The Product SystemThe Vault
How to Write Product Updates: 9 Lines That Drive Decisions, Not Just Report Progress, the infographic in this PDF

Stakeholder management

How to Write Product Updates: 9 Lines That Drive Decisions, Not Just Report Progress

How to write product updates people act on: nine lines that show what changed, what was decided and what you need, so nobody asks what happens next.

Want this as a PDF?

You'll also get The Product System, my weekly note on leading product in the AI era. Unsubscribe anytime, and I'll never sell your email. How I handle your details

1

The full infographic, as a PDF

The exact one from the post, sized to print or keep within reach.

2

A copy in your inbox

The download link lands in your email too, so it's there when you need it. No follow-up campaign.

3

The Product System, weekly

My note on leading product in the AI era. One idea a week that compounds. Unsubscribe anytime.

9 ways to excel at product updates. So nobody has to ask what happens next.

I often see PM updates turn into a list of tickets that nobody can act on or cares about. It's a miserable way to work, for the person writing it and for everyone reading it.

I think people read your update for two things. What they have to decide, and whether they should worry.

These 9 phrases are the difference between reporting the work and leading it. Each one comes with how to write it.

1. "Here's what changed."

Put what changed and why it matters in the first line. Start with what is different, not what got done.

If nothing changed this week, say so in one line and stop. A short update that says nothing moved is more useful than a long one that hides it.

2. "Here's what we learned."

Write it as one line: "We thought X. Now we think Y." Then show what Y changes in the plan.

Line two is where you show the evidence that changed your view. A lesson that changes nothing in the plan is a fact, not a learning.

3. "Here's what we decided."

Write it as a sentence someone could disagree with. Name the call and why you made it.

If nobody could argue with it, it wasn't a decision. "We're focusing on quality" is not a decision. A sentence that rules something out is.

4. "Here's what it cost."

Give what moved a new date, and say who it affects. Show what moved out or slowed down.

They hear it from you first, not in a review a month later. Bad news that arrives early is a plan. Bad news that arrives late is a surprise.

5. "Here's what we don't know."

Next to each unknown, write who answers it and by when. Keep unknowns separate from decisions.

This is not to hedge. It is so nobody mistakes a guess for a commitment.

6. "Here's the biggest risk."

Name one risk, its warning sign, and this week's fix. Say what could derail the plan.

If you can't pick one, the plan isn't clear enough yet. A list of ten risks tells the reader you haven't decided which one matters.

7. "Here's the decision we need."

List the decider, the deadline, two options and your pick. Ask for one decision by one date.

So the reply can be one word. The easier you make the decision, the faster it comes back.

8. "Here's what happens next."

Write who does what, by when, and what "done" looks like. Give every next step an owner and a date.

If one of those is blank, the step isn't real yet.

9. "Here's what would change our mind."

Write it early: "If X happens by Y, we look again." Name the signal that reopens the decision.

Then nobody argues the same decision again every week. The condition for reopening it is already agreed, so until it happens, the decision stands.

Updates that lead the work, not just report it

Every update that only lists finished work teaches people to come and find you for the rest.

The real decisions don't disappear. They just get made in rooms you're not in.

The way I see it, no surprises buys you room. People who are never surprised stop checking on you. That room is what lets you get on with the work instead of explaining it.

A list of finished tickets doesn't show your level. The decisions people can make without you do.

If the same idea applies to how you handle senior people more widely, Manage Confidence, Not Stakeholders (/vault/manage-confidence-not-stakeholders) goes further into it.

For free AI skills, templates and guides for PMs, visit martongaspar.com/vault.

Questions people ask

How do you write a good product update?
Write for the two things people read it for: what they have to decide, and whether they should worry. Open with what changed and why it matters, then cover what you learned, what you decided, what it cost, what you don't know, the biggest risk, the decision you need, what happens next and what would change your mind.
What should a weekly product update include?
A strong weekly product update includes what changed, what the team learned, the decisions made, any cost to dates and who it affects, open unknowns with an owner, the single biggest risk, any decision needed from the reader, next steps with owners and dates, and the signal that would reopen a decision. If nothing changed, say so in one line.
How do you ask for a decision in a product update?
Name the decider, the deadline, two options and your recommendation. Ask for one decision by one date. Laid out this way, the reader can reply in one word, which makes a fast answer far more likely.
How should a product manager report bad news in an update?
Say what moved a date and who it affects, in the update, as soon as you know. Stakeholders should hear it from you first, not in a review a month later. Pair it with the biggest risk, its warning sign and this week's fix so the news comes with a plan.
Why are product updates that list completed tickets a problem?
A list of finished tickets reports the work without leading it. Nobody can act on it, so people come and find you for the decisions, risks and next steps it leaves out. Those decisions still get made, just in rooms you're not in.
How do you stop the same decision being argued every week?
Write down early what would change your mind, in the form "If X happens by Y, we look again." Once the condition for reopening the decision is agreed, nobody needs to argue it again until that signal appears.