# Status Updates By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-04-12 When executing a project, managers often want a status update from those working on it. The phenomenon of planned status updates is interesting. These meetings, if they are preplanned, likely occur with some degree of regularity. Perhaps weekly, maybe fortnightly, at an extreme, monthly. Whatever their frequency, preplanned status meetings can quickly devolve into a series of “I’m working on it” updates. Two approaches to providing status updates could be achieved. The first is to allow the workers to let the manager know when a meeting is needed. The second is to schedule preplanned meetings that are aligned more closely to the rate of change on a project and not on the manager’s reporting cycle. Either of these approaches could transform the content from “I’m working on it,” to “Here is what I need you to do.” This is especially the case when the workers have a proven track record of delivering quality projects on time. Status updates, as currently practiced, seem more like a reoccurring opportunity for management to remind workers executing with a degree of autonomy who is in control. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Management]] [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Control]] [[Autonomy]]