A completed example
This fictional example shows the level of detail to aim for. It is not a customer's work history.
Client status update Client: Harborline Dental Group Project: Patient booking site rebuild Period: Sept 29 to Oct 3 Prepared by: Nadia, project lead Overall status: On track, one risk to watch Summary The new booking flow is in staging and your clinic team can start testing it on Monday. Content migration slipped two days because the service pages needed more rewriting than planned. Done this week - Built the three-step booking flow and connected it to the scheduling calendar - Migrated 14 of 22 service pages - Ran a first accessibility check on the home and booking pages and fixed the contrast issues it found In progress - Remaining 8 service pages, expected Wednesday Oct 8 - Mobile layout fixes on the location finder, about half done Next week - Clinic staff test the booking flow in staging, Monday and Tuesday - Fix issues raised during testing - Draft the launch checklist for your review Risks and blockers - We have not yet received the insurance provider list from your office. Without it the booking form cannot filter by plan. We need it by Thursday Oct 9 to keep the Oct 20 launch date. Decisions needed from you - Approve the confirmation email wording, sent Oct 2 - Choose whether appointment reminders go by text, email or both Hours this period: 26.5 Budget used to date: 61 of 120 hours Next update: Friday Oct 10
Make it yours
Your draft
The example is fictional. Edits stay in this page and disappear when you leave. Copy or download your work to keep it.
How to fill it in
- Set the overall status first, and choose at risk or behind if any deadline is genuinely in doubt rather than softening it.
- Write the summary last, after filling in the sections below, so it reflects the real headline of the week.
- List finished work as outcomes the client recognizes, such as a page launched or a flow connected, rather than internal tasks.
- Give every risk and every client decision a specific date, because an open-ended request is easy to ignore.
- Delete the hours and budget lines if your contract is fixed-fee and the client has not asked to see them.
Start from your actual work
On a Mac, Dayflow can help you remember the work behind the update. It drafts a timeline from screen activity. Export a date range as Markdown from Settings → Export. Review that record alongside your calendar and task tracker, then fill in the template above.
For a guided walkthrough, see exporting your work history or drafting a report with Claude Code. Check the assistant's draft before sending it.
Local AI keeps screenshot analysis on-device. Your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro processes selected screenshots off-device. An assistant can receive the Dayflow data it retrieves in your conversation. Local storage does not make a cloud assistant conversation local. Read the data-flow guide before choosing a workflow.
Questions about this template
What should a client status update include?
Start with the overall status and a short summary the client can read alone. Then list what was finished, what is in progress, what comes next, and any risks with dates attached. End with the decisions or materials you need from the client and when the next update arrives, so nothing stalls on a question nobody asked.
How often should you send a client status update?
Weekly suits most active projects, and sending on the same day each week helps clients know when to expect it. Fast or high-risk work may need two updates a week, while slower retainers can move to every two weeks. Agree the rhythm at kickoff, and send an extra note right away if a risk changes the timeline.
How do I report a project delay to a client?
Name the delay plainly near the top, give the reason in one sentence, and state the new expected date. Then say what you are doing about it and what, if anything, the client can do to help. Clients tend to react worse to discovering a slip late than to hearing about it early with a plan attached.
Is a status update the same as a change order or invoice?
No. A status update reports progress and flags risks, but it does not approve new scope, change the price or request payment. If the update reveals extra work, send a separate change request for sign-off. Any hours listed are informational and should be checked against your billing records before anything is invoiced.
How can I remember everything I did for a client this week?
Keep short notes as you work, or use a tool that records your activity. Dayflow drafts a timeline from screen activity on a Mac, which can help when writing the update. You still need to check it, since AI summaries can miss or misread work, and add calls, meetings away from the computer and other offline work yourself.
Use the right format for the next step
- Weekly status report for a concise progress update.
- Daily work log for a record you can come back to.
- Daily standup template for yesterday, today, and blockers.
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