01 / Free agency template
Begin with the project state
Open with a short status sentence that the client can understand. Explain whether the current plan still holds and identify the main reason when it does not. A colored status label without context makes the client ask another question instead of helping them act.
Use the reporting period and project name so the update can be found later. Keep a consistent structure from week to week, but do not copy last week's assurances after the underlying situation has changed. The useful continuity is the record of decisions and delivery progress.
02 / Free agency template
Describe completed work with evidence
Choose the few completed items that matter to the client. Explain what was delivered, reviewed or decided and link the relevant artifact. Distinguish a draft from an approved item and a completed setup from a verified result.
For an illustrative design project, Prepared two homepage directions is different from Client approved direction two. The first is agency output; the second is a decision that changes what the team can do next. Both may belong in an update, but they should not be presented as the same kind of progress.
03 / Free agency template
Make the next decision explicit
List each client decision separately with the person responsible, date needed and effect of a delay. Ask for the specific action the team needs: approve the selected concept, provide the missing copy or consolidate feedback. Do not hide a deadline inside a long paragraph about general progress.
If no client action is required, say so. That gives the client permission to treat the update as information rather than searching for an unstated request. Keep internal staffing or cost details out of the client version unless relevant to an agreed discussion.
04 / Free agency template
Explain risks without dramatizing them
A risk is something that may affect the plan; a blocker is something already preventing work. State the distinction and describe the response. Replace vague language such as Some challenges remain with a concrete dependency and an owner.
Do not turn every internal concern into a client escalation. Share what helps the client make a decision or understand the plan. If a change affects scope, fee or a commitment, link the appropriate change request rather than quietly redefining the agreement in a weekly status note.
05 / Free agency template
Close with the next delivery window
Describe the work planned for the next period and the conditions it depends on. Keep promises within what the team can control. A plan that relies on an approval should say so instead of presenting the dependent date as unconditional.
Use the same project record to prepare the update each week. Completed tasks, time and client decisions should be recorded before the report is written. This reduces the temptation to reconstruct progress from memory and makes disagreements easier to investigate.
06 / Free agency template
Use the editable version as a communication aid
The Markdown download includes a short opening, completed work, decisions, risks and next steps. Remove empty rows and write in the voice appropriate to the relationship. It is a structure for a clear update, not a reason to send a long report when only one decision matters.
Save the final sent version or link it from the project. If the client replies with an approval, record the decision beside the relevant work. The update is part of the operating record rather than a separate document whose answers never reach the team.
THE PRACTICAL DETAILS
Questions, answered.
Should I include every task?+
No. Select completed work, decisions and dependencies relevant to the client. Keep the detailed task record available for people who need it.
Can the update replace a change request?+
No. If scope, fee or commitments change, use the agreed approval process and link it from the update.
What if there is little visible progress?+
Explain the actual state and the dependency or decision that matters. Do not inflate activity into a result to make the week sound busier.
Should I include margin or internal cost?+
Only when intentionally part of the relationship. Most client updates need delivery context, not internal profitability data.
