Lesson 8
Writing a Status Update
Separate what’s done, known, forecast and needed, and keep each condition beside its date.
Four things an update separates
An update is the message most people write every week and few enjoy reading: a page of activity in which the reader hunts for what has changed. A useful update keeps four things apart: what’s done, what’s known, what’s forecast (and what the forecast depends on), and what’s needed from the reader.
Kept apart, each one can be acted on. Blurred together, “we’re nearly there” could mean any of the four. The same four parts work as notes if you have to give the update out loud.