Principle: Ship signals on a cadence so people never have to ask, “What’s going on?”
Signals translate creative work into manager-readable snapshots. Keep them short, concrete, and rhythmic.
Friday Update (Done / Doing / Risks / Requests)
Done
• Feature X: PR #123 merged. Diagram v2 posted.
• Doc rewrite: outline + first section drafted.
Doing
• Blocked on API spec from team Y (ETA Tue).
• Deep blocks scheduled: Tue 9–11, Thu 9–11 (artifact = brief + PR).
Risks
• Timeline tight if API slips.
• Access to dataset Z pending.
Requests
• Need approval on Option B by Wed EOD.
• Intro to owner of service Q.
Standup Micro-Script (60–90s)
- Outcome: “Yesterday I shipped ___.”
- Blocker: “I’m blocked by ___ from ___.”
- Next: “Today I will ___; artifact will be ___.”
Decision Log
Why keep one?
Prevents circular debates, preserves context, speeds onboarding, and makes ownership visible.
Decision Note pattern
Decision: __________ Context: one sentence Options: A/B/C Why: chosen because… Risks: top 1–2 with owners Next: step + date
PR/Commit Patterns
PR message
Intent:
Approach:
Evidence:
Risks:
Next (review asks):
Commit message
feat(scope): short imperative
Why: _______
Impact: tests/docs/ops
Escalation Ladder
Templates
Friday update (Markdown)
**Done** - … **Doing** - … **Risks** - … **Requests** - …
Standup one-liner
Done: ___ · Blocked: ___ · Today: ___ → artifact ___
Decision log entry
[YYYY-MM-DD] Decision: ___ | Owner: ___ | Next: ___