Start with one client and one purpose. A project containing every client, abandoned proposal, and old status report makes it harder to tell which facts belong in today's message.
Create the project and separate background from updates
Select New project in the sidebar and name it. Add reference files or pasted text. In Project settings, add instructions for the work; project instructions apply inside the project and override global custom instructions. These steps follow OpenAI's Projects guide.
For a fictional design engagement, prepare two kinds of material:
| Material | What belongs there | What needs refreshing |
|---|---|---|
| Client background | Approved scope, agreed terminology, audience | When the agreement changes |
| Weekly evidence | Completed work, next delivery, unresolved decisions | Before each update |
Name dated files clearly, for example Status-notes-2026-10-23. If you keep earlier weeks, tell ChatGPT which file controls the current update. “Use the latest numbers” is ambiguous when a filename date and a document date disagree.
Set instructions that survive a new chat
Use this as a starting point for your project instructions. Replace the brackets with approved details.
This project prepares weekly updates for [CLIENT/ENGAGEMENT].
Reader: [ROLE]. Our agreed scope is in [SOURCE NAME].
For each update, use the dated evidence I identify in the request.
Treat earlier status notes as history, not proof of today's status.
Keep completed work, planned work, and decisions needed separate.
Do not turn a proposed date into a commitment or an estimate into a result.
Use the client's approved terminology. Flag conflicting source facts.
Ask for missing dates or owners instead of inventing them.
These instructions define how to handle the work. They should not carry changing completion figures or a deadline that will be out of date next Tuesday.
Make the first update traceable
Start a chat inside the project with a request like this:
Draft this week's client update using [CURRENT STATUS FILE].
Use [APPROVED SCOPE FILE] for background only.
Return:
- A short client-facing email: completed, next, decision needed.
- An internal check table: each factual claim | source heading or row.
- Missing or conflicting information that prevents a confident draft.
Compare with [PRIOR STATUS FILE] only to identify changes. Do not
repeat an item as completed unless this week's evidence supports it.
Keep proposed wording separate from facts supplied by the client.
Read the check table before the email. If “design approved” comes from an old note that says “approval expected,” the message is wrong even if it sounds careful. Correct the source interpretation, then ask for the email again.
The desired result is an update you can send after review. This guide does not present a live ChatGPT-generated client email or claim that a project automatically resolves conflicting files.
Choose the memory and access settings deliberately
OpenAI documents default and project-only memory in Project settings. Project-only memory limits conversation references to that project; availability and required settings depend on the account. Shared projects use project-only memory. Review the actual project settings before adding client material. Memory in projects
Source discipline still matters within that boundary. Keep a short current-source note listing the scope document, this week's evidence, and anything superseded. When a brief changes, update the relevant material and explicitly tell the next chat which version to use.
Close the week with an approved record
Save the approved update in your team's normal client record. Next week, bring fresh evidence and compare against that approved version. Keep decisions awaiting a reply visible rather than smoothing them into a reassuring closing paragraph.
Optional: read a review copy in NOS
If the update also has an HTML review copy, you can read it in NOS before circulating it. Check the changed dates and unresolved decisions after formatting. The project remains your drafting context; your team's chosen record holds the approved client communication.