Weekly project update to a client, with one blocker
Who wrote it
Two weeks into the Lyon bakery website, Yazan Shurrab is on track, but he still needs the Christmas prices from the client.
The writer and every detail about them are fictional.
What went into the template
- Project
- Maison Lefèvre website, week 2
- Done since the last update
- Home, menu and about pages, in French and English
Pickup ordering connected in test mode: 20 test orders, all reached her inbox
Test site: maison-lefevre.example - Next steps and dates
- Contact page and order confirmation emails by Thursday 26 November
Launch on Monday 30 November - Problems, or what you need from them
- Final prices for the Christmas menu by Wednesday 25 November; otherwise launch with the regular menu and add Christmas later, or move the launch to 2 December
The writer’s facts, as typed into the template’s form. The example uses nothing else.
The example
Project update: Weekly update
Numbered notes in the margin explain each choice.
Hi Claire,
Greeting
Quick update for week 2: we’re on track to launch on Monday 30 November1.
Status first
Note 1: The status and the launch date in one sentence. If the client reads nothing else, she knows what matters.
Done since last Friday:
- Home, menu and about pages, in French and English
- Pickup ordering, connected in test mode: I placed 20 test orders and all of them reached your inbox2
Done
Note 2: Proof, not just a claim that ordering works. She can check it herself.
Next:
- Contact page and order confirmation emails, by Thursday 26 November3
- Launch on Monday 30 November
Next, with dates
Note 3: Every next step has a date, so progress can be measured next week.
One thing I need from you: the final prices for the Christmas menu, by Wednesday 25 November. Without them, I can launch with the regular menu4 and add the Christmas items later, or we can move the launch to 2 December. Which would you prefer?5
The blocker, as a choice
Note 4: A blocker comes with its consequence and two ways forward. The client decides; nobody is blamed.
Note 5: One clear question at the end gets one clear answer.
You can see the test site here: maison-lefevre.example
Where to look
Best,
Yazan
Structure
How it is built
Each part in order, with its share of the words.
Checklist
Before you send
Go through your own draft line by line.
Before and after
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Lines like these turn up in many drafts by Arabic speakers. Each fix keeps the meaning and changes only the English.
Hello, the work is going good and I am working hard on it.
Quick update for week 2: we’re on track to launch on Monday 30 November.
We are waiting the prices from your side.
One thing I need from you: the final prices for the Christmas menu, by Wednesday 25 November.
Maybe there will be a small delay.
Without them, I can launch with the regular menu and add the Christmas items later, or we can move the launch to 2 December.
Questions people ask
What should a project update include?
The status in one sentence, what is done, what comes next with dates, and anything you need from the client. Lists help when there are several items.
What if the project is running late?
Say so in the first sentence, with the new date and the reason in a few words. Clients forgive a delay announced early far more easily than one they discover.
Should I send updates on the platform or by email?
Wherever the client reads them. On Upwork, keeping messages on the platform also protects you if there is ever a dispute.
Every writer in this library is fictional, and so is every detail about them. Universities and companies appear only as places someone applies to; the professors, papers and facts mentioned around them are invented for teaching. Use the examples to learn the moves, never as text to copy: committees notice, and your own facts are stronger.