# Write an executive summary that makes a decision possible

An executive summary should let a busy reader understand the decision before reading the full report. State the question, the supported finding, the main tradeoff, and the action you need. Keep uncertainty visible rather than making the summary more confident than the evidence below it.

## Write from the finished evidence
Summarizing an outline can accidentally treat planned research as completed research. Start with the actual report and mark which findings have evidence. List missing data separately. If the report contains conflicting estimates, the summary should explain the conflict rather than selecting whichever number sounds cleaner.

## A fictional decision summary
“Choose whether to pilot the new scheduling form with one team. In five internal task attempts, two people missed the timezone field. Move the timezone beside the date before the pilot. We have not tested external customers or measured booking completion.”

This summary makes a bounded recommendation and states the evidence’s limits. “The redesign will increase conversion” would go beyond the observation. The small internal sample can reveal a problem without estimating its frequency in the customer population.

## Draft the summary in labeled notes
```text
Create an executive summary from this completed report.
Use: decision question, finding, supporting evidence, main tradeoff,
unknowns, and requested next action.
Keep dates, sample sizes, units, and limitations attached to the claims.
Do not imply a proposal was tested if it was only discussed.
Flag contradictions before drafting.
Report: [paste]
Reader and decision deadline: [context]
```

## Make the action specific
Ask for approval of a pilot, a choice between alternatives, or a missing input. “Consider the findings” gives the reader no clear task. If the decision has an owner or deadline, use the confirmed name and date.

Check the summary against the report sentence by sentence. A reader who stops at the summary should not come away with a stronger conclusion than someone who reads the evidence. Keep a path to the underlying table or appendix so the decision can be inspected. Remove background that explains the project’s history without changing the decision now in front of the reader.

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SkillStall · 2026-10-02