Status Updates Simplified

When writing status updates, it is important to be clear and straightforward. This is especially important in international business environments where English is not everyone’s first language. If you are looking for English phrases to use for status emails, please see this blog post.

Keep it simple

In order to keep things as simple as possible, your status update should have three time focuses:

  • The past: what is finished?
  • The present: what is in progress?
  • The future: what is next?

While a range of verb tenses can be used for each time focus, you can keep your update as simple as possible by using just three different verb tenses:

  • The past = past simple (e.g. We produced 100 units)
  • The present = present continuous (e.g. We are producing 100 units)
  • The future = will (e.g. We will produce 100 units)

Read the email

Dear All,

I am writing to update you on the IT project.
The good news is that we ………. the updates in the Purchasing department. It ………. 4 weeks to complete all the updates but that means that all the computers ………. on the latest version of Windows 10.
We ………. on the HR department’s computers. We ………. 10 new laptops but we ………. for them to be delivered to the company. We think they ………. by Friday and then we ………. the new software.
Next month, ………..on to the Sales department where we anticipate no major problems as they ………. all their hardware at the beginning of the year.
I hope this update is of use but if you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.

Best Regards,
Jeffrey Jones
Chief IT Support Engineer


Look at the sentences taken from the email above and choose the correct answer

1. The good news is that we ………. the updates in the Purchasing department.

 
 
 

2. It ………. 4 weeks to complete all the updates…

 
 
 

3. …the computers ………. on the latest version of Windows 10…

 
 
 

4. We ………. on the HR department’s computers.

 
 
 

5. We ………. 10 new laptops…

 
 
 

6. …we ………. for them to be delivered to the company.

 
 
 

7. We think they ………. by Friday…

 
 
 

8. then we ………. the new software.

 
 
 

9. Next month, we ………. on to the Sales department…

 
 
 

10. …we anticipate no major problems as they ………. all their hardware at the beginning of the year.

 
 
 

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