Client communication guide
How to explain a project delay to a client.
A credible delay update does not hide the impact or make a new promise without evidence. It separates what happened, what is controlled now, and what the client needs to decide.
Use five moves
- State the delay and its impact directly.
- Take ownership without speculating or blaming.
- Explain the cause at the level the client needs.
- Show what changed in the revised plan.
- Confirm the next action, owner, and update time.
Example language
We will miss Friday’s delivery by four business days. The integration test found a data-mapping issue that would affect existing records. We have reduced the release scope, assigned one owner to the migration fix, and added a daily verification step. We can deliver the safe scope on Thursday. I need your decision today on whether the reporting export should move to the following release.
Common mistakes
- Opening with a long explanation before stating the impact.
- Using passive language so no one owns the recovery.
- Giving a new date without evidence that conditions changed.
- Ending without a client decision or next update time.