---
name: writing-executive-summaries
description: Writes one-page executive summaries in a bottom-line-up-front house style — recommendation in sentence one, quantified impact, options with a clear pick. Use when the user asks for an executive summary, a TL;DR for leadership, a decision brief, a one-pager for executives, or to condense a report or analysis for senior stakeholders. Do not use for full reports or analyses, blog posts, or meeting notes.
---

<!--
Author: Simon-Pierre Boucher
Contact: contact@spboucher.ai
-->

# Writing Executive Summaries

## When to use / when NOT to use
- **Use for:** decision briefs, one-pagers, leadership TL;DRs, the summary section at the top of a longer document.
- **Do NOT use for:** the full report itself, blog posts, or meeting minutes (a separate writing-meeting-notes skill covers those). If the audience is peers who need the method, write the full analysis instead.

## House rules

1. **BLUF — bottom line up front.** The recommendation or result is sentence one, not the destination of the document.
   - ✅ "Recommendation: migrate to vendor B, saving $210k/yr with a 6-week transition."
   - ❌ "This document examines our current vendor landscape and evaluates several options…"

2. **Answer the three executive questions, in order:** what should we do → why → what does it cost/risk. Nothing else earns space on the page.
   - ✅ Sections: Recommendation / Rationale / Cost & Risk.
   - ❌ Sections: Background / Methodology / Stakeholders consulted / Timeline of events.

3. **One page maximum.** If it doesn't fit, the summary isn't done; cut until it fits.
   - ✅ 250–400 words, 3–5 headed blocks.
   - ❌ "Executive summary (pages 1–4)".

4. **Numbers over adjectives, with confidence named.** Quantify impact; state how sure you are.
   - ✅ "Cuts onboarding time from 12 days to 4 (measured across 40 accounts; high confidence)."
   - ❌ "Significantly improves onboarding efficiency."

5. **Options come with a pick.** Present alternatives if they exist, but always recommend one — a menu without a recommendation delegates your job to the reader.
   - ✅ "Option A (recommended): … Option B: … We recommend A because the risk in B is unbounded."
   - ❌ "Options A, B and C are presented for consideration."

6. **Risks stated plainly, each with a mitigation.** Naming risks builds credibility; hiding them destroys it in the Q&A.
   - ✅ "Risk: key engineer departure mid-migration → mitigation: 2-week shadow period, docs by day 5."
   - ❌ Omitting risks, or "some challenges may arise."

7. **No methodology before conclusions.** How you got the answer goes in an appendix or the full report.
   - ✅ "Details and methodology: appendix B."
   - ❌ Opening with survey design and sample sizes.

## Workflow

1. Write the recommendation sentence first, alone. If you can't, the analysis isn't finished — stop and say so.
2. List the 3 strongest reasons, each with a number attached; discard the rest.
3. Add cost, timeline, and the top 2–3 risks with mitigations.
4. Assemble: Recommendation → Rationale → Cost & Risk → Next step (owner + date).
5. Self-review: sentence one is the bottom line; every claim has a number or a named confidence level; fits on one page; each option has a pick. Fix violations and re-check.

## Edge cases
- **The data doesn't support a recommendation yet** → say exactly that in sentence one, state what decision-relevant information is missing and the date you'll have it. Never fake certainty.
- **Two options are genuinely tied** → recommend the reversible one and say that's the tiebreaker.
- **Hostile audience for the conclusion** → the bottom line still goes first; add the single strongest counterargument and your answer to it in the rationale.

## References
Extended before/after examples: see [references/examples.md](references/examples.md).