Stakeholder communication
On this page 9 topics
Overview
Topics
- Business impact
- status reporting
- technical proposals
Learn first
3 h of practice (estimate)
Learning outcomes
- Translate technical work into business impact (revenue, risk, cost, customer experience).
- Write status reports that state progress, risks, and asks honestly.
- Write a technical proposal that a non-technical leader can approve.
- Deliver bad news early with options.
Lessons
Lab and exercises
Lab
SRB-020-LAB1 · Program communication
Outcomes: 1–4 · Time: ~3 h
- Write two biweekly status reports for the FulfillCo program with defined status criteria, risks, and asks; the second includes an honest amber or red item.
- Write a proposal to extend scope that a non-technical leader can approve.
- Present to role-played executives and answer questions.
Acceptance: executives can state the decision asked of them after reading.
Exercises (assessment: presentation and written report scored on the COM dimension)
| ID | Outcome | Task |
|---|---|---|
| SRB-020-EX01 | 1 | Translate five technical facts about the FulfillCo integration into business impact statements with evidence. |
| SRB-020-EX02 | 1 | Write a one-paragraph explanation of event-driven stock sync for the finance director. |
| SRB-020-EX03 | 2 | Rewrite a green status report that hides a slipping dependency into an honest amber report. |
| SRB-020-EX04 | 2 | Define status criteria (green, amber, red) for the program in four lines. |
| SRB-020-EX05 | 3 | Draft a one-page proposal to extend scope to returns, with options, cost, and decision date. |
| SRB-020-EX06 | 4 | Write the opening paragraph and options for telling leadership the program is four weeks late. |
| SRB-020-EX07 | 4 | Case: you discover a data-loss risk two days before a demo to executives. Write what you say, to whom, and when. |
Show solutions
- EX01 Example: "20-minute status delay" becomes "more support contacts and refunds"; each has a measurable evidence source.
- EX02 Avoid jargon: stock changes are sent as messages when they happen, so Shop shows accurate availability; cost and risk in a sentence each.
- EX03 Name the slipping dependency, the effect on the date, the decision needed, and the date by which it is needed.
- EX04 Green: on track, no milestone at risk. Amber: a milestone at risk without action. Red: a milestone will be missed without a decision.
- EX05 Ask and recommendation first, then problem in business terms, options table, do-nothing consequence, timeline, appendix.
- EX06 "The program will finish four weeks later than planned. Here are three options with their cost and customer impact; I recommend option B."
- EX07 Tell the sponsor immediately with facts, impact, options (fix first, scope the demo, disclose), and your recommendation; agree an update time.
- Outcome 2 is also covered by the lab reports and Q04-Q05.
Workplace evidence: a proposal you wrote that was approved by non-engineering leadership.
Quiz
Outcomes: O1 business impact · O2 status reports · O3 proposals · O4 bad news.
A self-check for you: nothing is graded, saved or sent anywhere. Choose an answer, then check it. You can try again as often as you like.
Practical part
Deliver the presentation and written reports from SRB-020-LAB1 (SRB-020 assessment, scored on the COM dimension). Pass: at least 8/10 on the quiz, and executives can state the decision asked of them after reading.
Common mistakes
Green status until the week before failure; jargon-heavy proposals.
Assessment
Presentation and written report scored on the COM dimension.
Workplace evidence
A proposal you wrote that was approved by non-engineering leadership.
Career relevance
Executive communication (SRA-019, STF-017).