How to Write an Executive Summary: Step‑by‑Step Guide With Template
- What is an Executive Summary?
- What is the Main Purpose of an Executive Summary?
- Benefits of an Executive Summary
- Where is the Executive Summary for a Report Put?
- What a Good Executive Summary Is
- Executive Summary Structure — What to Include
- How to Write an Executive Summary: 4 Steps + Practical Examples
- Executive Summary Templates you can Reuse
- 7 Common Mistakes When Writing Executive Summaries
- How to Write an Executive Summary Guide: 6 Best Practices
- Bottom Line
Nowadays, companies and organizations are more difficult to manage and run than ever. Just think of changes that keep occurring all the time. The problem is that even senior managers can’t deal with so much information about every single detail of the company life. While they should be on top of everything, they need to rely on executive summaries.
This document delivers directors the most important details of board books, documents, reports, and projects. Thus chiefs can have a pretty good idea about a wide range of complex topics.
What is an Executive Summary?
An executive summary is a short document where directors can read the most important information about a specific area of the company. For example, it’s normal to have it for:
- Project plans
- Project proposals
- Business cases
- Environmental studies
- Market surveys
- Research documents.
What is the Main Purpose of an Executive Summary?
The main purpose of an executive summary is to maintain directors and stakeholders well-informed so they can make good decisions without losing their time with details. It serves 4 main purposes:
#1: Save Time
Top managers don’t have any time to waste. Therefore, if they can read an executive summary that shows them the most important information, they don’t need to read the entire document.
#2: Provide the Big Picture
One of the main purposes of an executive summary is delivering the complete context of the entire document. They state why the document is relevant and what should be discussed.
#3: Surface Key Insights
This document helps easily summarize recommendations and findings.
#4: Drive Decisions
A good presentation can make the director support an initiative or approve a project.
Benefits of an Executive Summary
You should look at an executive summary as the first impression of a document. The better it is, the more chances you have to see a project approved, a funding decision in your favor, or support to a specific initiative.
When directors and decision makers have this document on their hands, they’re able to make efficient decisions based on the critical information these documents contain. They don’t need to know every detail, but only seek the most important information.
Where is the Executive Summary for a Report Put?
An executive summary for a report is the same for a project, business plan, or proposal. It should be right at the beginning of the business plan, or proposal, respectively, right after its title and before the table of contents.
What a Good Executive Summary Is
Writing a good executive summary isn’t difficult and you’ll get the hang of it with time. To ensure that you comply with its purpose, follow the advice of David Platt, a director of Moody’s: “Tell the board what they need to know, not what you know.”
To write a good summary of a project, you need to find a balance to ensure you have everything important but not all the details. All the information should be represented in a form of strategic insight. With this data in hands, interested parties will be able to make the best decisions for the company.
Executive Summary Structure — What to Include
Writing this considers 5 different parts:
#1: The Purpose
This is where you mention the purpose of the document. You should refer to why the document exists and the problem it addresses.
#2: Key Findings
This is probably the most important part of the executive summary. Here you should take the time to summarize not only the most significant data but also the research and conclusions. The Key Findings part is many times referred to as the “so what” statement because it should include all the information that matters.
#3: Proposed Actions
This part should refer to what needs to be done and why.
#4: Benefits & Impact
In this area, you need to describe how the proposed actions described above will either improve the situation or solve the problem.
#5: Short Conclusion
The conclusion should simply reinforce everything that was said within the brief presentation and give a clear call to action.
How to Write an Executive Summary: 4 Steps + Practical Examples
An executive summary structure tends to be relatively rigid. It should be concise, clear, brief, and numbers-proven.
Step #1: Problem Statement
The first part is used to show why the document had to be created/ That means you need to explain what the problem is, why it’s important, and why it’s crucial to solve. To do that, explore data from your project, CRM, Finance Tools, or clients’ feedback, and use it as a fundament of your summary.
It’ll be easier to get all the information if you’ve already adopted digital software to manage your business. Flowlu is a good example. Using this for tracking projects gives real data (budgeting, advantages, expectations) to put in reports and deliver clear ideas to stakeholders.
