The first section of the template is called Headlines for a reason. It’s where you’ll quickly share the most important information you want readers to grasp. This can include milestones that you achieved, misses or blockers to progress, any major risks, and other updates such as team changes. This is your way to get the highlights right in front of people – just in case they don’t read the rest of the update.

With that high-level overview done, it’s time to sink your teeth into some numbers. Use the Business review section to give an update on how you’re progressing with your top three or four business metrics. Note any changes in those metrics from the previous update to show whether you’re moving in the right direction. Keep in mind that it’s totally natural for metrics to fluctuate a little bit. However, you can use the status column to flag if everything is progressing as you expected or if something is really off track.

Objectives and key results (OKRs) are a great way to keep your team aligned on measurable goals. But they’re most helpful when you keep regular tabs on how they’re stacking up. In the OKRs and supporting initiatives section of the template, provide updates on how you’re performing on your top two to three OKRs. List the objective and a brief description and then break down your results and any notable updates related to them. Don’t feel the need to cover every single detail right here – you can use the expanded sections to link to OKR Jira tickets for people who want more information.

There are some metrics that your OKRs just don’t capture, but they’re still critical to the health of the business. Use the final Engineering/operational health, Customer/competitor insights, and Marketing highlights sections at the bottom of the template to provide a brief bulleted overview of this additional information. You’ll cover all of your bases and ensure that stakeholders have a well-rounded view of your progress and performance.