Friday, four o'clock
An account manager with eight clients opens a blank email for each. She scrolls through Asana to see what moved this week, checks which approvals came back, looks in her inbox for anything the client promised to send, and writes a status update with sections for done, in progress and waiting on you. Some weeks she copies last week's email and edits it, and something out of date slips through.
Clients like the WIP. It keeps them informed and it quietly shows them how much the agency does. But it takes most of Friday afternoon, every Friday, and it is the first thing dropped when she is busy.
Why the WIP is written by hand
- The project tool has the facts, but its own client view shows internal detail clients should not see.
- Client-facing wording is different from the task names the team uses.
- Items the agency is waiting on from the client live in emails, not in the project tool.
- Each client wants a slightly different format or level of detail.
- Copying last week's email is faster than starting again, and that is how errors creep in.
The information is mostly there already. The last part, turning internal tasks into a clear note for the client, is the part that takes the time.
What hand-written WIPs cost
Account managers lose a chunk of every week to writing summaries. WIPs are skipped in busy weeks, which is exactly when clients most need them. Out-of-date items copied forward confuse clients. Items waiting on the client are forgotten, so delays get blamed on the agency.
How we generate the WIP draft
- Tasks in your project tool are tagged as client-visible or internal, with an optional client-facing name for tasks whose internal names would confuse.
- Client actions, such as copy to supply or access to grant, are recorded as tasks assigned to the client, from the account manager's email or a quick form.
- Each week a draft WIP is built per client: completed this week, in progress with next dates, waiting on client with how long it has been waiting, and coming up.
- A language model tidies the wording into a short, readable update in your house style, using only the task data. It does not add work that did not happen.
- The draft lands in the account manager's inbox or Slack to edit, add a personal line and send.
- Items waiting on the client carry across automatically until they are done, so they are never dropped.
| WIP section | Filled from |
|---|---|
| Done this week | Tasks completed and approvals received |
| In progress | Open client-visible tasks with dates |
| Waiting on you | Tasks assigned to the client, with days waiting |
| Coming up | Tasks due in the next period |
| Personal note | Written by the account manager |
If your clients prefer a shared live board to an email, the same data can feed that instead.
Friday after
At three o'clock the account manager has eight drafts. She reads each, adds a line about the campaign idea she is excited about, removes one item she wants to mention on a call instead, and sends them. Clients get a consistent update every week, including a clear list of what the agency is waiting for.
Recognise your Friday afternoons?
- Account managers write weekly status updates for each client by hand.
- WIPs are copied from last week and edited.
- Updates are skipped in busy weeks.
- Items the agency is waiting on from clients get forgotten.
- Clients blame delays on the agency when the hold-up was theirs.