On this stage you need to identify and convey the most important points for executives.
For example, imagine you work for a high-end furniture company. Your task is to design a streamlined, more affordable line of furniture that maintains the brand’s craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal. At the same time it should attract first-time buyers who aspire to own luxury pieces but were previously priced out of the market.
Example:
Recent customer feedback sessions showed that 52% of customers want a simpler and more affordable version of our furniture. From our surveys we found out that price is cited 87% of the time as the primary deciding factor for customers who have chosen competitor brands.
We need to serve our existing customers better and expand into new market segments. To do that, we need to develop a new line of furniture. It should offer our signature design and quality at a price point appropriate for this emerging customer base.
Step #2: The Solution
Since you already described the problem in the previous step, now you need to explain the solution for the problem. Expose it as this is the only solution for the problem; not as a brainstorm.
Following the above executive summary example:
Our new furniture line will be priced starting at 20% less than our current entry-level products. The potential for savings will show 40% or more — that depends on materials and construction methods. Learn following steps to achieve these:
- Introduce alternative materials. Include engineered wood, metal composites, and sustainable laminates.
- Simplify construction techniques. But at the same time maintain durability and comfort standards.
- Offer modular and customizable options. We need to emphasize flexibility and personal choice over fully bespoke designs.
Every piece will continue to undergo rigorous quality control. Potential clients should see our brand’s standards for craftsmanship, longevity, and everyday usability.
Step #3: The Value of the Solution
While in the previous section you only mentioned the solution that was going to be adopted to solve the problem, in this step you need to add more details about the solution. Describe the impacts the solution will have, if there are any relevant risks and potential benefits.
Also use this step to highlight how the implementation of this solution works according to the company objectives.
Continuing our executive summary example:
We’re planning to set new offerings priced between 10% and 35% below our current entry-level products. The expectation is to successfully enter the casual and mid-market furniture segment.
At the same stage we want to continue elevate our luxury brand. This initiative directly supports FY25 Objective 3: Expanding the brand. New offerings are projected to generate over three million dollars in annual profit, contributing meaningfully toward FY25 Objective 1: achieving seven million dollars in total annual profit.
Early customer feedback suggests that introducing more affordable options will not negatively affect the brand’s perceived quality or prestige.
On the other hand, this remains a key risk that must be carefully managed throughout the design and launch phases. To prevent this risk, the product marketing team will begin developing a differentiated go-to-market strategy 4 months prior to launch. For start, our team will ensure clear separation between the luxury and accessible product lines.
Step #4: Conclusions
In this final step, you only need to show people how this ideas impact the organization as well as its importance.
To round out our example:
More affordable and diversified offerings will bring us to a new market segment, and strengthen and broaden our brand perception.
Increased visibility from this new product line plus anticipated demand for accessible furniture options, we project a 2% annual increase in market share.
Study additional details in the accompanying go-to-market strategy and customer feedback documentation.
Executive Summary Templates you can Reuse
We prepared a universal template on how to write an executive summary.
Problem
Recent surveys show [statistics or customer feedback]. To serve our clients in the best way we can [short idea].
Solution
Our solution [description of solution] will provide [expected results]. In order to achieve this, we have to follow these steps: [2–3 statements].
Note that we may encounter [possible risks], which can be prevented by [solution] provided by [employees or departments].
Value
With our new idea we expect to achieve [results with stats] improvement within [timeframe]. It’ll bring [profit stat] in annual revenue.
Our client will value the idea, because it gives them [value for clients].
Conclusion
[solution] will allow us to solve client’s problems and expand our brand. It aligns with a global company’s goal [short description of a goal]. Let’s start our work on [date] with the first step of the business plan [what exactly].
7 Common Mistakes When Writing Executive Summaries
Here is a checklist of the most important mistakes you should avoid doing when writing a working text on your own:
#1: Using Jargon & Technical Language
Take into account that anyone who reads it needs to understand it. Well, people who will read it may be directors, stakeholders, contributors, among others. And, sometimes, they’re not familiarized with technical language or jargon. So, you have 2 options: you can use both jargon and technical language and take the time to explain them or you simply avoid both, which is a much better solution. In addition, you should try to use simple language and pay attention to the audience or report readers.
