---
title: "Project status meeting agenda template"
canonical: https://candor.inc/templates/project-status-agenda-template
author: Sarthak Singh, co-founder of Candor
date_published: 
date_modified: 
---

# Project status meeting agenda template

A project status meeting agenda plans timed discussions of milestone variance, dependency status and decisions needed to keep a project moving. Copy the blank agenda, put each baseline beside its current forecast, and give every discussion a preparation input and desired outcome. Use it before a recurring project review when someone needs an answer or help with blocked work.

You can join the Candor waitlist at candor.inc. [4]

> **Short answer**
> - Keep the agreed milestone date beside the forecast so a changed estimate does not erase the delay.
> - Separate a dependency's requested date from a delivery date its provider has accepted.
> - Put the decision question and required preparation beside the person asked to decide.
> - Budget each discussion once, including time to close; carry unresolved items forward under the same reference.

Use the Copy button on the blank block, or select it and copy. For plain text, paste without formatting; its labels work without tables. If you paste it into Google Docs, File > Download saves a copy in the file type you choose. [3]

## Template

<!-- template:start -->
```markdown
## Project status meeting agenda

Prepare before the meeting. Write "unknown" for missing facts. Keep requested dates separate from accepted commitments. Repeat each review section for additional items. If an issue needs a separate decision discussion, refer to that decision item and budget each discussion once.

## Meeting setup
- Project:
- Review period:
- Meeting date, time and time zone:
- Facilitator:
- Agenda prepared by and date:
- Expected participants and roles:
- Project record or status report:

## Desired outcome
- What should be clearer or decided by the end:
- Preparation input to bring (owner and source):
- Total discussion time available:

## Milestone variance to review
- Item reference and milestone:
- Agreed baseline date and expected result (source):
- Current forecast and expected result (source and conditions):
- Date variance and basis (calendar days or named working-day calendar):
- Preparation input to review (owner and dated evidence):
- Desired outcome for this discussion:
- Discussion timebox:

## Dependency status to review
- Item reference and required input:
- Providing party:
- Needed-by date and source:
- Accepted delivery date and source, or unknown:
- Current status and dated evidence:
- Work blocked or at risk:
- Question or help needed:
- Preparation input to review (owner and source):
- Desired outcome for this discussion:
- Discussion timebox:

## Decision needed
- Item reference and question to decide:
- Decision owner:
- Response needed by and source for that date:
- Options or constraints to discuss:
- Recommendation, if any, and its source:
- Preparation input to review (owner and source):
- Information still missing, if any:
- Desired outcome for this discussion:
- Discussion timebox:
- Current state (not raised / requested / open / response received):

## Other discussion topics
- Item reference and topic:
- Person bringing it:
- Question or update:
- Preparation input to review (owner and source):
- Desired outcome for this discussion:
- Discussion timebox:

## Close and handoff
- Preparation still missing, owner and next check:
- Topics to carry forward, with item references:
- Where the later meeting record will be kept:
- Discussion timebox for close and handoff:
```
<!-- template:end -->

## Filled example

Fictional example: the project, people and records are invented. This agenda is prepared on 26 October for a meeting scheduled for 27 October 2026. It reports no outcome from that meeting.

