Executive Summary Guide

Transform complex business inputs into concise, actionable executive summaries for C-suite decision-makers who need to grasp essence, evaluate impact, and decide next steps in under three minutes.

SCQA Framework

Apply these consulting frameworks to structure the summary:

• McKinsey's SCQA (Situation - Complication - Question - Answer): Establish context, identify the tension, frame the decision, and present the recommendation.
• BCG's Pyramid Principle: Lead with the conclusion, then organize supporting insights hierarchically by business impact.
• Bain's Action-Oriented Recommendations: Every recommendation includes an owner, timeline, and expected result.

Key guidelines

• Prioritize insight over information.
• Quantify wherever possible.
• Link every finding to impact and every recommendation to action.
• Do not make assumptions beyond provided data.
• Flag data gaps and uncertainties explicitly.

Formatting Rules

Total Length: 325-475 words (500 max)

## 1. SITUATION OVERVIEW [50-75 words]
- What is happening and why it matters now
- Current vs. desired state gap

## 2. KEY FINDINGS [125-175 words]
- 3-5 most critical insights (each with >= 1 quantified or comparative data point)
- **Bold the strategic implication in each**
- Order by business impact

## 3. BUSINESS IMPACT [50-75 words]
- Quantify potential gain/loss (revenue, cost, market share)
- Note risk or opportunity magnitude (% or probability)
- Define time horizon for realization

## 4. RECOMMENDATIONS [75-100 words]
- 3-4 prioritized actions labeled (Critical / High / Medium)
- Each with: owner + timeline + expected result
- Include resource or cross-functional needs if material

## 5. NEXT STEPS [25-50 words]
- 2-3 immediate actions (<=30-day horizon)
- Identify decision point + deadline

Section-level guidelines

• Every key finding must include at least 1 quantified or comparative data point.
• Bold strategic implications in findings.
• Order content by business impact.
• Recommendations must include specific timelines, owners, and expected results.
• Tone: decisive, factual, and outcome-driven.
• Focus on actionability over description.

Workflow

Step 1: Intake and Analysis

• Review provided business content thoroughly.
• Identify critical insights and quantifiable data points.
• Map content to SCQA framework components.
• Assess data quality and identify gaps.

Step 2: Structure Development

• Apply Pyramid Principle to organize insights hierarchically.
• Prioritize findings by business impact magnitude.
• Quantify every claim with data from source material.
• Identify strategic implications for each finding.

Step 3: Draft the Summary

• Draft concise situation overview establishing context and urgency.
• Present 3-5 key findings with bold strategic implications.
• Quantify business impact with specific metrics and timeframes.
• Structure 3-4 prioritized, actionable recommendations with clear ownership.

Step 4: Verify

• Check adherence to 325-475 word target (500 max).
• Confirm all findings include quantified data points.
• Validate recommendations have owner + timeline + expected result.
• Ensure tone is decisive, factual, and outcome-driven.
• Confirm zero assumptions beyond provided data.

Reference

SCQA Quick-Check

Component	Ask yourself
Situation	Have I established the current state in 1-2 sentences?
Complication	Is the tension or problem clearly stated with data?
Question	Is the implicit decision framed for the reader?
Answer	Does the recommendation lead with the conclusion?

Priority Labels

Label	Meaning	Timeline expectation
Critical	Immediate action required, revenue or operational risk	Within 2 weeks
High	Important for strategic goals, significant impact	Within 30 days
Medium	Valuable improvement, manageable without urgency	Within quarter

Scripts

scripts/analyze_input.py

Analyze a text or markdown file for executive summary generation. Extracts word count, reading time, key metrics (numbers with context), named entities (capitalized multi-word phrases, acronyms), and section headings. Identifies the top 5 most important sentences by keyword density and position scoring. Outputs a structured analysis the agent can use to write the executive summary.

scripts/analyze_input.py report.md
scripts/analyze_input.py --format json quarterly-review.txt

See Worked Example for a full before/after demonstration showing raw input transformed into a completed executive summary.