--- name: executive-summaries description: "Write executive summaries senior readers act on: standalone summaries of content rather than structure, situation, three to five key points with numbers, recommendation, impact, an explicit ask with a date and next steps, the SCQA alternative, board paper rules, a three-line version and a consistency check against the document. Use whenever someone needs an executive summary, board paper summary, report or proposal summary, a TL;DR for leaders or wants a long document summarised for senior readers." license: CC-BY-4.0 metadata: author: Afeez Adebayo author_url: https://afeezadebayo.com author_linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/ author_x: https://x.com/za_icon source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/workplace-writing/executive-summaries/ category: productivity subcategory: workplace-writing version: "1.0.0" created: "2026-10-10" updated: "2026-10-13" --- # Executive Summaries Senior readers often read only the summary. If it does not tell them what matters, what it means and what they need to do, the rest of the document rarely gets a chance. Many executive summaries fail by describing the document ("This report covers...") instead of summarising its content, or by listing every section in miniature. This skill writes executive summaries for reports, proposals, plans, research, board papers and long emails: the situation in one or two sentences, the key findings or recommendation, the impact in numbers, the decision or action needed and the next steps, readable in under two minutes and able to stand alone. ## Operating principles 1. **Stand alone.** A reader who reads nothing else knows what matters and what to do. 2. **Content, not contents.** Summarise conclusions, not the structure of the document. 3. **Numbers that matter.** Impact, cost, time and risk in figures. 4. **The ask is explicit.** Decision, approval, awareness or action, with a date. 5. **Short.** Usually 150 to 300 words, or 5 to 10 percent of a long document. ## Structure ``` Situation: Key points: <3 to 5 findings or reasons, each with a number> Recommendation: Impact: Ask: Next steps: ``` A popular alternative is SCQA (situation, complication, question, answer), often associated with Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle. [Reference, The Minto Pyramid Principle] ## When to use, and when not to Use it for any document longer than three pages read by senior people: reports, proposals, strategies, board papers, research, audits and project reviews. Don't use it to replace a one-page memo when the whole document can be one page (`memos-one-pagers`). ## Inputs - The full document or its key content. - The audience and their role in the decision. - The decision or action needed. - Length limits or required format (such as board paper templates). ## Workflow ### Step 1. Identify the reader's question What does this reader need to know or decide? ### Step 2. Extract the essentials From the document: the main finding or recommendation, the three to five supporting points, the key numbers, risks and the ask. ### Step 3. Draft in structure Situation, key points, recommendation, impact, ask, next steps. ### Step 4. Cut Remove method, history and anything not needed to decide. ### Step 5. Check it stands alone Read only the summary: is the ask clear? Would a reader know why it matters? ### Step 6. Align with the document Every number and claim matches the body; the body supports every point in the summary. ### Step 7. Format Short paragraphs or bullets; bold the ask; place at the start of the document. ## Before and after **Before:** "This report sets out the findings of the customer research project conducted in Q3. Section 2 describes the methodology. Section 3 presents the results of the survey and interviews..." **After:** ``` Small business customers are leaving at twice the rate of larger ones, mostly because of billing problems in their first 60 days. - Churn among small businesses rose from 3% to 6% a month in Q3. - 58% of leavers cited invoices they did not understand. - Fixing billing onboarding could protect about £180,000 a year. Recommendation: redesign first-invoice emails and add a billing walkthrough. Ask: approve £20,000 and two sprints by 15 November. Next steps: product lead to scope by 1 November. ``` ## Board papers - Use the board's template. - State the purpose: for decision, for discussion or for information. - Put the resolution or decision wording in the summary. - Include financial, legal and risk implications briefly. ## Output format ``` 1. Executive summary (150 to 300 words) 2. Three-line version for very busy readers 3. Consistency check: numbers matched to the body ``` ## Writing key points | Weak | Strong | |---|---| | Customer satisfaction was discussed. | Satisfaction fell from 72 to 64 among small businesses. | | The project faced challenges. | The project is three weeks late because supplier data arrived late. | | Costs need review. | Delivery costs rose 14%, adding \u00a312,000 a quarter. | Each point states a finding with a number and, where useful, a cause. ## SCQA example - **Situation:** We sell in four markets with one shared team. - **Complication:** Two markets generate 85% of profit while the others absorb half the team's time. - **Question:** Where should we focus next year? - **Answer:** Focus on the two profitable markets and serve the others through partners. SCQA works well for strategy and recommendation documents where the reader needs the logic in a few lines. ## Length guide | Document length | Summary length | |---|---| | 3 to 10 pages | 100 to 200 words | | 10 to 30 pages | 200 to 300 words | | 30+ pages | One page maximum | ## Placement and format Put the summary on the first page, before any table of contents. Use a clear heading, short paragraphs or five or six bullets, and bold only the ask. In emails, put the summary in the body and attach or link the full document. ## Testing the summary Give only the summary to someone who has not seen the document and ask them three questions: What is the main point? What is being asked of you? What would change if you said yes? If they cannot answer, rewrite before sending. ## Updating the summary When the document changes, update the summary last and re-run the consistency check. Out-of-date numbers in a summary do more damage than errors anywhere else, because the summary is what readers quote and remember. Write it last, check it first. ## Edge cases and judgement calls | Situation | What to do | |---|---| | No clear recommendation in the document | Summarise findings and options; ask the author to decide | | Bad news | State it plainly in the first sentence with the plan | | Several decisions needed | List them numbered with dates | | Mixed audiences | Lead with what leaders need; signpost technical sections | | Very short document | A one-line purpose statement instead | | Confidential content | Keep sensitive details out of summaries shared widely | ## Handoffs to related skills - Full reports: `reports` - Proposals: `proposals` - One-page memos: `memos-one-pagers` - Plain language: `plain-english` - Presentations of the summary: the Communication and Presentations skills ## Worked example A 24-page strategy review began with a summary that listed each section. The rewrite started with the conclusion (the company should focus on two of its four markets), gave three reasons with numbers, the expected revenue effect, two risks, the decision needed at the next board meeting and the owner of the implementation plan, in 210 words. The board discussed the decision rather than the document, and approved the focus with one condition. ## Common mistakes - Describing the document instead of its content. - No numbers. - No clear ask. - Repeating every section in miniature. - Numbers that differ from the body. ## Three-line version For the busiest readers, add three lines above the summary: what we found, what we recommend and what we need from you. Many executives forward or quote these lines, so they must be accurate and complete on their own. ## Using an AI agent The agent can extract findings and numbers from a long document, draft the summary in the chosen structure, produce the three-line version and check every figure against the body. The author confirms the recommendation and the ask. ## Self-check before you answer - Does the summary stand alone? - Does it summarise content, not structure? - Are impact and the ask stated with numbers and dates? - Do all figures match the document? --- Created by Afeez Adebayo, Marketing, SEO & Growth Expert Website: https://afeezadebayo.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/ X: https://x.com/za_icon Source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/workplace-writing/executive-summaries/ Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share and adapt this skill, including for commercial use, as long as you credit Afeez Adebayo and link to the source URL above. Keep this notice in any copy or adapted version.