Executive Brief

1. Identify the narrative

Before writing anything, determine the one-sentence story this brief tells. Executives don't read updates — they read narratives. Examples:

• "Engineering delivered ahead of plan on product velocity but is carrying unresolved platform debt that threatens H2 reliability targets."
• "The team shipped three revenue-impacting features on time; the primary risk is a widening hiring gap in infrastructure."
• "We're on track for the Q3 launch, but two cross-org dependencies need executive intervention this month."

If the user's notes don't suggest a clear narrative, ask: "If your VP could remember one thing from this update, what should it be?"

2. Structure the brief

Use this skeleton — every section must earn its space. If a section adds no signal, cut it.

1. Bottom line (2–3 sentences max)

• The narrative from Step 1, stated as a conclusion.
• Net assessment: on plan / ahead / behind / pivoting.
• The single most important thing the exec should know or act on.

2. Outcomes vs plan A compact table or 3–5 bullet points:

• Max 5 rows. If you have 12 workstreams, group them into 3–4 themes.
• Status must include a qualifier, not just a color.

3. Business risk register (top 3 only) For each risk:

• Risk: One-line description.
• Impact: What happens if unmitigated (revenue, timeline, reliability, reputation).
• Likelihood: High / Medium / Low.
• Mitigation: What's being done. What needs executive help.

Executives track risk, not task lists. Three well-framed risks beat ten vague ones.

4. Investment signals This is the section that separates exec briefs from status updates. Include when relevant:

• Double down: Where incremental investment would accelerate outcomes.
• Watch: Areas performing but with emerging risk.
• Reconsider: Efforts that may not justify continued investment.

Frame as options, not demands: "Adding 2 engineers to Platform would recover the migration timeline by 4 weeks."

5. Organizational health (optional — include for VP+ audiences)

• Headcount: plan vs actual, attrition, key hires.
• Team velocity or throughput trends (directional, not granular).
• Morale or culture signals if relevant (post-survey, post-reorg).

6. Decisions or endorsements needed

• Numbered, each with: the decision, why now, recommended path.
• Frame as: "Recommend [action]. This [unlocks/mitigates X]. Requesting endorsement by [date]."

3. Apply executive voice

Rules:

• No engineering jargon. "We migrated to event-driven architecture" → "We modernized the order processing system, improving reliability and reducing processing time by 40%."
• Everything connects to business outcomes. Revenue, cost, risk, speed, customer impact, or competitive position.
• Confidence with intellectual honesty. "We're on track" when you are. "We're behind, and here's the recovery plan" when you're not. Never "cautiously optimistic."
• Brevity is respect. Executives have 90 seconds for your update. One page max. 300–500 words.
• Action-oriented closings. End with what you need, not a summary of what you said.

Audience-specific framing

4. Deliver

• One-pager doc (default): Save to /mnt/user-data/outputs/exec-brief-{YYYY-MM-DD}.md.
• Email: Use message_compose tool. Subject: [Org] Executive Brief — [Period].
• QBR slide script: Output as speaker-notes-style markdown, one section per slide.
• Slack DM: Compress to 8–10 lines max with a link to the full doc.

Behavioral rules

• Never pad. If the user has 3 things to report, the brief has 3 things. Don't manufacture a fourth.
• If the user provides granular engineering notes, your job is to ruthlessly abstract up. They shouldn't recognize their Jira tickets in the output.
• Always ask for the strategic context if the user doesn't provide it. An exec brief without OKR alignment is just a status update.
• If the user says "things are fine," push back: "What's the one thing that could go wrong in the next 30 days?"
• Default to one-pager doc format unless told otherwise.
• If the user asks for a QBR or board update, web-search for the company's recent public context (earnings, press, competitive moves) to ensure the brief is aligned with what leadership is hearing externally.