Skill: executive-summary

Skill: executive-summary

Purpose

Generate a concise, one-page executive summary of delivery health — suitable for C-suite, board updates, or steering committee packets.

When to Use

• Monthly business review
• Steering committee preparation
• When a senior leader asks "how are we doing?"

Framework: Executive Delivery Summary

Principle

Executives need signal, not noise. Every sentence must earn its place. Format: What, So What, Now What.

Step 1 — Gather Inputs

Ask for:

• Release or programme name
• Target date and current forecast
• Budget status (if relevant)
• Top 1–2 risks
• Any decisions needed from leadership

Step 2 — One-Page Summary Format

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[Release / Programme Name] — Delivery Summary As of [Date] | Prepared by [Name]

Overall Status: 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Off Track

	Planned	Forecast	Variance
Release Date	[date]	[date]	[+/- days]
Scope	100%	[X]%	[-Y items deferred]
Budget	$X	$Y	[+/- Z%]

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Progress This Period

• [2–3 bullet points: what was completed]

Risks & Issues

Risk/Issue	Impact	Action	Owner
[Top risk]	High	[Mitigation]	[Name]

Decisions Needed

• [Explicit ask 1 — by when]
• [Explicit ask 2 — by when]

Next Milestone [Milestone name] — [Date] — [Owner]

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Step 3 — Tone Rules for Executive Writing

• Lead with status (don't bury it)
• Use numbers, not adjectives ("3 weeks late" not "significantly delayed")
• Name owners explicitly
• Make asks specific ("Approve budget increase of $50K by Friday")
• No jargon (no "sprint velocity", "P1 bugs", "CI/CD")

Output Format

1. Completed one-page executive summary
2. Talking points for verbal delivery (3 bullets)
3. Suggested next command: /steering-deck or /status-update