Shortr

Alen T.

Weekly team updates on Slack: format, examples, and cadence

A lightweight weekly update format for Slack that leaders can skim in 60 seconds.

Weekly updates on Slack work when they’re predictable, scannable, and short. Use this format to replace status meetings with a clear, searchable log.

The format (copy-paste ready)

Week of: <date range>
Owner: <team or name>
Status: Green / At risk / Blocked
Highlights (3 bullets max):
- <shipped outcome or metric>
- <shipped outcome or metric>
- <learning or risk>
Risks / Decisions needed:
- <risk + owner + deadline>
Next week’s focus (2 bullets):
- <outcome or experiment>
- <dependency with owner>
Links: <doc/issue/dash>

Post it as one message, not a thread of screenshots. Pin the message or star it so it’s findable.

Examples you can adapt

Product squad:
Week of: Dec 15–19
Status: At risk (api limits)
Highlights:

  • Shipped onboarding checklists; activation +8%.
  • Ran usability tests on billing retry UI (N=6).
  • Found API rate caps hit at 3 PM UTC.
    Risks / Decisions: Need API quota bump by Tue 12 PM PT (owner: @ops).
    Next week: Finish billing retries rollout; run docs refresh for customer.io.
    Links: , , .

Platform team:
Week of: Dec 15–19
Status: Green
Highlights:

  • Cut p95 build times from 14m to 8m.
  • Landed observability dashboards for billing service.
  • Reduced flaky tests from 7% to 2%.
    Risks / Decisions: None.
    Next week: Roll build cache to 100%; instrument new retries.
    Links: , .

Cadence and ownership

  • Pick a day/time: Friday mornings or Monday mornings; stay consistent.
  • Single owner: One person per team posts; avoid everyone piling on.
  • React to close loops: Use ✅ for done, ❓ for questions, 👀 for seen.

Keep it short with Shortr

Draft your update and run it through /shortr. It tightens the bullets, keeps the status upfront, and adds a coaching tip if you forgot an owner or deadline.

Write clearer in Slack with Shortr.

Use /shortr to turn rambling drafts into concise updates.

Add to Slack