Generate a Project Status Report

Make periodic status report. Analyze project artifacts, compute progress metrics, summarize accomplishments, blockers, upcoming work with RAG (Red/Amber/Green) health indicators.

When Use

• End of sprint or reporting period (weekly, biweekly, monthly)
• Stakeholder asks for project health update
• Before steering committee or governance meetings
• Project health indicators change (new blocker or risk)
• Periodic checkpoint vs charter milestones

Inputs

• Required: Reporting period (start + end date)
• Required: At least one project artifact (BACKLOG.md, SPRINT-PLAN.md, WBS.md, PROJECT-CHARTER.md)
• Optional: Previous status reports (trend comparison)
• Optional: Budget or resource tracking data
• Optional: Risk register updates

Steps

Step 1: Read Existing Artifacts

Scan project directory for PM artifacts:

• PROJECT-CHARTER.md — milestones, success criteria
• BACKLOG.md — item counts by status, burn-down data
• SPRINT-PLAN.md — sprint goal, committed items, task completion
• WBS.md — work package completion percentages
• Previous STATUS-REPORT-*.md files — trend data

Read available files. Not all will exist — adapt report to available data.

Got: At least one artifact read successful, key metrics extracted.

If fail: No artifacts exist? Report can't be generated. Create charter or backlog first with draft-project-charter or manage-backlog.

Step 2: Compute Progress Metrics

Compute metrics from available data:

Agile metrics (from BACKLOG.md / SPRINT-PLAN.md):

• Velocity: story points done this sprint
• Sprint completion: items done / items committed
• Backlog burn-down: total remaining points vs previous period
• Cycle time: average days from In Progress to Done

Classic metrics (from WBS.md):

• % complete: work packages done / total
• Schedule variance: planned milestone dates vs actual
• Effort variance: estimated effort vs actual

## Metrics
| Metric | Value | Previous | Trend |
|--------|-------|----------|-------|
| Velocity | [N] pts | [N] pts | ↑/↓/→ |
| Sprint Completion | [N]% | [N]% | ↑/↓/→ |
| Backlog Remaining | [N] pts | [N] pts | ↓ (good) |
| Schedule Variance | [+/-N days] | [+/-N days] | |

Got: 3-5 metrics computed with previous period comparison.

If fail: No historical data (first report)? Skip Previous + Trend columns. Data incomplete → note gaps in report footer with actions to establish tracking.

Step 3: Find Blockers, Risks, Issues

List active blockers + risks:

## Blockers & Risks
| ID | Type | Description | Severity | Owner | Status | Action Required |
|----|------|------------|----------|-------|--------|----------------|
| R-001 | Risk | [Description] | High | [Name] | Open | [Action] |
| B-001 | Blocker | [Description] | Critical | [Name] | Active | [Action by date] |
| I-001 | Issue | [Description] | Medium | [Name] | Investigating | [Action] |

Cross-reference vs charter risk register. Flag new risks not previously identified.

Got: All active blockers + top risks documented with owners + actions.

If fail: No blockers? State "No active blockers" — no empty section. Blocker without owner? Escalate to project manager.

Step 4: Summarize Accomplishments + Next Period Plan

Write two sections:

## Accomplishments (This Period)
- [Completed item/milestone with evidence]
- [Completed item/milestone with evidence]
- [Completed item/milestone with evidence]

## Planned (Next Period)
- [Planned item/milestone with target]
- [Planned item/milestone with target]
- [Planned item/milestone with target]

Got: 3-5 accomplishments with concrete evidence, 3-5 planned items for next period.

If fail: No accomplishments? Report reason (blocked, re-planning, team unavailable). Next period plan unclear → list "Planning session scheduled for [date]" as primary.

Step 5: Assign RAG + Write Report

Assess project health across four dimensions:

Dimension	Green	Amber	Red
Schedule	On track or ahead	1-2 weeks behind	>2 weeks behind or milestone missed
Scope	No uncontrolled changes	Minor scope adjustments	Scope creep affecting deliverables
Budget	Within 5% of plan	5-15% over plan	>15% over plan or untracked
Quality	Tests pass, criteria met	Minor quality issues	Critical defects or acceptance failures

Write complete report:

# Status Report: [Project Name]
## Report Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
## Reporting Period: [Start] to [End]
## Document ID: SR-[PROJECT]-[YYYY-MM-DD]

### Overall Health
| Dimension | Status | Notes |
|-----------|--------|-------|
| Schedule | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [One-line explanation] |
| Scope | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [One-line explanation] |
| Budget | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [One-line explanation] |
| Quality | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [One-line explanation] |

### Executive Summary
[2-3 sentences: overall status, key achievement, biggest risk]

### Metrics
[From Step 2]

### Accomplishments
[From Step 4]

### Blockers & Risks
[From Step 3]

### Planned Next Period
[From Step 4]

### Decisions Needed
- [Decision 1 — needed by date, from whom]

---
*Report prepared by: [Name/Agent]*

Save as STATUS-REPORT-[YYYY-MM-DD].md.

Got: Complete status report saved with RAG indicators, metrics, narrative.

If fail: Data insufficient for RAG assessment? Use ⚪ (Grey) = "insufficient data", list what data needs collecting for next report.

Checks

• Status report file created with date-stamped filename
• RAG indicators assigned for all four dimensions with justification
• At least 3 metrics computed from project artifacts
• Blockers section present (even if "No active blockers")
• Accomplishments listed with evidence
• Next period plan included
• Executive summary 2-3 sentences, not paragraph
• Every blocker + risk has owner + action with deadline

Pitfalls

• Report without data: Status reports must be evidence-based. Every claim references artifact or metric.
• All green always: Persistent green RAG without evidence = not honest. Challenge green assessments.
• Blocker without owner: Every blocker needs owner + action. Unowned blockers don't resolve.
• Metric without context: "Velocity = 18" means nothing without comparison. Always include previous period or target.
• Too long: Status report scannable in 2 min. Keep to 1-2 pages.
• Missing decisions section: Project needs stakeholder decisions? Make explicit with deadlines.
• Stale data: Outdated artifacts → misleading reports. Verify artifact dates match reporting period.
• Missing trend data: First-time reports can't show trends, but subsequent reports must compare.

See Also

• draft-project-charter — charter provides milestones + success criteria for status tracking
• manage-backlog — backlog metrics feed status report
• plan-sprint — sprint results provide velocity + completion data
• create-work-breakdown-structure — WBS completion drives classic progress metrics
• conduct-retrospective — status report data feeds retrospective