I don't see anything wrong with using a formula to communicate when the formula is State conclusion first, then how that effects current status, what to do next, and finally why all this happened.

When I give research updates, I basically follow this format. I don't give a long explanation of what I did, leaving people guessing at the outcome, and only at the end presenting my numbers and finally, my conclusion. I state my conclusion first, the numbers I have to back up that conclusion, then go into why I think these numbers are correct (what I did).