---
name: client-status-report-writer
description: Write a clear client status report on an engagement, matter, or project that shows progress, next steps, risks, and any asks. Use this skill whenever a firm needs to update a client on where things stand and says 'write a client status update', 'draft the project update for the client', 'summarize progress for the client', or 'the client wants to know where we are'. Trigger whenever a client needs a written update on work in progress.
---

# Client Status Report Writer

## What this does and why it matters
Clients rarely churn because of the work. They churn because they feel out of the loop and assume nothing is happening. This skill turns your internal progress into a clear, confident client update that shows momentum, surfaces risks early, and makes any needed decision easy to give. A steady status report is the cheapest retention tool a firm has: it makes invisible work visible and keeps small issues from becoming lost-client conversations.

## Inputs to gather
1. The client, the engagement, and the reporting period.
2. What was accomplished since the last update.
3. What is planned next, and by when.
4. Any risks, blockers, or decisions the firm needs from the client.
5. The relationship temperature and how much detail this client wants.

## Method
Lead with the headline: is the engagement on track, and what is the single most important thing the client should know. Report progress in outcome terms (what is now done or de-risked), not activity terms (hours spent). State next steps with owners and dates so the client sees a plan, not a vague promise. Raise risks early and paired with a proposed response, because a risk with a plan builds confidence while a risk alone creates alarm. Make any ask explicit and easy: exactly what you need, from whom, by when. Match the length to the client; a busy managing partner wants five lines, not five paragraphs.

## Output format
ALWAYS use:

# Status Update: [Client] | [Engagement] | [Period]
## Headline (on track / at risk, and the one thing to know)
## Progress since last update (outcomes, not activity)
## Next steps (task | owner | date)
## Risks and blockers (each with a proposed response)
## What we need from you (specific ask, owner, date)
## Next update (when the client will hear from us again)

## Anti-patterns to avoid
- Reporting activity and hours instead of outcomes.
- Hiding a slip or risk until it becomes a crisis.
- Vague next steps with no owner or date.
- Burying the ask so the client does not act on it.

## Example
A status update for a website build opens with "on track for the March 15 launch," lists the completed design approval and content migration as outcomes, flags that the client's legal review of copy is the one thing that could slip the date, and asks the named marketing lead to return copy edits by Friday.