Audio description of this article
Audio description of this article
Given how busy things are these days, getting progress updates out in a clear, efficient way is a real key to success! This holds even more significance in my role, where I frequently use email communications to keep stakeholders informed (possibly due to our frequent use of RACI charts).
In this article, I will provide tips for writing progress updates that are both engaging and expected by readers.
Like a code review, the first step should always be to consider the broader aspects of your communication and then gradually delve into the specifics.
So, before getting into the writing part, what I always do is spending a bit of time to think about the following points:
What consistent message do I want to communicate in these updates? A critical lesson I learned is that to be heard and build credibility, you need to repeat the same consistent message over and over. It shows you have a plan, a clear strategy, and naturally, people will buy in into it because they know what comes next. Typically, I underscore this using the company's annual OKR or mission as a reference.
What is the purpose of this specific update? Is it to deliver bad news, keep the other party in the loop or something else?
Who is the recipient and what’s important to them?
Here, a valuable strategy is to identify the three most important questions your audience wants answers to and provide them with clear and concise responses. For example, if the recipients are investors, they will certainly want to see an answer to this question: “How is this going to make us the market leader?”