status report: [Project], {{date}}

Period: [start] to [end] Owner: [name] Audience: [who reads this] Overall status: [Green / Amber / Red] (last report: [color]) Related: [[Project name]]

Green: every milestone on track and spend within budget. Amber: a milestone is forecast more than 5 working days late, or spend is forecast up to 10 percent over. We have a recovery plan. Red: the date, budget or scope cannot be met without a decision from the sponsor.

Summary

[Three sentences: where it stands, what changed, what you need.]

Decisions needed

[Decision] from [name] by [YYYY-MM-DD]. Options: [A] or [B]. Recommendation: [A], because [reason].

What changed since last report

[Date moved, scope changed, risk opened or closed]

Done this period

[Outcome, not activity]

Next period

[Planned outcome] (@[owner]) @due(YYYY-MM-DD)

Milestones

[Milestone]: planned [date], forecast [date] ([on track / N days late / done])

Risks and issues

[Risk or issue] Impact: [what happens]. Action: [what we are doing] (@[owner])

Budget

Spent [amount] of [total] ([percent]). Forecast at finish: [amount].

5 examples

Examples for different situations

The same structure, filled in for the situations people actually bring to it. Copy the one closest to yours.

1.Weekly report that turns amber

When it fits: Use this when a project that was green last week has slipped, the slip forces a choice, and the report has to put that choice in front of the sponsor with a recommendation.

Weekly report that turns amberExample 1

Status report: Customer portal v2, 2026-10-30

Period: Oct 26 to Oct 30 Owner: Aditi Rao Audience: Greg Hollis (sponsor), engineering and support leads Overall status: Amber (last report: Green) Related: [[Customer portal v2]]

Summary

Beta is live with 50 customers and the feedback is good. The SSO integration is 12 working days late because the identity vendor changed its API on Oct 22. We can still launch Nov 30 if SSO follows on Dec 14; Greg needs to choose by Nov 4.

Decisions needed

Launch scope, from Greg by 2026-11-04. Options: (A) launch Nov 30 without SSO, add SSO Dec 14; (B) launch everything Dec 14. Recommendation: A, because 1,131 of 1,140 customers do not use SSO, and support wants the new password reset live before the holiday peak.

What changed since last report

SSO forecast moved from Nov 9 to Nov 25 (vendor API change).
Risk closed: load test passed at 3x expected traffic.

Done this period

Beta opened to 50 customers on Oct 27. 41 logged in; 6 bugs filed, none blocking.
Password reset flow cut support tickets in the beta group from 14 to 3 this week.

Next period

Fix the two beta bugs that affect invoices (@Marco) @due(2026-11-05)
SSO rework estimate confirmed with the vendor (@Aditi) @due(2026-11-04)
Support macros drafted for launch (@Hana) @due(2026-11-06)

Milestones

Beta to 50 customers: planned Oct 26, done Oct 27
SSO integration: planned Nov 9, forecast Nov 25 (12 working days late)
General launch: planned Nov 30, forecast Nov 30 with option A, Dec 14 with option B

Risks and issues

The 9 SSO customers hear about the delay from someone else. Impact: escalations from our largest accounts. Action: account managers call each one by Nov 6 (@Greg)

Budget

Spent $86,400 of $140,000 (62 percent). Forecast at finish: $142,000, about 1 percent over, from the SSO rework.

2.Monthly executive report on a red program

When it fits: Use this when you report to a steering committee that reads one page a month, the program cannot hit its date or budget without their decision, and the first paragraph has to say so plainly.

Monthly executive report on a red programExample 2

Status report: ERP rollout, 2026-11-30

Period: November 2026 Owner: Simone Akers (program manager) Audience: steering committee Overall status: Red (last report: Amber) Related: [[ERP rollout]]

Summary

Dayton and Greenville are live and closing their books in the new system. Monterrey cannot go live on Mar 1, 2027: the e-invoicing provider required in Mexico needs 10 more weeks of certification. The committee needs to choose between more budget and a later date, or moving Monterrey to phase 2.

