Stakeholder Update

What This Skill Does

• This skill generates tailored stakeholder updates for various audiences and cadences.
• It helps users communicate project status, progress, and key information effectively.
• It's useful for project managers, product managers, and anyone needing to keep stakeholders informed.

When to Use

• Creating a weekly progress update.
• Generating a monthly summary of key milestones.
• Announcing a feature or product launch.
• Providing an ad-hoc update on a critical issue.
• Informing executives about strategic alignment.
• Updating the board on key metrics and risks.

Key Features

• Supports weekly, monthly, launch, and ad-hoc updates.
• Tailors updates for executives, engineering, and customers.
• Pulls data from project trackers, chat, and meeting transcripts.
• Identifies completed items, risks, and blockers.
• Summarizes team discussions and decisions.
• Adapts to different levels of detail and focus.

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].

• [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