No Update Updates

Communicating with stakeholders is important (citation needed).  These updates frequently take the form of status updates, alerts, progress reports and more.  All of these things are very important to share and ensure everyone has.  That said, sometimes there simply isn’t an update share… maybe nothing major happened, or maybe stakeholders already know what’s going on.  The exact reason doesn’t matter… what does matter is sending an update.

Sending an update like this sounds weird since there may not be any change or anything to update people about.  Sending an update feels a bit ingenuous, or like a waste of time.  In scenarios where updates are regular and expected, continuing to send one is important since it keeps up the schedule.  These updates let stakeholders know you’re still there and keeps them engaged.  It gives them that regular touchpoint they’re used to and reassures them you still care.

The trick is what to put in this update… after all, there may not be a big change going live, or any fun metrics to share.  Frequently I’ll simply say something like “No specific progress was made this week, but we’re still tracking towards our plan”.  Updates like this let the stakeholders know we’re on track, and allows them to spend their mental energy elsewhere.  It also takes the important step of letting them know you’re still aware of their request.  After all, nothing is worse than a stakeholder wondering if you still care about the work.
This trick is very useful on bigger updates, but I also frequently use it on tickets…. Especially when nothing’s changed. I might be waiting for someone else to take some action (e.g. a third party vendor or teammate), or I may just not have been able to get around to working on that ticket. Regardless of the background, this strategy helps the reporter know you’re still there and can prevent nasty escalations. Instead of them complaining to your manager that you’re not paying attention, they know you’re on it, even if nothing is going on.