I’ve just been pulling together documents for a loan submission, on behalf of an organization with which I volunteer. And, as I assemble the financials, the business plan, and the specific request, I’m reminded of the importance of the executive summary.

An executive summary comes at the beginning of a long document, or a document that contains a lot of information or complex information. It’s designed to help decision-makers quickly grasp the issue being raised, and more. Normally, we expect it to be no more than one page, since the decision maker can go into the attached report or docket to get details and specific information.

Executive summaries tend to be structured in such a way that they help decision makers made decisions. So a summary of the executive summary might look like this:
1.  The problem or opportunity that needs to be addressed
2.  The options (with pros and cons very concisely listed)
3.  External factors that might affect a decision
4.  Deadlines or other time issues.

Now, this is just one example of a summary. In practice, you will probably let the structure reflect the function. In other words, let the content of the full report or docket drive the structure. If your report (complete with executive summary) is not being delivered in person, you might add a cover letter to it. The cover letter need not address any of the information in the executive summary, but it could act as an introduction or to set the context for your summary and report.