How to Ask for an Update by Email: 5 Useful Examples

“Any update?” can be enough in a short conversation with a colleague. In a longer project, it often produces an equally vague reply: “Still working on it.”

Ask for the information you need to make your next decision. That might be a completion date, the name of the person reviewing a document, or a list of items still missing.

Ask about the part that affects your work

Subject: Delivery date for the revised illustrations

Hi Sofia,

Could you let me know whether the revised illustrations will be ready by Wednesday? I’m scheduling the page layout and need to reserve a review slot.

If the date has changed, an estimate of the new delivery day would help.

Thanks, Max

The request is about delivery timing. It doesn’t ask the designer to write a full progress report. If you need a broader report, specify what it should contain and allow enough time to prepare it.

Check on a decision awaiting approval

Subject: Status of the training budget request

Hi Anika,

Has the training budget request reached the finance review stage? The provider can hold our places until 15 October.

Please let me know if you need anything from me before then.

Best, Oliver

This gives the approver relevant timing without pretending they control the entire process. When several people must sign off, asking where the request stands may be more useful than asking for an immediate yes or no.

Follow up with a supplier on delayed work

Subject: Updated timeline for order 1842

Hello,

The revised delivery date for order 1842 was yesterday, but the shipment has not arrived. Could you confirm its current status and expected arrival date?

If only part of the order is available, please let me know which items can be sent now.

Kind regards, Quinn

Include an order number or another reference they can search. Check the tracking information first. If the delay has a contractual consequence, follow your organization’s agreed process rather than adding a threat to a routine status request.

Ask a colleague without interrupting them repeatedly

Subject: Check-in on the dashboard fixes

Hi Luca,

Could you add the remaining dashboard fixes and their estimated completion dates to the project board before our Thursday review?

I’ll use that update for the customer summary, so there is no need to send a separate email report.

Thanks, Morgan

Agreeing where updates live can prevent several people from asking the same question. Use the team’s existing system when there is one. Another email thread can make status harder to find.

Ask a client whether work should continue

Subject: Confirming the next step for the onboarding guide

Hi Fatima,

Are you ready for us to draft the remaining sections, or should we wait for your team’s feedback on the outline?

We can keep the current writing slot until Friday. After that, I’ll confirm the next available date once you are ready to proceed.

Best, Ellis

Only mention a reserved slot if one actually exists. A practical scheduling limit helps the client decide; invented scarcity makes the relationship harder to trust.

If the answer is still vague

Follow up on the unresolved detail: “Thanks. When you say next week, should I plan for Monday’s review or Friday’s?” That is easier to answer than sending the original question again.

Sometimes the person does not know yet. Ask when they expect to know, or identify a temporary plan you can use meanwhile. For an unanswered request, the second follow-up guide offers examples with smaller questions and workable alternatives.

If your draft sounds impatient, read it for assumptions about motive. “You still haven’t bothered to reply” describes intent you can’t know. “I need the delivery date to confirm our schedule” describes the problem you can solve together. More examples are in the email tone guide.