Decisions needed

Monterrey plan, from the steering committee at the Dec 8 meeting. Options: (A) approve $180,000 and move go-live to May 3, 2027; (B) move Monterrey to phase 2 in Q3 2027 at no extra phase 1 cost. Recommendation: A, because phase 2 would run two systems in Monterrey for six more months, which plant finance estimates at $35,000 a month in manual reconciliation and duplicate licenses ($210,000), and the plant controller who knows the old setup leaves in January.

What changed since last report

Status moved from Amber to Red on Nov 24, when the provider confirmed the certification timeline in writing.

Done this period

Greenville live on Nov 2; first month-end close done in 6 days (target 7).
Dayton open purchase orders fully migrated (1,840 records, 0 errors after reconciliation).

Milestones

Greenville go-live: planned Nov 2, done Nov 2
Monterrey go-live: planned Mar 1, 2027, forecast May 3, 2027 with option A
Phase 1 close: planned Mar 31, 2027, forecast May 28, 2027 with option A

Risks and issues

Monterrey plant controller leaves in January (announced). Impact: nobody on site who knows the old system's tax setup. Action: two-week overlap with her replacement agreed with HR (@Simone)

Budget

Spent $1,620,000 of $2,400,000 (67.5 percent). Forecast at finish: $2,580,000 with option A, $2,400,000 with option B.

3.Client status report from an agency

When it fits: Use this when the reader is the client, hours are the budget, and the main risk sits on their side of the table, so the report has to ask for something without sounding like an excuse.

Client status report from an agencyExample 3

Status report: Calder & Wu website, 2026-11-06

Period: week 6 of 10 (Nov 2 to Nov 6) Owner: Ben Okoye, Brightline Studio Audience: Laura Calder (managing partner), Tim Wu Overall status: Green (last report: Green) Related: [[Calder & Wu]]

Summary

Design is done for 11 of 14 page types and development has started. We are on schedule for the Dec 11 launch. The one thing at risk is attorney bios: we have 9 of 24, and we need the rest by Nov 20 to keep the date.

Decisions needed

Homepage design, from Laura by 2026-11-11. We sent two versions on Nov 4. Recommendation: version B, the practice-area layout, because 70 percent of current site visits start from a practice-area search.

What changed since last report

Nothing on dates. The contact form now routes to two inboxes (litigation and estates), as Tim asked on Nov 3.

Done this period

Practice area, attorney profile and contact page designs approved.
Site structure built in the content system; first five pages live on the staging link.

Next period

Build the attorney profile and practice area pages (@Jules) @due(2026-11-13)
Send the bio checklist to the 15 attorneys still missing (@Ben) @due(2026-11-09)

Milestones

Designs approved: planned Nov 6, 11 of 14 done, homepage pending your decision
Content complete: planned Nov 20, forecast Nov 20 if bios arrive
Launch: planned Dec 11, forecast Dec 11

Risks and issues

Attorney bios. Impact: if fewer than 20 arrive by Nov 20, we launch with placeholder profiles or move launch to Dec 18. Action: Ben sends each attorney a five-question checklist; Laura to remind partners at the Nov 10 partner meeting.

Budget

Hours used: 212 of 340 (62 percent) at week 6 of 10. Forecast at finish: 335 hours.

4.Weekly team update with no project color

When it fits: Use this when you write one update for a whole team across several pieces of work, the readers are other teams who want to know what shipped and what to expect, and a single status color would mean nothing.

Weekly team update with no project colorExample 4

Data platform weekly update, 2026-11-13

Week: Nov 9 to Nov 13 Written by: Kenji Mori, for the product and finance teams Related: [[Data platform team]]

Summary

The revenue dashboard now loads in 3 seconds instead of 14. The event pipeline migration is halfway. Finance: the November close numbers will be ready Dec 2, one day later than usual, because of the migration.

Shipped

Revenue dashboard rebuilt on the new daily tables. Load time from 14 s to 3 s. (Ola)
Churn report now splits monthly and annual plans, as product asked in October. (Ravi)

In progress

Event pipeline migration: 31 of 62 event types moved. Target Nov 27. (Kenji, Ola)
Data retention cleanup: deleting raw logs older than 18 months, per the policy legal approved in September. (Mina)

Next week

Move the remaining checkout and billing events (@Ola) @due(2026-11-20)
Publish the retention cleanup summary for legal (@Mina) @due(2026-11-19)

Heads-up for other teams

Finance: November close data on Dec 2, not Dec 1.
Product: two old event names (cart_view, cart_open) merge into one on Nov 20. Dashboards that use either will keep working.

