Bad News Email to a Team About a Project Delay
Communicate a setback clearly and calmly.
The Open buttons send the prompt text as currently shown below to that site only when you click. Fill in the placeholders first.
Write an email to a team or stakeholders about a delay. Project and audience: [PROJECT_AND_AUDIENCE]. What happened and why (facts): [CAUSE]. The new timeline and confidence level: [NEW_TIMELINE]. Impact on others (dependencies, customers, budget): [IMPACT]. What we are doing to recover and what we need from them: [RECOVERY_AND_NEEDS].
Write the email (150 to 220 words) in this order: subject line stating the update; the key message in the first sentence ("The launch will move from 12 November to 3 December"); the reason in one or two sentences, without blaming individuals; the impact; what we are doing; what we need from the reader and by when; the next update date. Then add a table of questions people will ask (Why? Is the new date firm? What does this affect? What can I do?) with prepared answers.
Provide a shorter version for a chat message (50 words), a version for customers (more careful about commitments), and a version for senior leaders (with decisions required). Rules: be honest about uncertainty (use ranges), never promise a date you cannot defend, take ownership, and avoid surprising anyone. Add a checklist: tell key people personally first, review for tone, and schedule a follow-up. Mark unknown facts as [ADD DETAIL].
Fill in before use
Optional: type your details and the prompt above updates. Nothing is saved or sent.
Replace each bracketed placeholder with your own details, then paste into Any AI or another assistant.
See an example result (fictional data)
Subject: Launch moving from 12 November to 3 December "Team, the launch will move to 3 December. The payment integration failed testing on 1 November, and the fix needs three more weeks. This affects the marketing schedule and the training sessions, which I'll re-plan this week. We are adding a second developer on the integration and testing daily. What I need: confirm by Friday whether the new date works for your plans. The next update will be Wednesday at 10. Questions to me directly." Chat version (50 words) and customer version prepared.
Illustrative only, made-up data. Your results will differ and must be reviewed.