Executive Reporting Skill

Creating effective executive communications that drive decisions and action.

Purpose

This skill provides a framework for:

• Executive status summaries
• Portfolio dashboards
• Board packages
• Escalation reports
• Decision support materials

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Executive Communication Principles

The Executive Pyramid

Level	Content	Time
Summary	Key message in one sentence	10 seconds
Overview	3-5 key points	1 minute
Detail	Supporting data and analysis	5 minutes
Appendix	Full data for reference	As needed

What Executives Want

They Want	They Don't Want
Clear status (RAG)	Ambiguous status
Actionable insights	Information dumps
Decisions required	Problems without options
Trends and patterns	Raw data
Risks and mitigations	Surprises
Confidence in team	Excuses

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Report Types

Type 1: Portfolio Status Dashboard

Audience: Executive team Frequency: Weekly/Monthly Length: 1-2 pages

Sections:

1. Portfolio health summary (RAG)
2. Key metrics (SPI, CPI, utilization)
3. Exceptions requiring attention
4. Upcoming milestones
5. Decisions needed

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Type 2: Project Escalation Report

Audience: Sponsor/Executive Frequency: As needed Length: 1 page

Sections:

1. Issue summary (one sentence)
2. Impact assessment
3. Options with trade-offs
4. Recommendation
5. Decision requested

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Type 3: Board Package

Audience: Board of Directors Frequency: Quarterly Length: 5-10 pages

Sections:

1. Executive summary
2. Portfolio performance
3. Strategic initiative status
4. Key risks and mitigations
5. Resource and financial summary
6. Decisions and approvals needed
7. Appendix (detailed data)

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Type 4: Stakeholder Update

Audience: Key stakeholders Frequency: Weekly/Bi-weekly Length: 1 page

Sections:

1. Status summary
2. Accomplishments this period
3. Planned next period
4. Blockers/needs from stakeholders
5. Key dates

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Executive Reporting Gates

Gate 1: Audience Analysis

Objective: Understand what the audience needs

Actions:

1. Identify primary audience
2. Understand their priorities
3. Determine decision authority
4. Assess communication preferences

Audience Questions:

• What decisions can they make?
• What do they worry about?
• How much time do they have?
• What format do they prefer?

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/audience-analysis.md

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Gate 2: Data Gathering

Objective: Collect accurate, current data

Actions:

1. Gather project status data
2. Collect metrics (SPI, CPI, etc.)
3. Update risk information
4. Verify with project managers

Data Verification:

• Cross-check with multiple sources
• Validate with PM before publishing
• Note any data gaps or assumptions
• Date-stamp all data

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/report-data.md

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Gate 3: Insight Development

Objective: Extract actionable insights from data

Actions:

1. Identify patterns and trends
2. Determine root causes
3. Develop recommendations
4. Prepare decision options

Insight Framework:

• What? - State the fact
• So What? - Explain why it matters
• Now What? - Recommend action

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/report-insights.md

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Gate 4: Report Creation

Objective: Create the executive report

Actions:

1. Apply appropriate template
2. Lead with conclusions
3. Support with evidence
4. Include clear call to action

Quality Checklist:

• Summary captures key message
• RAG status is clear and justified
• Decisions needed are explicit
• Recommendations are actionable
• Data is current and verified

Output: docs/pmo/{date}/executive-report.md

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Gate 5: Review and Delivery

Objective: Ensure quality and deliver effectively

Actions:

1. Internal review for accuracy
2. Get PM sign-off on project status
3. Prepare for questions
4. Deliver and follow up

Pre-Delivery Checklist:

• Spelling and formatting checked
• Numbers verified
• PM approved their project status
• Talking points prepared
• Follow-up actions noted

Output: Final report delivered

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Anti-Rationalization Table

See shared-patterns/anti-rationalization.md for universal anti-rationalizations.

Executive Reporting-Specific Anti-Rationalizations

Rationalization	Why It's WRONG	Required Action
"Bad news can wait"	Delayed bad news = worse news. Executives need truth.	Report immediately with context
"Too much detail for executives"	Under-reporting creates blind spots.	Provide right level of detail
"Green because no complaints"	Silence ≠ health. Verify with data.	Evidence-based status only
"They'll ask if they want to know"	Proactive communication builds trust.	Anticipate needs, don't wait
"Keep it positive"	False positivity destroys credibility.	Report reality with solutions

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Pressure Resistance

See shared-patterns/pressure-resistance.md for universal pressure scenarios.

Executive Reporting-Specific Pressures

Pressure Type	Request	Agent Response
"Make the status green"	"Status must reflect reality. I'll provide accurate status with context and recovery plan."
"Don't mention that risk"	"Executives expect full picture. Including with mitigation status."
"Simplify it, they won't understand"	"Executives understand complexity. Will provide clear summary with detail available."
"We need this in 30 minutes"	"Quality over speed for executive comms. Will provide accurate summary in timeframe, full detail to follow."

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Blocker Criteria - STOP and Report

ALWAYS pause and report blocker for:

Situation	Required Action
Data integrity questionable	STOP. Cannot report unreliable data. Verify before reporting.
PM disputes project status	STOP. Resolve disagreement before publishing.
Asked to misrepresent status	STOP. Cannot compromise integrity. Escalate if pressured.
Critical escalation discovered	STOP. Immediate verbal communication before written report.

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Output Format

Executive Status Report

# Portfolio Status Report - [Date]

## Executive Summary

[One paragraph: Overall status, key achievements, primary concerns, decisions needed]

## Portfolio Health: [GREEN/YELLOW/RED]

| Metric | Value | Trend | Status |
|--------|-------|-------|--------|
| Projects On Track | X/Y (Z%) | Up/Down/Stable | G/Y/R |
| Budget Utilization | X% | Up/Down/Stable | G/Y/R |
| Resource Utilization | X% | Up/Down/Stable | G/Y/R |
| Open Critical Risks | N | Up/Down/Stable | G/Y/R |

## Project Status Summary

| Project | Status | SPI | CPI | Key Issue |
|---------|--------|-----|-----|-----------|
| [Name] | G/Y/R | X.XX | X.XX | [Issue or "On track"] |

## Items Requiring Attention

### Critical (Action This Week)
1. [Item] - **Decision Needed:** [Decision]

### Important (Action This Month)
1. [Item] - **Owner:** [Name]

## Key Milestones (Next 30 Days)

| Date | Project | Milestone | Status |
|------|---------|-----------|--------|
| [Date] | [Project] | [Milestone] | [On Track/At Risk] |

## Decisions Requested

| Decision | Options | Recommendation | Deadline |
|----------|---------|----------------|----------|
| [Decision] | [A, B, C] | [Recommendation] | [Date] |

## Appendix

[Detailed project status, full risk register, etc.]

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Execution Report

Base metrics per shared-patterns/execution-report.md:

Metric	Value
Analysis Date	YYYY-MM-DD
Scope	[Portfolio/Report type]
Duration	Xh Ym
Result	COMPLETE/PARTIAL/BLOCKED

Executive Reporting-Specific Details

Metric	Value
projects_reported	N
status_distribution	G/Y/R
escalations	N
decisions_needed	N