A completed example
This fictional example shows the level of detail to aim for. It is not a customer's work history.
Project status report Project: Northfield customer portal migration Reporting period: Sept 22 to Sept 26 Prepared by: Dana R., project lead Overall status: Amber Summary Customer accounts moved to the new portal on schedule. Single sign-on testing slipped three days because the vendor sandbox was down Tuesday and Wednesday. The Oct 14 launch still holds if sign-on testing passes by Oct 3. Done this period - Migrated customer accounts to staging and spot-checked a sample with the support team - Finished the billing page redesign, approved by Priya in finance - Wrote the rollback plan, reviewed with engineering on Thursday In progress - Single sign-on testing with the vendor, admin login checked, customer login not yet - Help center articles, first drafts written for account setup and billing, password reset still open Next period - Load test on staging, booked for Sept 30 - Draft the launch email with customer success Risks and blockers - Vendor sandbox outages. If testing fails again, launch moves to Oct 21. Owner: Marcus. Next step: ask the vendor for a dedicated test environment. - Two support staff are out the first week of October, so launch training may need to move. Decisions needed - Approve moving launch training to Oct 8. Needed from: project sponsor. Needed by: Sept 30. Milestones - Data migration: done Sept 24 - Sign-on testing complete: due Oct 3, at risk - Launch: Oct 14, on track
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
- Pick the overall status last, after you have listed risks and milestones, and choose Amber or Red if any milestone is at risk.
- Write the summary so a reader who stops there knows the key progress, the main problem and whether the deadline holds.
- Put only finished work under Done this period, and describe partly finished items under In progress with what is still open.
- For every risk, name an owner and a next step, and state what happens to the schedule if it is not solved.
- List each decision with the person who needs to make it and a date, so the report asks for something specific.
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.
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Questions about this template
What should a project status report include?
Include the project name, reporting period, an overall status such as Green, Amber or Red, and a short summary. Then list work done, work in progress, plans for next period, risks and blockers with owners, decisions needed, and milestone dates. Keep it short enough that a sponsor can read it in a minute and know what to do next.
How often should I send a project status report?
Weekly is common for active projects, and every two weeks can work for slower or longer projects. Match the rhythm your sponsor and team already use, such as a weekly meeting. Send it on a consistent day so readers expect it, and send an extra update if a milestone suddenly becomes at risk.
What do Green, Amber and Red mean in a status report?
Green usually means on track for scope, schedule and budget. Amber means there is a real risk to a deadline or goal, but a plan exists to recover. Red means the project will miss a milestone or goal without a decision or extra help. Agree on these meanings with your sponsor so everyone reads the colors the same way.
Is a status report the same as a project plan?
No. A project plan sets out scope, tasks, owners and the full schedule, and is usually agreed at the start. A status report is a periodic snapshot of progress against that plan. It can flag that a date is at risk or ask for a decision, but it does not approve changes on its own.
How do I remember what I worked on for my status report?
Check your calendar, task tracker, sent email and meeting notes from the period. On a Mac, Dayflow can draft a timeline from your screen activity, which can help you recall what you worked on. You still need to check that draft for mistakes and add offline work such as calls, whiteboard sessions or site visits.
How long should a project status report be?
Aim for one page or less. Use short bullets, put the overall status and summary at the top, and leave detail in your task tracker or linked documents. If the report keeps growing, cut finished items that do not matter to the reader and keep risks, decisions and milestones, since those are what sponsors act on.
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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