A progress report that reduces everyday AI check-ins

EDITORIAL PRACTICE

Report deliverables rather than conversation volume

A count of agent runs does not show what the business can now use. Separate accepted deliverables from work still awaiting checks. Link the update to the code, working screen or test result.

Agree the frequency around the work and decisions needed. Combine regular updates with exception handling rather than requiring constant replies or leaving a long silence.

FROM PRIMARY SOURCES

Check progress against execution evidence

Anthropic’s 2024 design guide describes using tool and code-execution feedback to assess progress, with human checkpoints when needed. This article refers to those design principles rather than a current product specification.

Sources: [1]

EDITORIAL PRACTICE

Use five fields to support the next decision

The following enquiry-tool example is an editorial template, not a client result or a promise of cost or delivery time.

EDITORIAL PRACTICE

Attach options and impact to a question

A bare question makes the client reconstruct the context. State the decision, available options, recommendation and impact on cost, scope or timing. Explain whether other agreed work can continue while an answer is pending.

• Decision: one specific choice to make.
• Options: comparable benefits and constraints.
• Impact: scope, cost and release timing.
• Timing: when an answer is needed and what happens while waiting.

EDITORIAL PRACTICE

Agree when the team should interrupt the schedule

Define separate escalation conditions for an approaching cap, repeated failures, missing access or an unavailable production feature. Record the cause and current action so another owner can take over.

Review client attention, blocked work, rework and accepted outcomes alongside message volume. The goal is to support decisions and delivery, not to create more reporting.