Help wanted

We need one person from the mobile team for an hour to confirm which app events are still in use. Reply to Kenji.

Out of office

Ravi, Nov 23 to 27.

5.Biweekly report back to green

When it fits: Use this when a project was amber last time, the recovery worked, and the report has to say what fixed it so readers trust the green rather than wonder what is being hidden.

Biweekly report back to greenExample 5

Status report: Chromebook rollout 2026, 2026-11-13

Period: Oct 30 to Nov 13 Owner: Marcus Bell (district IT) Audience: superintendent's cabinet Overall status: Green (last report: Amber) Related: [[Chromebook rollout 2026]]

Summary

All four middle schools have their devices, and the high schools are on track for Dec 4. We are back to green: the delayed second shipment arrived Nov 9, and two Saturday imaging shifts recovered the lost week. No decisions needed this period.

Decisions needed

None.

What changed since last report

Status moved from Amber to Green on Nov 12, after the Saturday shifts finished imaging 1,100 devices.
Risk closed: second shipment delay.

Done this period

2,900 of 4,200 devices delivered, imaged and handed out (all middle schools).
Parent device agreements returned: 2,610 of 2,900 (90 percent).

Next period

Image the remaining 1,300 high school devices (@Rosa) @due(2026-11-25)
Hand-out days at both high schools (@Marcus) @due(2026-12-04)
Follow up on the 290 missing parent agreements through school offices (@Dwayne) @due(2026-11-20)

Milestones

Middle schools: planned Nov 6, done Nov 12 (4 working days late, recovered)
High schools: planned Dec 4, forecast Dec 4

Risks and issues

Students without a signed agreement cannot take devices home. Impact: about 10 percent of students use devices at school only. Action: school offices call families directly (@Dwayne)

Budget

Spent $1,030,000 of $1,470,000 (70 percent). Forecast at finish: $1,462,000, including $6,800 of Saturday overtime.

What goes in a project status report

A project status report template has one reader in mind: someone with thirty seconds who wants to know whether to worry. Everything in the template above serves that reader first and the team second.

The color, with a definition. Green, amber or red, plus the previous report's color so movement is visible.
A three-sentence summary. Where the project stands, what changed, what you need. Most readers stop here.
Decisions needed. Who decides, by when, the options, and your recommendation. This is the section that makes a report worth sending.
What changed since last report. Dates that moved, scope that changed, risks opened or closed.
Done and next. Outcomes, not activity, with an owner and a date for each next item.
Milestones, risks and budget. Planned and forecast dates side by side, risks with an action and an owner, spend against total with a forecast.

Defining green, amber and red

Most status report examples show the colors without saying what they mean. That is why so many projects are green every week until they are suddenly red. Write the rule into the report itself, so the color is a measurement, not a mood. The template uses one simple version:

Green: every milestone on track and spend within budget.
Amber: a milestone forecast more than 5 working days late, or spend forecast up to 10 percent over, and the team has a recovery plan that does not need the sponsor.
Red: the date, budget or scope cannot be met without a decision from the sponsor.

Adjust the thresholds to the project. Five working days on a three-week project is huge; on an eighteen-month program it is noise. What matters is that the rule exists, and that the color changes when the rule says so, not when you feel ready to admit it.

How to report bad news

The first amber report is the hardest to write, and the most valuable. A few habits make it land well:

Change the color the week the rule is broken. Not the week after you have a fix. An early amber is a warning; a late red is a surprise.
Say it in the first sentence. "The SSO integration is 12 working days late" is clearer than three paragraphs of context first.
Bring options and a recommendation. Readers can decide between two options. They cannot decide on a problem.
Say what fixed it when you go back to green. The fifth example names the Saturday shifts that recovered the week. Without that, readers wonder what is being hidden.

Status report or weekly team update

A project status report is about one project, for its sponsor and stakeholders. A weekly team update is about one team, for the people around it: what shipped, what is coming, what other teams need to know. The structure overlaps, and the same skeleton works as a general status update template: the team update drops the color, milestones and budget, and adds heads-up and help wanted sections. If you need a personal record of your own week rather than a team one, a weekly review template or a work log fits better.

