A weekly status that actually asks for a decision

A status email that buries the ask under green dots gets filed. Put the decision in the first sentence, keep the status short, and say what you will do if nobody answers by a dated hour.

2 min read

Friday you send the weekly. It is careful, complete, and green. On Tuesday you mention, in passing, that you still need a cut. Nobody saw a cut. They saw a newsletter.

A weekly note can carry a decision. It cannot hide one.

The first sentence is the only one you are allowed to need

"I need a decision on dropping the share flow so billing stays on the 12th. Options: drop share, move the date to the 26th, or cut search polish. I recommend dropping share. If I have not heard by Monday 16:00 UTC I will drop share."

That is a decision request. Everything under it is optional. Respect the reader's time by making a one-line read sufficient.

If there is no decision, the first sentence is "No decision this week — FYI only, no reply needed." Then stop asking people to react to green dots.

Status is a labelled block, not the point

Three to five lines. What moved. What is blocked. What you are not asking them to solve. If a line needs a conversation, it is not status; it is a second briefing.

Choose a shape for the whole note. Decision, or information. Not both untitled. People answer the thing that looks like news and miss the thing that looks like a question in paragraph four.

Do not attach the deck. A briefing is text. Link the deck if someone wants the pictures.

Aim it at the decider

A weekly that goes to a wide list as an ask produces silence, because everyone assumes someone else will answer. Send the decision to the person who owns it. Send the FYI to the people who would be surprised. RelayLink threads are two people, so this is two sends, or a decision send and a short FYI send. That is a feature. It stops you from pretending a crowd is a decider.

You approve the words. If they have an account, you need an accepted contact. If they do not, they get email and a page. You can also write it at your account after an emailed code, with no assistant.

A nickname you use for a workstream does not belong in a note a stakeholder might forward. Use the name they already use.

If the weekly is already a ritual in a session, connect your assistant and force the decision into the first sentence before the green dots.

Tags work teams decisions writing

Frequently asked questions

How do you put a decision in a weekly status without it getting lost?
Make the decision the first sentence, with the options listed. The status is a short block underneath, labelled as FYI. If the reader only sees one line, they should see the ask.
What if there is no decision this week?
Say so in the first line and do not ask for a reply. A ritual that demands a response when none is needed trains people to ignore the week you actually need one.
Should every stakeholder get the same note?
The decision should be aimed at the person who can take it. Everyone else can receive an FYI, or nothing. A status that asks eight people to decide produces eight silences.

Related articles