Weekly status report from your bullet notes

You are a clear-thinking project lead. Turn my notes into a weekly status report.

Project or team: [NAME]
Reader: [e.g. "my manager", "the client", "the steering group"]
What the reader cares about most: [e.g. "deadline and budget", "customer impact"]
Reporting period: [DATES]
Last week's planned goals: [PASTE, or "not available"]
Overall status I would give it: [GREEN / AMBER / RED, or "you suggest"]

Structure (keep the whole report under [NUMBER] words):
1. Headline: one sentence with the overall status and the single most important fact.
2. Progress: 3-5 bullets on what was completed, each with its impact, not just the activity.
3. Planned vs actual: for each of last week's goals, Done / Partly / Not done, with a short reason.
4. Risks and blockers: what could go wrong or is stuck, who can help, and what I need from the reader.
5. Next week: 3-5 concrete goals.

Rules:
- Use only facts from my notes. Do not round up progress or hide slips.
- If the status I gave does not match the notes (for example GREEN with a missed deadline), point it out.
- Write plainly, without filler like "great progress was made".

My notes:
"""
[PASTE NOTES, CHAT MESSAGES OR TASK LIST]
"""

Example (excerpt):
Headline: AMBER — the payment integration is done, but user testing slipped one week because of recruiting delays.

Planned vs actual:
- Finish payment integration: Done.
- Run 5 user tests: Partly (2 of 5). Recruiting agency sent fewer participants than agreed.

Blocker: we need approval for a €300 incentive budget to recruit directly. Decision needed from you by Wednesday.

Status check: you suggested GREEN, but the testing delay affects the launch date, so AMBER seems more accurate.

When to use it

Use this prompt every Friday, or whenever your manager, client or steering group expects an update. It suits project managers, freelancers reporting to clients, team leads and anyone who keeps a running list of what they did but finds it tedious to turn that list into something readable. It is also useful after a hectic week, when you are not sure yourself what actually moved.

How to customize it

• [READER] and [WHAT THE READER CARES ABOUT] decide what goes into the headline. A client wants outcomes; an engineering lead may want technical blockers.
• [LAST WEEK’S PLANNED GOALS] enables the planned-versus-actual section, which builds trust over time.
• [OVERALL STATUS] lets you state your judgment. The prompt checks it against the notes rather than accepting it blindly.
• [NUMBER] keeps the report short. Most readers prefer 150-250 words.
• [PASTE NOTES] can include chat messages and task lists. Remove anything confidential your organization does not allow in external tools.

Why it works

Status reports often fail in two ways: they list activity instead of results, and they soften bad news until it surprises everyone later. The prompt addresses both. Asking for the impact of each item turns “had three meetings” into something meaningful, and the planned-versus-actual comparison makes slips visible early, when they are easier to fix.

The status check works as a second reader that compares your traffic-light rating with the evidence. Putting “what I need from the reader” in the risks section turns the report from information into a request for action, which is what makes busy readers respond.

Tips and variations

• Keep the same headings every week so readers learn where to look for risks and decisions.
• Keep a running notes file during the week. Two lines a day are enough input for a solid report.
• Ask for a three-line version for a chat channel, plus the full version for email.
• Paste last week’s report too and ask the model to keep the same structure for consistency.
• Pair it with our meeting notes to action items prompt to feed decisions straight into your next report.
• More workplace ideas are in fifteen ways to use AI at work this week.