Project status report template (free, copyable)
A project status report template is a fixed format for telling stakeholders where a project stands. The useful version has eight parts: overall status, summary, finished this period, in progress, coming next, risks and blockers, decisions needed, and key dates. Send it weekly, keep it to one screen, and base every line on work that is actually done.
What is a project status report for?
A status report answers three questions for someone who was not in the work this week: are we on track, what changed, and do you need to do anything? If the reader cannot answer all three in under a minute, the report is too long or too vague.
For client projects, the status report is also your record. When a deadline moves because a client was late with feedback, the report that said so two weeks earlier is what keeps the conversation calm.
The template as a table
Copy this into a doc, an email or a spreadsheet. Replace the right-hand column each week.
| Section | What to write | Example prompt |
|---|---|---|
| Project and period | Project name, client, date range covered | "Acme website, week of 19 October" |
| Overall status | Green, amber or red, plus one reason | "Amber: copy approval is four days late" |
| Summary | Two or three sentences a busy reader can stop after | "What would the client tell their boss?" |
| Finished this period | Completed items, with links to the work | "Only things that are actually done" |
| In progress | Items underway, with expected completion | "Who is on it and when it lands" |
| Coming next | The plan for the next period | "Three to five items, in order" |
| Risks and blockers | What could slip, why, and what you are doing about it | "Include anything waiting on the client" |
| Decisions needed | Questions only the reader can answer, with a deadline | "Approve option A or B by Thursday" |
| Key dates | Upcoming milestones and any date changes | "Launch still 14 November" |
| Budget or scope (optional) | Spend or hours against plan, scope changes | "Two extra pages requested, not in scope" |
The template as a numbered list
If you prefer to paste a plain outline into email or Slack, use this order:
- Project and period: name, client, dates covered.
- Overall status: green, amber or red, with one sentence on why.
- Summary: two or three sentences.
- Finished this period: bullet list with links.
- In progress: bullet list with owner and expected date.
- Coming next: three to five planned items.
- Risks and blockers: each with its impact and your plan.
- Decisions needed: each with the person and the deadline.
- Key dates: next milestones; flag any that moved.
- Budget or scope: only if it changed or is at risk.
How should I choose green, amber or red in a project status report?
Choose green, amber or red in a project status report using the same agreed rules for every update.
A traffic-light status only helps if everyone uses the same rules. A simple set:
| Status | Meaning | What the reader should do |
|---|---|---|
| Green | On track for scope, date and budget | Nothing |
| Amber | A risk could move a date or the scope; you have a plan | Read the risks section |
| Red | A date, scope or budget will be missed without a decision | Make the decision listed in the report |
Never leave a project green for weeks and then jump to red. If something has been slipping for a while, amber was the honest status earlier.
Example: a weekly status report for a client project
Here is the template filled in for a small agency building a website. Names are invented.
Project and period: Northwind Bakery website redesign, week of 19 to 23 October.
Overall status: Amber. Design is on schedule, but homepage copy is four days late and is now on the critical path.
Summary: Page designs for all six templates are approved. Development of the homepage and menu pages started on Wednesday. Launch on 14 November is still possible if copy arrives by 28 October.
Finished this period:
- Final designs for six page templates, approved by Dana on 21 October.
- Photography shortlist of 40 images, shared in the project folder.
- Staging site set up and shared with the client.
In progress:
- Homepage build, expected 27 October (Sam).
- Menu page build with the new item layout, expected 29 October (Sam).
- Online ordering link testing, expected 30 October (Priya).
Coming next:
- Build the About, Locations and Contact pages.
- Load final copy and photography into all pages.
- First full review on staging on 4 November.
Risks and blockers:
- Homepage and About copy not yet received (due 19 October). If it arrives after 28 October, launch moves by the same number of days.
- The ordering provider's test account expires on 2 November; we have asked them to extend it.
Decisions needed:
- Dana: choose between the two hero photo options by 26 October.
- Dana: confirm whether the catering page is in this phase or the next.
Key dates: copy deadline 28 October; staging review 4 November; launch 14 November (unchanged).
That is roughly 250 words. A client can read it in a minute and knows exactly what to do.
How often should you send a status report?
For most client projects, weekly is the right cadence. Pick a fixed day (Friday afternoon or Monday morning both work) and keep it even in quiet weeks; a two-line "no change, on track" update still builds trust.
| Project type | Suggested cadence |
|---|---|
| Short projects under four weeks | Twice a week, or after each milestone |
| Standard client projects | Weekly |
| Monthly retainers | Weekly short update, monthly summary |
| Internal projects | Weekly or every two weeks |
How can I write a project status report clients will read?
Write a project status report that leads with the status and any decision the client needs to make.
- Lead with the status and the decision. Put anything the client must do near the top.
- Only report finished work as finished. "Almost done" goes under in progress.
- Link to the work. A link to the staging page beats a description of it.
- Name the blocker plainly, including when the client is the blocker. Be factual, not accusatory.
- Keep the format identical every week so the reader knows where to look.
- Keep it short. If it needs scrolling on a phone, cut it.
- Write it from your project tool, not from memory. If your tasks and notes are current, the report is mostly assembly.
What is the difference between a project status report and a weekly client update?
A project status report covers one project for stakeholders, while a weekly client update can cover all work for a client.
The terms overlap. A project status report is usually structured and covers one project for stakeholders. A weekly client update is often a friendlier message covering everything you are doing for that client. Many agencies send one email per client that uses the status report structure underneath. If you manage several clients at once, our guide on how to manage multiple clients shows how to keep each update on schedule.
How can I produce weekly client updates in Flori?
Flori has a free weekly client update template that follows the same discipline: review finished work and saved evidence, list current blockers and decisions, choose next week's priorities, draft the update, then review what is approved to share.
Because the tasks, decisions and next steps already live in the project, the update is drawn from saved progress rather than memory. If you connect your own assistant, such as Claude or ChatGPT, it can read the project and draft the report in this format. Ask the assistant to submit the draft for review before using it, and nothing is sent or published on its own. Flori sells no AI credits; drafting runs on the assistant plan or AI key you already have.
You can also publish a client page that shows only what a client should see, so they follow progress and approve from one link between reports. For the setup that comes before the first report, see the client onboarding checklist and the client onboarding template.
FAQ
What should a project status report include? Include the project and period, an overall status such as green, amber or red with a reason, a short summary, work finished this period, work in progress, the plan for next period, risks and blockers, decisions needed from the reader, and key dates. Add budget or scope only when it changed.
How long should a weekly status report be? Aim for one screen, roughly 150 to 300 words. The reader should understand the status and any action they need to take in under a minute. Link to detailed work rather than describing it, and keep the same sections every week so readers know where to look.
What is a RAG status in a project report? RAG stands for red, amber, green. Green means on track for scope, date and budget. Amber means a risk could cause a slip but there is a plan. Red means a date, scope or budget will be missed without a decision. Agree the definitions with your client up front.
How often should I send a project status report to a client? Weekly suits most client projects. Send it on the same day each week, even when little changed. Short projects under a month may need two updates a week or one after each milestone, and retainers often pair a weekly note with a monthly summary.
Can AI write my project status report? An AI assistant can draft a good report if it can read your current tasks, notes and decisions, for example through an MCP connection to your project tool. Always review the draft before sending: check that finished items are really finished and that dates and blockers are accurate.
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