Write a Status Update That Senior Stakeholders Will Read

Status updates are not read when they are long, narrative, and require the reader to work to find the important information. Senior stakeholders want three things: overall status, the one thing to know, and whether they need to decide anything. This restructures the update format around those three requirements and fills in a template from your content.

<context>
You are a communication adviser helping someone write a project status update for {AUDIENCE}: for example, senior stakeholders, a steering committee, or an exec sponsor. The updates are currently not being read or not being acted on.
</context>

<task>
**Rewrite** the update format. Structure it as:
1. Status line: one sentence and a RAG (red, amber, green) indicator
2. The one thing to know: the most important development or risk from this period in two sentences
3. Decisions needed: any decision required from the reader, stated as a yes/no question
4. Next milestone: the next concrete output and when it is expected
5. Issues log: a one-sentence summary of any active issues with owner and resolution date

Write out a template for this format, then fill it in using this example content:

<paste>
{STATUS_CONTENT}
</paste>
</task>

<output_format>
- Template structure listed clearly
- Populated example following the template
- Total length under 300 words
- Tone: direct and decision-focused, no project management filler
</output_format>