#2: Too Much Details
If you’re writing your first short presentation of a project, you may have a tendency to add more details than necessary. It’s important to always keep in mind that you’re writing a summary, not a complete report. This means that you have to carefully evaluate the information you need to include and make sure that you don’t add details that aren’t necessary.
#3: Not Having a Strong Opening
You need to start big. This should be your mantra. Take the time to describe the problem clearly and effectively so everyone who reads it understands it.
When you’re looking for ideas for your strong opening, the last thing you want to do is copying the introduction. The truth is that many people do it, but it usually doesn’t end up well because the details are always different.
#4: Your Executive Summary Doesn’t Stand Alone
Even though your document is a summary of a complete report, it should be able to stand up on its own. In other words, while you have a deep knowledge of the report — people who listen to you don’t. Remember, they will only read this summary and base their decisions on it, not on the entire document. Therefore, it pays to be careful and ensure that you add the most important information but not all the details.
#5: Writing It Before the Report is Complete
Sometimes, you may feel the urge to write (or start writing) the executive summary of a report before the actual report is complete. You just think that you already have plenty of information there, and it shouldn’t do any harm to do things this way. However, this should never be done.
Why? In most cases, you’ll have a lot of inaccuracies and inconsistencies. The reality is that you need to have the full report ready first so you can get the insights.
#6: Not Proofread
You should never deliver a document, no matter if it is the full report or shortened version, without proofreading it first. You may even ask a coworker to read it as well, since a fresh set of eyes can see things you don’t.
#7: No Clear Recommendations
Your proposal needs to always include a solution to the problem presented, which includes clear recommendations.
How to Write an Executive Summary Guide: 6 Best Practices
When you’re looking to write an effective explanatory note, you want to ensure that you get the main points, key findings, recommendations, and next steps in a concise and simple format. So, you need to make sure that you comply with the following best practices:
#1: Keep it Short
In most cases, an executive summary should be around 10% of the complete report, and it should be only 1 to 2 pages long.
#2: Clear Language
The language used should be clear and jargon should always be avoided.
#3: Avoid Excessive Details
Instead of adding more and more details, you should replace them with key takeaways.
#4: Readability
You want to ensure that you add headings and bullet points to make the document easy to read.
#5: The “So What” Information
We can say that this is the most important information of the document. You should add more than it is on the report itself. Just think of the risks, recommendations, and stress implications, to mention a few.
#6: Take the Audience Into Account
When writing an executive summary, you need to take into account the audience, to whom you are writing for. Therefore, you should take into consideration their priorities and needs.
Bottom Line
Executive summaries are a great tool for companies. After all, they’re a tool that helps everyone be on the same page.
However, it is important that you know how to write one. And this is exactly what we showed you above.
We started by showing you a document outline, and we then provided an example that you can use as an executive summary template. Even though this isn’t a fill in the blanks template, it is still a good template example that you can use.
To make your presentation catchy and informative, use real stats and facts. Collect information faster with digital systems like Flowlu. It provides tools ranging from simple notes-taking to advanced reporting and analytics. This system gives a comprehensive view of your business’ real stats, and helps to support new ideas and successfully present them to stakeholders.
It’s a short review of bigger documents. For example, board books, proposals, or reports. The text should contain key takeaways, essential information, and further recommendations. With this summary, directors and stakeholders can completely understand the problem and make the best decisions.
The main purpose of an executive summary is to spare time to listeners and provide them with the best insights.
The volume and content of the note depend on which document it belongs to, but in general it should take no more than one or two pages.
An executive summary for a business report is a shortened version of the full document. Take all essential stats and explain it within the context of the company’s overall goals, so the listeners can grasp the value of business results from the very beginning. This kind of executive summary supports business decision-making and encourages further actions. Use strategic and practical language in your presentation.
The main difference of an executive summary for class assignment lies in its non-commercial nature. It’s also connected to a broader educational goal, but focuses more on explanation than calling to action. Use an academic tone of voice to present this kind of summary.
Short headings are acceptable. They build a structure, improve visual clarity and give clearer understanding of the issues.
