# The Status Report Generator A prompt sequence that turns your raw project notes and RAID log into two finished status reports: one for leadership, one for the team. From raw notes to both versions in under 20 minutes. --- ## What this produces - A structured synthesis of your project's current state. - An executive version: headline status, three bullets, one ask. - A team version: detailed update with owners and dates. Realistic time: 15 to 20 minutes if your notes are already written down. Longer if you have to dig for the numbers first. --- ## Honesty note. Read this before you start. Every date, percentage, status label, and dollar figure must come from your own project records. The AI does not have access to your data. It cannot check your schedule. It does not know if you are on track. The AI's job in this sequence is to organize and write. Your job is to supply the facts. If you paste in vague notes, you will get a vague report. If you paste in accurate numbers, you will get an accurate report. A red, amber, or green status must be justified by specific facts you provide: a missed milestone, a budget overrun, a confirmed risk. If you cannot justify it with facts, the AI will mark it [NEEDS PM JUDGMENT] and you make the call. Do not let a color get through that you cannot defend in a meeting. Never accept a number the AI added on its own. If a figure appears in the output that was not in your input, delete it. --- ## Step 1. Gather your inputs. Before you open a chat window, collect the following. Paste them into a single block so the AI sees everything at once. - Your raw progress notes from the reporting period. Bullet points are fine. Fragments are fine. - The milestone list with planned and actual dates. - Your open risks and issues (RAID log entries, even rough ones). - Any metrics you track: budget spent vs. planned, percent complete, velocity, defect count, whatever your project measures. - The reporting period (start date to end date). - Your audience: who reads the executive version, who reads the team version. You do not need these to be polished. You need them to be accurate. --- ## Step 2. Synthesis prompt. Run this first. It organizes your notes into a structured draft. Do not skip this step and jump to the executive version. The synthesis is the foundation both versions build from. ``` You are helping me draft a project status report. I will provide raw notes. Your job is to organize the information I give you. Do not invent any facts, dates, percentages, dollar figures, or status labels. If the information I provide is insufficient to support a statement, mark it [NEEDS PM JUDGMENT] instead of guessing. Here is my input: Reporting period: [START DATE] to [END DATE] Progress notes: [PASTE YOUR RAW NOTES HERE] Milestone list (planned vs. actual or projected dates): [PASTE MILESTONES AND DATES HERE] Open risks and issues: [PASTE RAID LOG ENTRIES HERE] Metrics: [PASTE ANY NUMBERS: BUDGET, PERCENT COMPLETE, VELOCITY, ETC.] Please organize this into the following sections: 1. Accomplishments this period: what was completed. 2. In progress: what is actively being worked. 3. Upcoming: what is planned for next period, with owners and dates from my notes. 4. Risks and issues: summarize each open item, its current status, and any action I noted. 5. Proposed overall status: Red, Amber, or Green, with one sentence explaining why based only on the facts I provided. If you cannot justify a status from my notes, write [NEEDS PM JUDGMENT] and explain what information is missing. Use plain language. Short sentences. No jargon. Do not add recommendations I did not ask for. Do not reframe my risks as opportunities. Report what I gave you. ``` Review the synthesis before moving on. Fix anything that misrepresents your actual situation. Add the [NEEDS PM JUDGMENT] calls where you see gaps. This output is the source document for both versions below. --- ## Step 3. Executive version prompt. Run this after you have reviewed and corrected the synthesis from Step 2. Paste the corrected synthesis as the input. ``` Using the project synthesis below, write an executive status update. The audience is [DESCRIBE AUDIENCE: e.g., program director, steering committee, client sponsor]. Format: - Headline: one sentence with the overall status (Red/Amber/Green) and the key reason. - Three bullets: the most important things leadership needs to know this period. Accomplishments, risks, or decisions needed. No more than three. - One ask: the single most important action, decision, or resource needed from leadership right now. If there is no ask this period, write "No action required from leadership this period." Rules: - Do not introduce any facts, dates, or numbers that are not in the synthesis. - Do not soften a Red status. Do not upgrade an Amber to Green. - If a [NEEDS PM JUDGMENT] item appears in the synthesis, flag it in the headline or bullets as a pending decision rather than reporting a status that was not established. - Maximum length: 150 words. Project synthesis: [PASTE YOUR CORRECTED SYNTHESIS HERE] ``` --- ## Step 4. Team version prompt. Run this using the same corrected synthesis from Step 2. The team version has more detail and names owners. ``` Using the project synthesis below, write a team status update. The audience is the project team: [DESCRIBE TEAM: e.g., task leads, contractors, support staff]. Format: - Overall status: Red, Amber, or Green with one sentence explaining why. - Accomplishments this period: bulleted list. - In progress: bulleted list with owner names and current target dates as provided in my notes. If a name or date was not in my notes, write [UNKNOWN] rather than guessing. - Upcoming next period: bulleted list with owner names and planned dates from my notes. - Risks and issues: each item with current status and any action assigned, exactly as I described it. - No-kidding items: any decisions, blockers, or commitments the team needs to act on before the next reporting period. Rules: - Use plain language. Avoid corporate phrasing. - Do not invent owners, dates, or action items. - Do not drop risks or issues from the synthesis to keep the tone positive. - Maximum length: 400 words. Project synthesis: [PASTE YOUR CORRECTED SYNTHESIS HERE] ``` --- ## Final verification pass. Before you send either version, check these four things. **1. Every date and number is real.** Read both outputs and find every figure: dates, percentages, dollar amounts, counts. Confirm each one came from your input. Delete or correct any that did not. **2. The overall status is defensible.** Ask yourself: if your program director asked you in a meeting to justify that color, could you do it in two sentences using facts? If not, change the status or add the facts that support it. **3. You did not commit to something you cannot keep.** Read the "upcoming" and "one ask" sections. Every deadline and deliverable listed is now something your audience will track. If you are not confident in a date, qualify it or remove it. **4. No confidential detail leaked.** Check for names, contract figures, personnel issues, or sensitive risk details that should not go to the broader audience. Executive and team versions may need different handling of sensitive items. If any check fails, correct the synthesis and re-run the relevant prompt. Do not patch the output manually if the synthesis is the source of the error. --- Part of The Logistics, Operations & Project Management Library at vetslearn.com/libraries/logistics-pm