An executive summary is a concise document of a management report or a business plan or a proposal and is considered to be the most important section. It is often prepared after the complete report or plan is finalized and is between 1 and 4 pages, typically.
There is a wealth of information available on this topic; however, I have tried to collate information from some interesting articles on this topic and put it in a nutshell for the benefit of the community.
- As the executive summary presents the reader with an essence of the report, it should focus on the most important information without delving much into minor details.
- More importantly, it should be interesting enough to compel the reader to go through the complete document
- Although it may vary depending upon the nature and objective of the report, and the audience it is intended towards, an executive summary should broadly touch upon:
- the unique selling proposition
- the market or target customers
- the company description and its legal form
- the pain points and your solution or funding requirement.
- the urgency or why now? This is critical as it addresses the timing part.
- It should also touch upon the financials briefly.
- It should be concise, clear and succinct enough for the reader to understand and drive home the message!