Weekly project update template: write it from WhatsApp messages

To prepare a weekly project update from WhatsApp, create one note for the week’s messages, review it, export it as Markdown and edit it into a short report of decisions, open issues and next steps. Then send it yourself. With Anyx, the note comes from a date range you choose or from a weekly schedule.

Disclosure: this is the Anyx blog. The agency, client and project in this article are fictional.

What should a weekly project update answer?

Whoever reads your update, a client, a manager or a partner, wants five answers:

1. What got done?
2. What was decided?
3. What is still open, and who are we waiting on?
4. What happens next, who owns it and by when?
5. What do you need from me?

In a project run on WhatsApp, all five are already in the chat, spread across a week of messages, voice notes and photos. Rebuilding them by scrolling is slow, and the item you miss is usually the one that matters.

How do you turn a week of WhatsApp messages into an update?

Four steps, once Anyx is in the project group:

1. 1

   Generate the week's note

   Open the group on anyx.app, go to the Notes tab and use Generate notes for a date range. Pick the first and last day of your week and choose Generate. It starts right away. Or set the group's notes to weekly and use the note that arrives by email.

2. 2

   Review it

   Read Decisions, Open questions, Unanswered, Action items and Reported resolved. Fill in missing owners and dates, and confirm anything the note asks you to check.

3. 3

   Export it

   Use Copy Markdown, Download .md or Download CSV, or Print / Save as PDF.

4. 4

   Edit it and send it yourself

   Paste it into the template below, cut what your reader does not need, add what was said on calls, and send it from your own email or chat.

Pick the range that matches your report. A weekly schedule emails you a note every week, the same way a daily digest does every 24 hours. If your update must cover exact days, such as Sunday to Thursday, use a date range instead. The end of the range cannot be later than now (settings).

Generate close to when you write. Follow-ups are assessed as of the moment the note is created, and later messages are taken into account where Anyx has them. A note created on Friday morning for Sunday to Thursday can reflect a task someone reported done on Friday at 08:00. Before you call anything open, check for later replies, as our guide to unanswered questions explains.

Expect gaps on purpose. Anyx is designed to leave a due date empty, or ask to clarify, rather than guess a date the chat did not give. When a deadline has passed and no message says the task was done, it asks you to confirm whether it was completed. Those are the lines to check before you send anything.

What does a week’s note look like?

Pine & Pixel is a fictional web agency building an online store for Hila, a ceramics maker. Uri writes the code, Shiran designs, and the project lead sends Hila an update every Sunday. Here is a note for their week:

How do you turn the note into the update?

Map each note section to a part of your update:

Then paste it into a template you can copy:

# [Project]: weekly update, [first day] to [last day]

**Status:** On track / At risk / Blocked

## Done this week
- [Item]

## Decisions
- [Decision] ([who agreed], [day])

## Open issues
- [Issue]: waiting on [name] since [day]

## Next steps
| What | Owner | Due |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Task] | [Name] | [Date] |

## What we need from you
- [Ask] by [date]

For the fictional store, the top of the update could read: “Status: at risk. Launch moved to Sunday 1 November. We need your approval of the shipping rates before we can test checkout.” Every line traces back to the chat, and the payment account gets a date only after Uri gives one.

If you track tasks in a spreadsheet, Download CSV gives you a file to open there.

Should you forward the note itself?

You can. Each group can email its notes to up to 5 recipients. But recipients see the whole note, including the Worth checking section, and they receive every automatic note for that group. For a client, an edited update is usually the better choice: you set the tone, remove internal items and add what happened on calls.

Anyx never posts notes to the group. In your account, Send to my WhatsApp sends a note to your private chat with Anyx, not to your client.

What if the project runs across several groups?

Each note covers one group. If the project has a client group, a suppliers group and a team group, generate a note for the same date range in each, copy each one as Markdown, and merge them into one update (what a note contains).

For weeks from before Anyx joined, import a WhatsApp chat export in the group’s settings first, then generate a note for those dates.

What are the limits?

• One group per note. Merging several groups is your job.
• Only what it captured. Anyx only sees messages from after it joined a group, and nothing from calls, meetings, email or other chats. Imported history is text only.
• Files are partial. Voice notes are transcribed. For images, documents and videos, Anyx uses what it can read, such as captions and extracted text.
• Not instant. A scheduled note can arrive some time after an interval ends, and no email is sent for a week with no messages.
• You still write the update. Anyx gives you the raw material. The editing and sending are yours.
• It is paid. Starter covers up to 4 groups for $35 a month, Pro 30 and Max 120. New subscribers get a 7-day free trial.

FAQ

Can Anyx create a note for exactly one week?

Yes. In the group’s Notes tab, use Generate notes for a date range, pick the first and last day of your week, and choose Generate. It starts right away. The end of the range cannot be later than now.

Can I get a weekly note automatically?

Yes. Set the group’s notes to weekly and each note is emailed to you, or to up to 5 recipients. Delivery depends on activity and processing, and no email is sent if the group had no messages that week.

Which formats can I export a note in?

You can copy a note as Markdown, download it as a .md or CSV file, or print it and save it as a PDF.

Does Anyx send the update to my client?

No. You edit and send the update yourself. Anyx emails notes to your address or to up to 5 recipients you choose, and never posts them to the group.

Can the update cover messages from before Anyx joined?

Yes, if you import them. Export the chat from WhatsApp, import it in the group’s settings in Anyx, then generate a note for those dates. Only text is imported.