Managers are not chasing you because they doubt you. They are chasing you because they do not know where things stand and someone is asking them. A short update stops all of it.
Done, next, blocked. Three short lines. What you have finished, what you are doing now, and anything stopping you.
Send it before you are asked. An unprompted update on Friday afternoon buys you a great deal of trust, and it takes two minutes.
Put blocked last but never leave it out. It is the only line your manager can actually act on, and it is the one people are most tempted to hide.
Your manager asks how the work is going.
What happens: It tells them nothing, so they keep asking. It also means that when nearly there turns out to be another week, it arrives as a surprise.
What happens: They know exactly where things stand and what they can do to help. Most managers will go and unblock the budget immediately.
How often should I send an update?
Ask your manager what they prefer, because it varies. Weekly is a safe default for most work, and daily during anything urgent. Asking the question in your first week is itself a good impression.
I have not made much progress this week
Send the update anyway and say why. Silence is read as avoidance, and a week with no progress is usually a week with a blocker in it, which is exactly what your manager needs to know about. Honest slow progress is far better received than an unexplained gap.
Before you move on
- Use done, next, blocked
- Send it before you are asked
- Never hide the blocked line
Check what you know
3 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
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