Writing Status and Progress
Quick start
Collect or infer:
- •Status type (system state, task progress, sync, connection)
- •Current state (pending, in-progress, completed, failed)
- •Duration expectation (instant, seconds, minutes, indefinite)
- •User action required (none, optional, required)
Then produce output using TEMPLATES.md. Validate with RUBRIC.md.
Workflow
- •Identify status type using reference/status-states.md
- •Determine the current state in the lifecycle
- •Write the status label (what's happening)
- •Add detail text if duration or action needed
- •Run the rubric check. Revise until it passes.
Degrees of freedom
- •Low: Status must accurately reflect system state
- •Medium: Detail text optional based on context
- •Allowed variation: Tone adjusts for success vs. waiting states
Constraints
- •Status label: max 30 characters
- •Detail text: max 100 characters
- •Never lie about progress (fake progress bars)
- •Indeterminate progress must say so, not show fake percentages
References
- •Templates: TEMPLATES.md
- •Rubric: RUBRIC.md
- •Examples: EXAMPLES.md
- •Status states: reference/status-states.md