Weekly, per client, about 10 minutes

Weekly client-status checklist

Run this for every retainer client once a week, before you write the status note. Anything you cannot tick goes into the note as a risk or a question.

The 12 checks

1. Hours logged are completeEveryone who worked on the client has logged last week's time.
2. Retainer burn checkedHours used vs. sold and the month-end projection (health check): Green, Amber or Red.
3. Budget used vs. soldMedia or tool spend paid through the agency is within the monthly cap.
4. Out-of-scope requests listedEach request outside the retainer is written down with an hour estimate and a yes / quote / no.
5. Deliverables due this weekEach one has an owner and a date, and is on track or flagged.
6. Last week's deliverables closedShipped items are marked done and linked; slipped items have a new date and a reason.
7. Waiting on the clientOpen approvals, assets and access are listed with the date you asked.
8. Campaigns live and spending as plannedNo paused ads, broken links, disapproved creatives or budget pacing far off plan.
9. One result per active campaignThe KPI agreed for each campaign, this week vs. last week, with one line on why it moved.
10. Next client meeting preparedDate set, agenda drafted, decisions you need from the client written as questions.
11. Risks namedAnything that could cause a missed date, an overrun or an unhappy client, with what you will do about it.
12. Status note sentStatus colour, done, next, waiting-on-you and hours used, sent to the client by the same weekday every week.