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Report writing prompts

Status reports, exec summaries, the brief nobody briefed you for.

• creative Reframe a Failed Creative Project as a Portfolio of Lessons

  Extract something useful from the creative project that did not work out.

• work Summarise an Email Thread into the One Decision It Actually Needs

  Extract the actual decision from the email thread nobody has read fully.

• work Critique a Business Case Before It Goes to the Decision-Maker

  Stress-test a business case before it goes to the person who has to approve it.

• work Critique Your Own Presentation Before You Deliver It

  Get a pre-delivery critique of a presentation that tells you the one change that will matter most.

• work Write a Performance Review That Is Honest, Specific, and Worth Acting On

  Write a performance review that gives the person a clear, honest read on where they stand and what is expected next.

• work Write a Status Update Email That People Actually Read

  Write a project status update that takes thirty seconds to read and leaves the recipient knowing exactly what is needed.

• work Summarise a Project Post-Mortem Into What the Team Must Not Repeat

  Extract the structural lessons from a project post-mortem before they are forgotten.

• work Write the Executive Summary for a Report Nobody Will Read in Full

  Write the summary that will get read when the report itself will not.

• work Write a Performance Review of Yourself That Is Actually Honest

  Write a self-performance review that is honest enough to be useful.

• self Write Yourself an Honest Performance Review

  Write the performance review you would write for someone with your track record.

• work Review a Business Proposal Before It Goes to the Client

  Read your own proposal as a sceptical client before it leaves the building.

• work Write a Status Update That Is Useful Instead of Defensive

  Write a project status update that is honest and useful rather than defensive.

• work Prepare a Presentation for an Audience That Can Say No

  Structure a high-stakes presentation to get a yes from an audience that can say no.

• work Write a Status Update That Covers the Right Things Without Going On

  Write a project status update that says what matters in under 200 words.

• work Write a Handover Document That Does Not Let People Down

  Write a handover document that covers what the person taking over actually needs to know.

• work Structure a Persuasive Business Case for Something You Know Should Happen

  Build a business case that is short enough to be read and clear enough to be acted on.

• self Write a Self-Assessment That Is Honest About Your Weaknesses

  Write a self-assessment that is honest about your weaknesses without undermining you.

• learn Summarise a Technical Document for a Non-Technical Audience

  Make a technical document readable for someone who needs to act on it, not understand it.

• work Summarise a Long Project Status Report into What Actually Matters

  Cut a project status report to health, three things the reader needs to know, and one action.

• work Summarise a Long Report into an Executive One-Pager

  Turn a long report into a two-minute executive read with findings, a recommendation, and one risk.

• creative Turn Your Notes Into a First Draft

  Convert a pile of notes into a working first draft, gaps flagged.

• work Translate Jargon-Heavy Executive Communication

  Strip out the corporate language and find out what the message actually says.

• work Translate Your Technical Work into a Senior Stakeholder Summary

  Translate technical work into a senior stakeholder summary that gets decisions made.

• work Critique a Project Proposal Before You Present It

  Find the holes in your proposal before the room does.

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