Stakeholder Update Template for Retail & E-commerce

# Stakeholder Update Template - Retail & E-commerce

## Purpose
Send fortnightly or monthly to project sponsors and key stakeholders to maintain confidence and secure timely decisions.

## When to Use
A professional stakeholder update covering progress highlights, risks and mitigations, upcoming milestones, budget status, and decisions needed.

## Instructions
1. Review the template below and familiarise yourself with the structure
2. Replace all [bracketed placeholders] with your retail & e-commerce business details
3. Customise the tone and formatting to match your brand
4. Save in your preferred tool (Notion or Asana)

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# Stakeholder Update

**Project:** [Project Name]
**Reporting Period:** [Start Date] to [End Date]
**Prepared by:** [Your Name], [Your Role]
**Date:** [Date]

---

## Executive Summary

**Overall Status: [Green / Amber / Red]**

[Three to four sentences summarising the current state of the project. For example: "The project remains on track for delivery by [Target Date]. This period saw completion of the integration testing phase, with all 12 test cases passing successfully. One risk has been escalated regarding third-party vendor availability, which could impact the timeline by up to one week if not resolved by [Date]. A decision is required from the steering committee on the training approach."]

---

## Progress Highlights

- [Highlight 1, e.g. "Completed migration of 15,000 client records with zero data loss"]
- [Highlight 2, e.g. "User acceptance testing signed off by operations team"]
- [Highlight 3, e.g. "Stakeholder training materials developed and reviewed"]
- [Highlight 4, e.g. "Go-live readiness checklist 75% complete"]

**Completion:** [X]% of total scope delivered

---

## Budget Status

| Category | Budget | Spent to Date | Forecast | Variance |
|----------|--------|--------------|----------|----------|
| [Category 1, e.g. Development] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] | [+/-$Amount] |
| [Category 2, e.g. Licensing] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] | [+/-$Amount] |
| [Category 3, e.g. Training] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] | $[Amount] | [+/-$Amount] |
| **Total** | **$[Amount]** | **$[Amount]** | **$[Amount]** | **[+/-$Amount]** |

[One to two sentences on budget commentary if there are variances worth noting.]

---

## Risks and Issues

| # | Risk/Issue | Status | Impact | Likelihood | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|-----------|--------|--------|-----------|------------|-------|
| 1 | [Description] | [Open/Closed] | [High/Med/Low] | [High/Med/Low] | [Mitigation plan] | [Name] |
| 2 | [Description] | [Open/Closed] | [High/Med/Low] | [High/Med/Low] | [Mitigation plan] | [Name] |
| 3 | [Description] | [Open/Closed] | [High/Med/Low] | [High/Med/Low] | [Mitigation plan] | [Name] |

---

## Upcoming Milestones

| Milestone | Target Date | Status | Notes |
|-----------|-------------|--------|-------|
| [Milestone 1] | [Date] | [On Track / At Risk] | [Brief note] |
| [Milestone 2] | [Date] | [On Track / At Risk] | [Brief note] |
| [Milestone 3] | [Date] | [On Track / At Risk] | [Brief note] |

---

## Decisions Required

The following decisions require input from stakeholders:

1. **[Decision Topic]:** [Description of what needs to be decided, options available, and recommended approach. Deadline: [Date]]
2. **[Decision Topic]:** [Description. Deadline: [Date]]

---

## Next Period Focus

- [Priority 1 for the coming period]
- [Priority 2]
- [Priority 3]

---

**Next update due:** [Date]
**Questions or concerns:** Contact [Your Name] at [Email] or [Phone]

---

**Complexity:** intermediate | **Setup time:** 15 minutes | **Tools:** Notion, Asana, Slack

Note: This template has been tailored for retail & e-commerce businesses in Australia. Adjust terminology and compliance references to match your specific context.