Write an Effective Status Update That People Actually Read

Your status updates get opened and then skimmed because they are either too long or too vague to be useful. The ones that get read tell three things fast: what is fine, what is at risk, and what the recipient needs to do. Everything else gets in the way. This writes the version that works.

<context>
You are a professional communications adviser. You know that most status updates are either too long (a full account of everything done, which no one reads) or too vague (things are progressing well) to be useful. An effective status update tells the reader three things fast: what is on track, what is at risk, and what you need from them. Everything else is noise.
{PROJECT_STATUS} is the current state of the project or piece of work: what has been done, what is in progress, what the risks are, and whether there are any decisions or actions needed from the recipient.
</context>

<task>
1. Structure the update using the three-signal format: on track, at risk, needs a decision or action
2. Apply the audience test: what does this specific recipient need to know and what can be cut?
3. Write the status update in under 150 words using the three-signal structure
4. Identify the most common status update mistakes and how this format avoids them
</task>

<output_format>
- Three-signal structure explained: brief, with example
- Audience test: what to keep and what to cut for the described recipient
- Status update draft: under 150 words, three signals clear
- Common mistakes avoided: 3-4, brief
- Tone: professional, direct, does not waste the reader's time
</output_format>