<!-- example:start -->
```markdown
## Project status meeting agenda

## Meeting setup
- Project: Cedar autumn catalogue reprint
- Review period: 19–26 October 2026
- Meeting date, time and time zone: 27 October 2026, 10:00–10:30 India Standard Time (UTC+05:30)
- Facilitator: Priya Bose, project lead
- Agenda prepared by and date: Priya Bose, 26 October 2026
- Expected participants and roles: Priya; Tomas Reed, design; Ellie Park, production. Invited, attendance unconfirmed.
- Project record or status report: Cedar production plan v2, 19 October; status note, 26 October

## Desired outcome
- What should be clearer or decided by the end: Decide whether to keep the print booking while the remaining photographs are outstanding.
- Preparation input to bring (owner and source): Tomas, layout v0.7 and studio request PHOTO-9; Ellie, booking offer PRINT-6.
- Total discussion time available: 30 minutes

## Milestone variance to review
- Item reference and milestone: M1, final layout approval
- Agreed baseline date and expected result (source): 28 October 2026, full catalogue ready for approval; production plan v2.
- Current forecast and expected result (source and conditions): 30 October 2026 for the same result, if the remaining photographs arrive by noon on 29 October; Tomas's estimate, status note dated 26 October.
- Date variance and basis (calendar days or named working-day calendar): 2 calendar days later than baseline; conditional forecast.
- Preparation input to review (owner and dated evidence): Tomas, layout v0.7 dated 26 October, marking the four missing photographs.
- Desired outcome for this discussion: Check the estimate's assumptions; refer the print-booking choice to D1.
- Discussion timebox: 6 minutes

## Dependency status to review
- Item reference and required input: DEP1, four catalogue photographs / PHOTO-9
- Providing party: External studio, contact through Tomas
- Needed-by date and source: 27 October 2026, noon; PHOTO-9 request dated 23 October.
- Accepted delivery date and source, or unknown: Unknown; no date accepted in the studio's reply.
- Current status and dated evidence: Outstanding; studio reply dated 26 October acknowledges the request only.
- Work blocked or at risk: Full-layout approval; see M1.
- Question or help needed: Can the studio confirm a delivery date before the print-booking deadline?
- Preparation input to review (owner and source): Tomas, PHOTO-9 request and studio reply.
- Desired outcome for this discussion: Identify what delivery confirmation to request; keep an unanswered date unknown.
- Discussion timebox: 6 minutes

## Decision needed
- Item reference and question to decide: D1, keep or release the 2 November print booking?
- Decision owner: Priya Bose, authorised for this booking in production plan v2.
- Response needed by and source for that date: 27 October 2026, 16:00; printer's offer PRINT-6 dated 23 October.
- Options or constraints to discuss: Keep the slot if the printer accepts the forecast file date; otherwise release it and request another slot. A later slot is unconfirmed.
- Recommendation, if any, and its source: Ellie proposes asking the printer about the file deadline before committing; status note, 26 October. Proposal only.
- Preparation input to review (owner and source): Ellie, PRINT-6, including its file-delivery terms.
- Information still missing, if any: Printer's acceptance of a 30 October file; studio's delivery date.
- Desired outcome for this discussion: Priya's decision, or an explicit open status with the missing information identified.
- Discussion timebox: 12 minutes
- Current state (not raised / requested / open / response received): Requested; no decision recorded.

## Other discussion topics
- Item reference and topic: O1, proof checklist
- Person bringing it: Ellie Park
- Question or update: Which layout version should be used for the next proof?
- Preparation input to review (owner and source): Ellie, proof checklist v0.2 dated 26 October.
- Desired outcome for this discussion: Identify the version to check, or record the unresolved question.
- Discussion timebox: 3 minutes

## Close and handoff
- Preparation still missing, owner and next check: Printer's file-date response; Ellie to check before the meeting, preparation request pending acceptance.
- Topics to carry forward, with item references: DEP1 delivery confirmation and D1 if still open.
- Where the later meeting record will be kept: Cedar project folder / Status reviews / 27 October 2026.
- Discussion timebox for close and handoff: 3 minutes
```
<!-- example:end -->

The timeboxes total 30 minutes: 6 + 6 + 12 + 3 + 3. M1 compares the same expected result on two dates. Reducing the catalogue's scope would need a separate explanation rather than a supposedly improved forecast.

## When to use this

Use this for a project lead's review when changed dates or missing inputs require discussion. If everyone only needs the latest figures, a written update may be enough. Use the [meeting minutes template hub](https://candor.inc/minutes/template) for the later record of decisions and agreed actions.

A baseline is the reference plan against which progress is measured. [1] Think of it as a delivery appointment: replacing the booked date with each new estimate hides how far delivery has moved. Keep both dates. This layout establishes no required meeting frequency or approval process.

## What to customise

1. Collect dated updates and the relevant baseline. Choose items that need an answer; leave routine reporting in the pre-read. State the desired outcome near the top, as Atlassian's meeting guidance also recommends. [2]
2. Put the discussion with the earliest consequential deadline first. Move its whole section; section order is optional. Invite the people who can supply the missing information or decide.
3. Set each timebox, including preparation read during the meeting and the close. If the total exceeds the meeting length, defer an item or arrange a separate discussion.
4. Confirm actual decisions and accepted follow-up in the separate record before closing. Carry unresolved items onto the next agenda under their existing references.

Remove unused sections and adopt your team's date format. Label completed milestone dates “actual”. For working-day variance, name the calendar, including holidays. Here, “variance” means a milestone date difference, rather than the earned-value measure called schedule variance. [1] If your process approves a new baseline, retain the previous version and change reference.

