Status report

Status Report

Generate a project status report for "$ARGUMENTS" in RAG format (Red/Amber/Green) suitable for leadership review. Summarize progress against milestones, highlight risks and issues, note upcoming milestones, and list asks from leadership.

Prerequisites

None — this is a utility skill. It can be run at any time, with or without existing project artifacts.

If .project/$ARGUMENTS/ exists, read any available artifacts for context. If it does not exist, proceed based on information the user provides.

Process

1. Read existing context:

   • If .project/$ARGUMENTS/ exists, read all available artifacts for comprehensive context:
     • Project charter, roadmap, and backlog for planned scope and milestones
     • Sprint data for recent progress and velocity
     • Risk assessments for known risks
     • Decision logs for recent decisions
     • Previous status reports for trend comparison
   • If no artifacts exist, gather the information from the user through targeted questions

2. Set overall RAG status with justification:

   • Green — on track: project is progressing as planned, no significant risks or blockers, timeline confidence is high
   • Amber — challenges but manageable: some risks or issues exist but have mitigation plans, timeline may slip slightly, needs monitoring
   • Red — blocked or at-risk: significant blockers or risks threatening delivery, timeline is at serious risk, needs leadership attention or intervention
   • Provide a one-line justification for the status: "Green: delivering on schedule with all milestones met this period"
   • If the status has changed from the previous report, explain why
   • Be honest — do not default to Green to avoid difficult conversations

3. Summarize progress against milestones:

   • For each milestone or major deliverable:
     • Status — completed, in progress, not started, at risk, blocked
     • % complete — estimated progress
     • Key accomplishments this period — what was delivered or achieved since last report
   • Highlight any milestones that slipped and explain why
   • Note velocity trends: is the team accelerating, maintaining, or slowing down?

4. List top 3 risks and issues:

   • Distinguish between risks (potential problems) and issues (current problems)
   • For each:
     • Description — what is the risk or issue
     • Impact — what happens if it materializes or is not resolved
     • Mitigation — what is being done about it
     • Owner — who is responsible for managing it
   • Limit to top 3 — leadership does not need an exhaustive list, they need the critical items
   • If there are more than 3, note "N additional risks tracked in the risk register"

5. Note upcoming milestones and timeline confidence:

   • List the next 2-3 milestones with target dates
   • For each, state confidence level: high (>80% likely on time), medium (50-80%), low (<50%)
   • If any milestone is at medium or low confidence, briefly explain why
   • Note any dependencies on external teams, vendors, or decisions

6. List asks and decisions needed from leadership:

   • Be specific: "We need approval for X by [date]" or "We need a decision on Y to unblock Z"
   • For each ask, explain: what is needed, why, by when, and what happens if it is delayed
   • Limit to 2-3 actionable asks — this is the most important section for leadership
   • If there are no asks, explicitly state "No asks this period"

7. Include team capacity note:

   • Is the team fully staffed or are there gaps?
   • Note any planned or unplanned absences that affect delivery
   • Flag if the team is at capacity and new work cannot be absorbed without deprioritizing something
   • Note upcoming capacity changes (new hires, departures, leaves)

8. Write the artifact — save to .project/$ARGUMENTS/status-report.md:

   • Report Date — date of this report
   • Overall Status — RAG indicator with one-line justification
   • Progress Summary — milestone status with % complete and key accomplishments
   • Risks & Issues — top 3 with impact, mitigation, and owner
   • Upcoming Milestones — next 2-3 milestones with dates and confidence levels
   • Asks from Leadership — specific requests with deadlines
   • Team Capacity — staffing and availability notes
   • Trend — comparison with previous report status if available

Output

Status report saved to .project/$ARGUMENTS/status-report.md. Present a summary highlighting:

• Overall RAG status with justification
• Key accomplishment this period
• Top risk or issue requiring attention
• Most urgent ask from leadership (if any)