Writing it in twenty minutes

Update the project plan first: move any milestone dates and tick what is done. Then fill the report from the plan, top to bottom except the summary. Pick the color from the rule. Write the summary last. If the same report goes to a client, reread Decisions needed from their side of the table: every request should have a date and a reason.

Common mistakes

Watermelon status. Green on the outside, red inside. A written color rule is the fix.
Activity lists. "Attended 6 meetings" tells the reader nothing about the project.
Decisions buried at the bottom. Put them in the summary and in their own section.
No forecast dates. Planned dates alone hide slippage. Show planned and forecast side by side.
A different format every week. Readers learn where to look. Keep the sections in the same order, even when one is empty.

Customization tips

Define the colors once, at the top
Write what green, amber and red mean in the report itself, as the template does. Without a definition, green means "I have not given up yet" and readers learn to ignore it.
Lead with the decision
If you need something from a reader, it goes in the summary and in Decisions needed, with options and a recommendation. A request buried in Risks gets read on Monday and answered next month.
Report outcomes, not activity
"Held three design reviews" is activity. "Homepage design approved" is an outcome. Readers want to know what is now true that was not true last week.
Drop the color for a weekly team update
A team update covers several pieces of work, so one color means nothing. Keep Summary, Shipped, In progress, Next week, Heads-up and Help wanted, as the fourth example does, and skip milestones and budget.
Shorter for executives, fuller for the team
Executives read the color, the summary and the decision. The team reads next period and risks. If the report is getting long, split it: a short version for the sponsor and the full one linked below it.
Always say what changed
The What changed section is how readers spot a slipping date without comparing two reports side by side. If nothing changed, write that. It is useful information too.

In the app

How to do this in Scribelet

Open Desk Settings, then Templates, tap Add Template and paste the template above with {{date}} in the title. Each report gets the right date and sorts in order.
Link every report to the project with [[Customer portal v2]]. The project note's backlinks panel then lists every status report, newest first, which is the history a new sponsor asks for.
Write next-period items as - [ ] Fix the invoice bugs (@Marco) @due(2026-11-05). They show up in the Tasks view and on your daily note, so next week's Done section starts from what is ticked.
Before writing, ask the AI chat "what changed in the customer portal project since the Oct 23 report?" It answers from your meeting notes and earlier reports, with citations.
On Pro, record a two-minute voice summary after the Friday check-in. Scribelet transcribes it and structures it into a note with headings and action items you can move into the report.

Templates, template variables and AI generation are documented in Note templates.

Frequently asked questions

How do I write a status report for a project?

Fill in the facts first: milestones with planned and forecast dates, what was done, what is next, spend against budget. Then pick the color using a written definition, and write the three-sentence summary last, once you know what it needs to say. Put any decision you need at the top, with a recommendation.

What is a project status report?

A regular, short update that tells sponsors and stakeholders whether a project is on track, what changed and what is needed from them. It is usually weekly or every two weeks for active projects and monthly for executives. It reports against the project plan, so the plan should be updated first.

What are examples of project statuses?

The most common set is green (on track), amber or yellow (at risk, with a recovery plan) and red (off track, needs a decision). Many teams add not started, on hold and complete. The important part is a written rule for each, like the key at the top of the template.

How often should I send a project status report?

Weekly for most active projects, every two weeks for long steady ones, monthly for steering committees and executives. Send it on the same day each time; readers learn when to expect it, and a missing report becomes a signal on its own.

What should a weekly team update include?

What shipped, what is in progress, what is next, anything other teams need to know, and where you need help. Skip the status color and budget unless the update is about one project. The fourth example shows a weekly team update template filled in.

What is the difference between a status report and a progress report?

The terms are often used interchangeably. When they are separated, a status report is a snapshot of where the project stands now (on track, at risk, decisions needed), while a progress report looks back over a longer period at what was completed against the plan.

Status reports that remember last week

Save this template in Scribelet, link every report to the project, and ask your notes what changed since the last one before you write the summary. Next steps become tracked tasks with due dates. Encrypted, free to start.

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