## Field-by-field guidance

| Field | What to enter | Where to get it | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting setup | Project, period, meeting time and zone, facilitator, preparer, expected roles and project record | Invite and dated status report | Counting invitees as attendees |
| Desired outcome | Meeting question, preparation with owner and sources, total time | Project lead and invite | Writing only “review status” |
| Milestone variance | Reference, baseline date and expected result, forecast with conditions, date difference and calendar basis | Baseline and dated estimate | Comparing dates for different deliverables |
| Milestone discussion | Preparation evidence and owner, desired outcome and timebox | Open project issue | Treating a forecast as an approved commitment |
| Dependency status | Input, provider, requested and accepted dates with sources, dated status evidence, affected work and question | Provider correspondence and delivery plan | Assuming acknowledgement accepts a date |
| Dependency discussion | Preparation source and owner, desired outcome and timebox | Dependency record | Budgeting the same decision twice |
| Decision needed | Reference, question, owner, response deadline and source, options, recommendation and source, preparation, missing information, desired outcome, timebox and state | Decision brief and authorised owner | Recording a preferred option as decided |
| Other topic | Reference, presenter, question, preparation source, desired outcome and timebox | Linked work item | Adding an update nobody needs to discuss |
| Close and handoff | Missing preparation with owner and next check, carry-forward references, later record location and timebox | Agenda gaps and filing practice | Treating requested preparation as accepted work |

## Voice and AI workflow

Dictate preparation notes before the meeting, or type into the fields. Keep updates beside dated sources. (A confident reading of a date still needs checking.) Use an approved tool and material you are allowed to share with it; fill the agenda yourself if that permission is absent.

Remove confidential or identifying data before submitting notes to an AI tool. Retain usable evidence references without pasting the underlying confidential records. A person must check the output against its sources before sharing it.

Copy this prompt with the blank template and permitted preparation notes:

```text
Fill the supplied Project status meeting agenda template from the permitted preparation notes below. Return an agenda using exactly its headings and field names.

Include meeting setup; desired outcome, preparation input and total discussion time; milestone reference, baseline date and expected result, current forecast with conditions, date variance and calendar basis; dependency reference, required input, provider, needed-by date, accepted delivery date, status evidence, affected work and question; decision reference, question, owner, response deadline, options, recommendation and source, missing information and current state; other discussion topics; and close and handoff. For each discussion, include its preparation input with owner and source, desired outcome and timebox. Include the closing timebox.

Use only supplied facts. Preserve unknowns as "unknown" and keep dated evidence references beside claims. Do not invent attendance, names, dates, statuses, authority, agreement or decisions. Keep requested dates separate from accepted dates, conditional forecasts conditional, and recommendations separate from decisions. Flag conflicting notes. Calculate date variance only when comparable dates and the calendar basis are supplied; otherwise leave it unknown.

Count each discussion once and check the timeboxes against the total. If timings are missing, leave them unknown and offer a separately labelled proposed allocation; never present it as agreed.

Remind the reader to remove confidential or identifying data before providing input. A prompt cannot undo an upload or guarantee detection of sensitive data. Require a human to confirm every decision, name and due date against the records before sharing the agenda.

Permitted preparation notes (remove confidential or identifying data before pasting):
```

## Related templates

Record the meeting with the [project status notes template](https://candor.inc/templates/project-status-notes-template), and send decisions that need a reply with the [project status follow-up email](https://candor.inc/templates/project-status-follow-up-email-template). The [meeting minutes template](https://candor.inc/minutes/template) covers the general record.

## Frequently asked questions

### What sort of preparation leads to the most effective team meetings?

Give every discussion a preparation input, with the owner bringing it and its source. Write 'unknown' for missing facts, and keep requested dates separate from accepted commitments so a requested date is not mistaken for an agreed one.

### What are the elements to plan when conducting a meeting?

For a project status meeting, this template plans the setup, desired outcome, milestone variance, dependency status, decisions needed, other topics, and a close and handoff. Each discussion gets a preparation input, a desired outcome and a timebox.

### What are some pointers for running project meetings effectively?

Budget each discussion once, including time to close, and carry unresolved items forward under the same reference. Put the decision question and required preparation beside the person asked to decide. Keep the agreed milestone date beside the forecast so a changed estimate does not erase the delay.

## What this page can't tell you

This layout cannot establish whether an estimate will hold or who can approve a change. Check those with the project owner and records. A dependency's delay alone does not establish an equal delay to the project's finish date: some activity delay can use available float without moving that date. [1]

## About this page

Candor is being built as personal voice intelligence for everyone. You can join the Candor waitlist at candor.inc. Candor's own documentation is at [candor.inc/docs](https://candor.inc/docs).

Last checked: 4 November 2026. Report an error to [support@candor.inc](mailto:support@candor.inc).

## Sources

1. APM glossary of project management terms — https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/glossary/ — checked 2026-11-04
2. Page-led meetings, Atlassian Team Playbook — https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/page-led-meeting — checked 2026-11-04
3. Create, view, or download a file, Google Docs Editors Help — https://support.google.com/docs/answer/49114?hl=en — checked 2026-11-04
4. Candor homepage — https://candor.inc/ — checked 2026-11-04