Check each project note before sending
CLIENT UPDATE CHECKS
[ ] Send on the agreed day, even when progress is slow.
[ ] State what finished in words the client uses.
[ ] State what comes next and when.
[ ] Ask for each needed item with a deadline.
[ ] Explain what a missed deadline will change.
[ ] Record any change to scope, cost, timing, or decisions.
[ ] Name a problem early and state your next action.
[ ] Follow up on silence through the agreed channel.
[ ] Save the update and reply in the project record.
[ ] Check that every recipient may see the content.
Use the client communication plan template to agree the working rules behind each check. For advice across the whole project, read the client communication guide. Use this checklist when preparing an individual update. Practise client communication skills when revising your wording.
Set the timing at the start
Agree on the update day when the project begins. Weekly suits many ongoing projects because the gap is short enough to catch a blocked decision. A brief job may need updates at milestones instead, while urgent work may need daily contact.
Tell the client which channel carries normal updates and which channel is for urgent issues. Email may hold the formal record, while a phone call handles a same-day problem. Define urgent in practical terms, such as a live service failure or a decision needed before work can continue.
Put the update in your calendar as delivery work. Do not leave it for spare time after every client task. A fixed slot makes communication part of the project rather than an optional report.
An update sent on Friday. You reserve 3 p.m. each Friday for four client notes. The day before, one project falls behind. The Friday afternoon slot remains in place, so you tell the client what slipped and what you will do next instead of waiting until you have better news.
Include content the client can use
Start with the result the client has now. Describe an approved draft, a working page, a completed review, or a confirmed decision. Internal task names rarely tell the client enough.
Then state the next useful outcome and expected time. Use a condition when another person controls the date. A sound sentence is, "I will send the final copy on 14 May if legal approval arrives by 12 May."
Put requests in their own block. Name the file, answer, or approval you need, and give a date. Add the effect of delay so the client can judge the priority.
Record bad news in the same format as good news. Name the problem, its current effect, your next action, and when you will report again. Do not bury a changed date under a long explanation of the work you tried.
The free client update template gives you a copyable structure for these parts. Keep the weekly note concise, and attach detail only when the client needs it.
Handle silence with a stated process
Client silence can block work, but one missed reply does not tell you why the person is absent. The email may have been missed, the contact may be away, or the decision may need internal approval. Follow up without guessing at the reason.
Your first request should already include a deadline and consequence. When the deadline passes, send a short follow-up through the agreed channel. Restate the request and confirm the effect on the plan.
Approval does not arrive. You asked for packaging approval by 13 May and said print booking would move if it was late. On 14 May, you write, "Approval has not arrived, so I have released the 15 May print slot. Please approve the attached version, and I will confirm the next available slot." You record what happened without accusation.
Do not keep working through a missing decision if doing so risks wasted cost or unapproved work. Pause the affected task and move to other agreed work when possible. Tell the client what you paused and what restarts it.
Set an escalation path for valuable or urgent projects. You might email first and call after a stated period. Use only contact methods the client agreed to, and do not turn routine delay into repeated messages across every channel.
Stop scope creep with a written change
Scope creep starts when extra work is treated as if it were already included. A friendly request can still change time, cost, or both. You can stay helpful without starting the work before both sides understand the effect.
Restate the request in plain words. Say whether it is inside the current scope. If it is outside, give the added cost, timing, and any effect on existing work, then ask for written approval.
An extra page. A client asks for a new case study page during final review. You reply, "The new case study page is outside the agreed five pages. I can add it for the quoted fee and deliver the site two working days later. Please reply with approval before I start." The reply turns a vague request into a decision.
Record the approval in the next update and in the place where you keep project decisions. If the client declines, record that too. A clear history prevents an old suggestion from returning as an assumed promise.
Check access and keep a record
Before you send, check that every recipient may see the content. Remove passwords, private staff notes, unrelated client details, and any data your contract requires you to send another way. A short update does not need sensitive source material.
Keep the sent note and the client's reply together when you can. Email threads provide a basic record, while a project page can make the history easier to scan. Agree where final approvals and changes count as official.
In Friday, each project sends to one client email and has a private client link. You can turn on a Friday-generated 4-digit PIN and replace the link at any time. The owner app lists projects, delivery lines, and private project history.
Final checks before you send
Review your project note at the same time each week. Check timing, useful content, open requests, silence, scope changes, access, and the saved record. The list makes your own communication clear and consistent.
Friday can hold that weekly habit for unlimited projects and clients under one business account. The price is $49 USD/month or $490 USD/year, with no seat charges. 30 days free. No card needed.
Use the weekly communication guide to write the note. Agree the process with the onboarding email template before the first update.