Sprint Check-in: What's Done, What's Behind, What Needs Help

How to keep the sprint board current so the CMO never has to ask you for a status update.

Why Sprint Updates Matter#

The CMO sees sprint data in their daily briefings and weekly summaries. When your deliverables are current, they walk into client meetings with accurate status. When they're stale, the CMO starts pinging you on Slack asking "where are we on X?" - which wastes both your time.

Keep the board current and you'll never get that ping.

Check the Sprint Board#

Pull the current sprint to see what's assigned to you:

get current sprint for Acme

This shows all sprint deliverables with their owner, status, and description. Find your items and check if the status matches reality.

Example output:

If "Blog post: Q2 Trends" is actually done and published, it should say Complete, not In Progress.

Update Your Status#

When you finish something or start something new:

update sprint status for "Blog post: Q2 Trends" to complete

update sprint status for "Landing page mockup" to in progress

Status options:

Don't overthink it. Update when the status actually changes, not on a schedule.

The Standup Format#

Whether your team does formal standups or async check-ins, the format is the same:

Done - What you completed since last check-in

Doing - What you're working on now

Blocked - What you can't proceed on and why

You can log this as a quick note for async standups:

quick note: Sprint standup - Done: published Q2 blog post, finished social media calendar. Doing: landing page mockup. Blocked: waiting on product copy from Sarah for the landing page.

This is searchable. When the CMO preps for a meeting and searches for sprint status, your standup notes surface.

How Sprint Data Flows to the CMO#

Your sprint updates feed into multiple places automatically:

When the CMO runs their weekly summary across all clients, they see a roll-up that includes your sprint items. If you're behind, they see it. If you're blocked, they can unblock you in the next client conversation.

When You're Behind#

Don't hide it. Don't wait for the standup. Don't hope you'll catch up.

Log it immediately:

update sprint status for "Landing page mockup" to blocked

quick note: Landing page mockup blocked - Sarah hasn't provided product copy. Requested on April 1, followed up April 5. Need CMO to escalate.

The CMO would rather know you're blocked today than discover you're behind at end of sprint. Early flags give them time to adjust scope, shift deadlines, or escalate with the client.

What happens when you're behind and don't flag it: The CMO tells the client "the landing page is on track for next week." The client expects it. It doesn't arrive. The CMO looks bad. You look bad. Everyone's unhappy.

What happens when you flag it early: The CMO tells the client "the landing page is waiting on your product copy - once we get that, we'll have mockups in 3 days." The client follows up with Sarah. Everyone's aligned.

End-of-Sprint Review#

At the end of each sprint, make sure all your items are in their final state:

1. get current sprint - review all your deliverables
2. Update anything that's complete but still shows In Progress
3. Flag anything that needs to carry over to the next sprint
4. Log a summary:

quick note: Sprint 3 complete. Delivered: Q2 blog post, social calendar, email templates. Carrying over: landing page mockup (blocked on client copy).

The Update Habit#

Consistent updates build trust. The CMO stops asking you for status because they already have it. That's the goal.

Related Guides#

• Executing on a Rock: Pull the Brief, Track Progress, Report Back
• Posting Content? Log It Back So the CMO Knows What Happened
• Checking What Was Promised Before You Build It