A weekly update page template that presents well
A weekly update page layout that reads well on its own and turns into a few clear slides when you need to present it, plus habits that keep it short.
Most teams write some kind of weekly update. It might go to a manager, a client or a wider group. Usually it’s read on a screen, but now and then it gets shown in a meeting, and a page that worked fine for reading suddenly looks like a wall of text.
A good weekly update page avoids that. It’s quick to write, easy to skim and can become three or four slides with almost no rework. Here’s a template that does all three, and the reasoning behind each part.
The template
Copy this structure into a page and reuse it every week.
Week of: the date range Owner: who wrote it
- This week in one line
- What moved
- What’s stuck
- Decisions needed
- Next week
- Numbers (optional)
- Notes and links
Seven headings sounds like a lot. In practice most weeks fill four or five, and each section is a few lines.
Why each section is there
This week in one line
One sentence that someone could read and stop. For example: “Checkout redesign is on track for the 15th; the payments test is delayed by a week.” (Illustrative.)
This line becomes your opening slide. Writing it first also forces you to decide what mattered this week before you list everything that happened.
What moved
Progress since last week, written as outcomes rather than activity. “Finished the supplier comparison and picked two to trial” is better than “Worked on suppliers”.
Keep it to three to five bullets. If you have more, some are probably small enough to leave out or group together.
What’s stuck
Blockers and risks, each with what would unblock it. “Waiting on legal review of the new terms; need it by Thursday to keep the date” tells the reader exactly what to do.
This section is often the most read. Don’t hide it below the progress list just because it’s less pleasant.
Decisions needed
Anything you need someone else to decide, with who and by when. If there’s nothing, write “None this week”. That’s useful information too.
Next week
The two or three things you plan to finish. Next week’s “What moved” section should be able to check these off.
Numbers
If your work has a few figures that matter week to week, put them in a small table:
| Measure | Last week | This week |
|---|---|---|
| Orders processed | 410 | 452 |
| Open support tickets | 38 | 31 |
These figures are illustrative. Keep it to a handful of rows. A long table belongs in a linked sheet.
Notes and links
Meeting notes, documents and anything else a curious reader might want. This is where detail goes so it doesn’t crowd the sections above.
Writing habits that keep it presentable
The template does half the work. These habits do the rest.
Same headings, same order, every week. Readers learn where to look. It also means your slides look the same each time, which is easier for a regular audience.
Statements, not topics. A bullet that says “Hiring: two offers accepted, one role still open” works on the page and on a slide. “Hiring update” doesn’t work on either.
Short lines. If a bullet wraps onto three lines, split it or move the detail to the notes section.
Write for someone who missed the week. Replace nicknames, ticket numbers and shorthand with plain words.
There’s more on these habits in writing pages that turn into good slides.
From page to slides
When the update needs to be presented, the mapping is direct:
- Slide 1: This week in one line
- Slide 2: What moved, plus the numbers table if you have one
- Slide 3: What’s stuck and decisions needed
- Slide 4: Next week
Notes and links stay on the page. Share the page link in the meeting chat or on the last slide.
If your update is built from a team meeting rather than written from scratch, turning meeting notes into update slides covers the step before this one.
Keeping it going
A template only helps if it’s easy to keep up. A few small things make a difference:
- Duplicate last week’s page and edit it, rather than starting blank. Old items that are still true just need a quick check.
- Write it at the same time each week, such as Friday afternoon, while the week is fresh.
- Keep old updates in one place, with the date in the title. They become a useful record when someone asks what happened in a given month.
- Ask readers once a quarter whether anything is missing or unnecessary, and adjust the template.
What good looks like
A reader should get the state of things from the first line, know what you need from them by the fourth section, and finish the page in under two minutes. If you can present the same page as four slides without rewriting anything, the template is doing its job.