Stakeholder Update

Stakeholder Update

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Generate a stakeholder update tailored to the audience and cadence.

Usage

/stakeholder-update $ARGUMENTS

Workflow

1. Determine Update Type

Ask the user what kind of update:

• Weekly: Regular cadence update on progress, blockers, and next steps
• Monthly: Higher-level summary with trends, milestones, and strategic alignment
• Launch: Announcement of a feature or product launch with details and impact
• Ad-hoc: One-off update for a specific situation (escalation, pivot, major decision)

2. Determine Audience

Ask who the update is for:

• Executives / leadership: High-level, outcome-focused, strategic framing, brief
• Engineering team: Technical detail, implementation context, blockers, decisions needed
• Cross-functional partners: Context-appropriate detail, focus on shared goals and dependencies
• Customers / external: Benefits-focused, clear timelines, no internal jargon
• Board: Metrics-driven, strategic, risk-focused, very concise

3. Pull Context from Connected Tools

If ~~project tracker is connected:

• Pull status of roadmap items and milestones
• Identify completed items since last update
• Surface items that are at risk or blocked
• Pull sprint or iteration progress

If ~~chat is connected:

• Search for relevant team discussions and decisions
• Find blockers or issues raised in channels
• Identify key decisions made asynchronously

If ~~meeting transcription is connected:

• Pull recent meeting notes and discussion summaries
• Find decisions and action items from relevant meetings

If ~~knowledge base is connected:

• Search for recent meeting notes
• Find decision documents or design reviews

If no tools are connected, ask the user to provide:

• What was accomplished since the last update
• Current blockers or risks
• Key decisions made or needed
• What is coming next

4. Generate the Update

Structure the update for the target audience using the templates and frameworks below.

For executives: TL;DR, status color (G/Y/R), key progress tied to goals, decisions made, risks with mitigation, specific asks, and next milestones. Keep it under 300 words.

For engineering: What shipped (with links), what is in progress (with owners), blockers, decisions needed (with options and recommendation), and what is coming next.

For cross-functional partners: What is coming that affects them, what you need from them (with deadlines), decisions that impact their team, and areas open for input.

For customers: What is new (framed as benefits), what is coming soon, known issues with workarounds, and how to provide feedback. No internal jargon.

For launch announcements: What launched, why it matters, key details (scope, availability, limitations), success metrics, rollout plan, and feedback channels.

5. Review and Deliver

After generating the update:

• Ask if the user wants to adjust tone, detail level, or emphasis
• Offer to format for the delivery channel (email, chat post, doc, slides)
• If ~~chat is connected, offer to draft the message for sending

Update Templates by Audience

Executive / Leadership Update

Executives want: strategic context, progress against goals, risks that need their help, decisions that need their input.

Format:

Status: [Green / Yellow / Red]

TL;DR: [One sentence — the most important thing to know]

Progress:
- [Outcome achieved, tied to goal/OKR]
- [Milestone reached, with impact]
- [Key metric movement]

Risks:
- [Risk]: [Mitigation plan]. [Ask if needed].

Decisions needed:
- [Decision]: [Options with recommendation]. Need by [date].

Next milestones:
- [Milestone] — [Date]

Tips for executive updates:

• Lead with the conclusion, not the journey. Executives want "we shipped X and it moved Y metric" not "we had 14 standups and resolved 23 tickets."
• Keep it under 200 words. If they want more, they will ask.
• Status color should reflect YOUR genuine assessment, not what you think they want to hear. Yellow is not a failure — it is good risk management.
• Only include risks you want help with. Do not list risks you are already handling unless they need to know.
• Asks must be specific: "Decision on X by Friday" not "support needed."

Engineering Team Update

Engineers want: clear priorities, technical context, blockers resolved, decisions that affect their work.

Format:

Shipped:
- [Feature/fix] — [Link to PR/ticket]. [Impact if notable].

In progress:
- [Item] — [Owner]. [Expected completion]. [Blockers if any].

Decisions:
- [Decision made]: [Rationale]. [Link to ADR if exists].
- [Decision needed]: [Context]. [Options]. [Recommendation].

Priority changes:
- [What changed and why]

Coming up:
- [Next items] — [Context on why these are next]

Tips for engineering updates:

• Link to specific tickets, PRs, and documents. Engineers want to click through for details.
• When priorities change, explain why. Engineers are more bought in when they understand the reason.
• Be explicit about what is blocking them and what you are doing to unblock it.
• Do not waste their time with information that does not affect their work.

Cross-Functional Partner Update

Partners (design, marketing, sales, support) want: what is coming that affects them, what they need to prepare for, how to give input.

Format:

What's coming:
- [Feature/launch] — [Date]. [What this means for your team].

What we need from you:
- [Specific ask] — [Context]. By [date].

Decisions made:
- [Decision] — [How it affects your team].

Open for input:
- [Topic we'd love feedback on] — [How to provide it].

Customer / External Update

Customers want: what is new, what is coming, how it benefits them, how to get started.

Format:

What's new:
- [Feature] — [Benefit in customer terms]. [How to use it / link].

Coming soon:
- [Feature] — [Expected timing]. [Why it matters to you].

Known issues:
- [Issue] — [Status]. [Workaround if available].

Feedback:
- [How to share feedback or request features]

Tips for customer updates:

• No internal jargon. No ticket numbers. No technical implementation details.
• Frame everything in terms of what the customer can now DO, not what you built.
• Be honest about timelines but do not overcommit. "Later this quarter" is better than a date you might miss.
• Only mention known issues if they are customer-impacting and you have a resolution plan.

Status Reporting Framework

Green / Yellow / Red Status

Green (On Track):

• Progressing as planned
• No significant risks or blockers
• On track to meet commitments and deadlines
• Use Green when things are genuinely going well — not as a default

Yellow (At Risk):

• Progress is slower than planned, or a risk has materialized
• Mitigation is underway but outcome is uncertain
• May miss commitments without intervention or scope adjustment
• Use Yellow proactively — the earlier you flag risk, the more options you have

Red (Off Track):

• Significantly behind plan
• Major blocker or risk without clear mitigation
• Will miss commitments without significant intervention (scope cut, resource addition, timeline extension)
• Use Red when you genuinely need help. Do not wait until it is too late.

When to Change Status

• Move to Yellow at the FIRST sign of risk, not when you are sure things are bad
• Move to Red when you have exhausted your own options and need escalation
• Move back to Green only when the risk is genuinely resolved, not just paused
• Document what changed when you change status — "Moved to Yellow because [reason]"

Risk Communication

ROAM Framework for Risk Management

• Resolved: Risk is no longer a concern. Document how it was resolved.