Executive Summary Generator

When to use

• A detailed analysis needs to be condensed to 1, 2 pages for a senior audience
• An executive asks "what's the bottom line?" and a full report won't be read
• Preparing a board deck section that summarises a longer analytical workstream
• A recurring report needs to lead with the key message rather than data tables
• A decision needs to be made by end of day and the executive has 10 minutes

Process

1. Extract the top 3, 5 insights, go through the full analysis and identify only the findings that change or reinforce a decision. Filter out interesting-but-not-actionable findings. If you have more than 5 insights, you haven't prioritised yet.
2. Quantify the business impact of each insight, every insight must carry a number: revenue at risk, cost saving, users affected, time to payback. Vague impact ("significant") does not belong in an executive summary. See references/executive_communication.md.
3. Write a one-paragraph situation statement, explain why this analysis was done, what the question was, and why the timing matters. One paragraph, no jargon.
4. Apply the pyramid principle, lead each insight with the conclusion ("Mobile churn is causing $800K ARR loss"), then the evidence, then the supporting detail. Never bury the finding at the end of a paragraph.
5. State recommendations as specific actions, each recommendation must name what to do, who is responsible, what the expected outcome is, and by when. "Improve the app" is not a recommendation.
6. Write the decision block, the final section names the explicit decision or approval the executive needs to give, the investment or resource required, the expected return, and the deadline. Use assets/executive_summary_template.md to assemble the document.