executive-summary

Executive Summary Skill

Writes executive summaries that busy decision-makers actually read — front-loaded with conclusions, structured for skimming, ruthless about what to include.

Required Inputs

• Source document or topic (paste or describe)
• Audience (CEO / board / investor / minister / client / committee)
• Decision or action needed (what should the reader do after reading?)
• Length limit (1 page / 2 pages / 500 words)
• Format (formal report / slide / email / briefing paper)

Core Principle

An executive summary is NOT a summary of the document. It is a standalone document that:

• States the conclusion upfront — not at the end
• Contains only what the reader needs to make a decision
• Can be understood without reading anything else
• Recommends a specific action

Output Structure

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[Title]

Executive Summary

Prepared for: [Audience] | Date: [Date] | Author: [Name]

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Bottom line up front:

[The most important thing. The recommendation or finding. 2-3 sentences. A reader who only reads this should know what you are asking or telling them.]

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Background (why this matters):

[2-3 sentences. Minimum context to understand the bottom line. Not the history — just what the reader needs now.]

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Key findings / analysis:

• [Finding 1]: [One sentence — specific and evidence-based]
• [Finding 2]: [One sentence]
• [Finding 3]: [One sentence]

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Options considered: (include only if a decision is being presented)

| Option | Benefit | Risk | Recommendation |

|---|---|---|---|

| [Option A] | [Benefit] | [Risk] | Recommended |

| [Option B] | [Benefit] | [Risk] | Not recommended |

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Recommendation:

[Specific. "We recommend [action] because [reason]. This will [outcome]." Not "we suggest consideration of options."]

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Immediate next steps:

• [Action 1 — specific, with owner and date]
• [Action 2]

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Risks of inaction: [What happens if the reader does nothing]

Full report: [Reference to where the full document can be found]

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Adapting for Different Audiences

CEO/MD: Lead with financial or strategic impact. 1 page. Make the decision binary. Ask in sentence one.

Board: Lead with governance or risk. Frame against organisational objectives. State specifically what you need from them.

Investor: Lead with return or opportunity. Specific numbers. 1 page. Anticipate "why now."

Minister/senior public sector: Lead with public benefit or policy alignment. Include cost-benefit framing.

Client: Lead with their problem. Show you understand before presenting recommendation.

Scoring Rubric (0–40)

Score any output of this skill before handing it over; 32+ is ship-quality.

| Dimension | 0 | 5 | 10 |

|---|---|---|---|

| Bottom line placement | Conclusion appears only at the end, after chronological summary | Recommendation appears early but hedged, or split across sections | The ask or finding is unambiguous within the first three sentences and repeated nowhere it doesn't need to be |

| Standalone completeness | Unreadable without the source document; leans on unexplained references | Mostly standalone but assumes context the named audience may lack | A reader with no other material can understand the situation and decide from this page alone |

| Actionability | "Options for consideration" with no owners, dates, or stated ask | Recommendation is specific but next steps lack owners or dates | Specific recommendation, next steps each with owner and date, and risks of inaction quantified |

| Audience fit & length | Author-priority framing, over the length limit | Fits the limit but framing is generic — same summary would go to any audience | Framed to the named audience's decision context (financial/governance/return/policy) and within the limit |

Quality Checks

• [ ] Bottom line in first 3 sentences
• [ ] Standalone — no need to read full document
• [ ] Recommendation is specific
• [ ] Fits length limit
• [ ] Written for audience priorities not author priorities
• [ ] Next steps have owners and dates

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not summarise the document chronologically — an executive summary that follows the structure of the source document is not an executive summary, it is an abstract
• [ ] Do not bury the recommendation at the end — executives read the first paragraph and skim the rest; the ask must be in sentence one or two
• [ ] Do not use the same summary for different audiences — a CEO and a board member have different decision contexts and require different framing
• [ ] Do not include background that the reader already knows — every sentence of background must earn its place by making the bottom line more actionable
• [ ] Do not leave the "risks of inaction" section vague — a summary that does not quantify what happens if the reader does nothing removes the urgency needed for a decision

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Write an executive summary of this report: [paste]"
• "Summarise this document for the board: [paste]"
• "Create a one-pager from this proposal for the CEO"
• "Turn these findings into an exec summary"