When I first started writing weekly statuses, I listed everything I had done. I was desperate to show I was being proactive and working hard.

This took a long time to write, and a long time to read, if it was read at all. Mostly, it was skimmed, and filed away as done.

And when I started managing, this is what my directs started sending me, and it took a long time to write and read, and I skimmed it and filed it away.

As I got more experience as a manager, I understood more about what I need from my team, and why this process was a waste of time, for both me and my directs.

Weekly status is for communication, alignment, and learning

I cut out the task list and changed up the format so it’s short and full of signal, while also being a great reminder for my directs about the bigger picture and our direction.

Now I use weekly status to check my teams priorities are aligned with mine and the business, and that I am able to learn about what’s blocking productivity across my team.

The trick is keeping it short, focused, and specific.

1. Start with your team’s goals and their confidence in them

At Sanity, we use OKRs, so that’s the first thing in our weekly status.

Each KR is given a confidence score from 1 to 10, and a coloured symbol to denote that visually for quick skimming.

10 means we’re practically putting the kettle on to celebrate, and 1 means we’d need a minor miracle to pull it off.

The exact number matters less than how it changes. If our confidence drops from an eight to a five, that’s useful information. Something has shifted, and we can talk about it while there’s still time to respond.

This also reminds us why we’re doing the work in the first place, and helps us keep it front of mind as we prioritise our work.

2. List last week’s prioritised tasks and if they were hit

Did we complete what we set out to? If not, what got in the way?

This isn’t a place for blame. It also shouldn’t require more than a quick thought to write, a sentence here is usually enough. e.g.:

• Delayed while we waited for customer feedback
• Scope increased after technical review
• Paused because another issue became more urgent

Over time, this reveals patterns that we can learn from. Perhaps we aren’t prioritising code reviews, try to fit too much into our week, or depend too heavily on one person.

The update helps us improve how we work, rather than simply recording what happened.

3. List next week’s priorities

We then list our most important outcomes for next week. There’s a hard limit of 3 P1s here, and they should be multi-stepped accomplishments that each describe a meaningful result.

“Finalise spec for asset source view implementation” is probably a good P1. It encompasses writing, reviews, and gives me and other teams a heads up that you’ll need to speak with them.

“Speak to Identity” is not a good one. It probably takes half an hour, doesn’t have a clear outcome, and it doesn’t say what is being talked about.

We can include one or two P2s as well, but they should also be substantial. Focus on fewer, bigger items.

4. Flag the risks and blockers

If there’s anything you need help on or you can’t solve yourself, flag it here. Keep it focused, no blame or exposition.

This could be a decision, a dependency on another team, or a calendar that has become a frustrating game of Tetris.

It also ensures your boss isn’t surprised when there’s something stopping you from doing what you need to do. Surprises are not good.

5. Notes

At the very end is space for notes: anything that doesn’t belong elsewhere but that you really want to include.

Things like PTO, interesting customer feedback, events, or recognition.

Make sure these notes are short, timely, and useful.

Weekly status example

🟢 Make XYZ a delightful experience for our everyday users
KR1. Support tickets reduced from X% to Y% 7/10 (+1) 🟢
KR2. Increase in DAU from X% to Y% 8/10 (-) 🟢
KR3. Revenue up from X% to Y% 5/10 (-1) 🟡

Last week
P1 Launch new onboarding flow DONE
P1 Shape usability improvements for “rough edges” NOT DONE postponed due to NYC conference

Next week
P1 Shape usability improvements for “rough edges”
P2 Report on metrics from new onboarding flow

Risks / Blockers
XYZ still away which blocks the spec review for usability improvements, back on 15th

That’s it. Quick to write, quick to read, packed with information, and quite enjoyable to go through and read them all.

A good weekly status helps a team coordinate, make decisions, learn from each other, and support one another. It shows where we’re going, whether we still believe we’ll get there, and what might need attention along the way.

If it does that, it becomes a small but surprisingly useful and enjoyable team habit.