Framework for writing concise 3P (Progress, Plans, Problems) team updates for executives and stakeholders
Write a 3P update. 3P updates stand for "Progress, Plans, Problems." The main audience is executives, leadership, and teammates. Keep updates succinct and to-the-point: 30-60 seconds reading time. Write for people with some context on what the team does, but not deep familiarity.
3Ps can cover a team of any size, ranging all the way up to the entire company. The bigger the team, the less granular the tasks should be. For example, "mobile team" might have "shipped feature" or "fixed bugs," whereas the company might have really meaty 3Ps, like "hired 20 new people" or "closed 10 new deals."
They represent the work of the team across a time period, almost always one week. They include three sections:
Before writing, confirm the team name. If not specified, ask explicitly for the team name.
Whenever possible, try to pull from available sources to get the information you need:
Gather as much context as possible, focusing on the time period being covered:
If lacking access, ask the user for topics to cover. They may also provide these directly - in which case, format them appropriately for this particular format.
The format is always the same, very strict formatting. Never use any formatting other than this. Pick an emoji that is fun and captures the vibe of the team and update.
[pick an emoji] [Team Name] (Dates Covered, usually a week) Progress: [1-3 sentences of content] Plans: [1-3 sentences of content] Problems: [1-3 sentences of content]
Each section should be no more than 1-3 sentences: clear, to the point. It should be data-driven, and generally include metrics where possible. The tone should be very matter-of-fact, not super prose-heavy.
