As its name suggests, an executive summary summarizes, or reviews the main points of, a longer document or report for a reader that does not have time to read the entire report. An effective executive summary analyzes and summarizes the most important points in the paper or report, and will often make a recommendation based on the analysis. Executive summaries are stand alone documents that are almost always read independently of the reports they summarize. You may submit an executive summary as part of an assignment, and your instructor will likely read the summary and the paper or report. It’s helpful, however, to keep in mind that executive summaries should inform and influence people who will only be reading the executive summary.

Most of the time, you will be summarizing a paper or report that you wrote, but there may be times when you will write an executive summary of another author’s report or article. Often your instructor will specify the length of your executive summary, but 10% of the document that you are summarizing is a good rule of thumb. For example, a ten page paper or report would require a one page executive summary.

when preparing to write an executive summary, ask yourself the following questions: who will read your executive summary? sometimes your executive summary may have an intended audience: your professor might require you to write it for a ceo, department head, or supervisor, for example. On other assignments, your audience won’t have a specific identity, but always keep in mind that the reader of an executive summary needs to know all of the important information in the main document without reading the actual document. Even if you know that your instructor will be reading everything that you submit, write the executive summary as a stand alone document. what is the main document’s main topic, theme, or idea? most reports have a thesis or central point that they are seeking to communicate. If you are having trouble with this, imagine that someone has asked you, what’s this report about? and that you have to explain it in only a few sentences. what is the purpose of the main document? most reports and papers have a reason, or a goal beyond just fulfilling an assignment. Perhaps the report supports a change of opinion, new direction, or course of action.

are there sections, or divisions, within the document? if so, which ones are the most important, or most crucial, to an understanding of the document? the kinds of documents that require executive summaries usually contain sections, or subtopics that support the main topic. Try to decide which ones are necessary to an understanding of the issue at hand, and which ones can be left out. does the document make a recommendation or suggest a certain course of action? some documents argue in favor of a change, or urge the reader to follow a particular course of action. If this is the case, you can almost always find this information in the introduction or conclusion of a report, and the body of the report may discuss it in detail. Other documents do not contain a recommendation, but simply present data or research findings.

In this case, you would need to analyze the data or research and recommend an action. what are the benefits or consequences of this course of action? whether you comment upon the recommendation in the report or make a recommendation based on your analysis of the information in the report, be sure to include a discussion of why or why not the recommendation is a good idea. If there are benefits, state them, since this will help to make your recommendation more persuasive. Although you will want to emphasize the positive, be sure to mention any consequences. whether you've put together a business plan or an investment proposal, you're going to need an executive summary to preface your report. The summary should include the major details of your report, but it's important not to bore the reader with minutiae. This is the time to grab your reader's attention and let the person know what it is you do and why he or she should read the rest of your business plan or proposal. The executive summary is also an important way for you, as the entrepreneur, to determine which aspects of your company have the clearest selling points, and which aspects may require a bit more explanation.

Akira hirai, founder and ceo of phoenix based cayenne consulting, a firm that helps entrepreneurs develop business plans and financial forecasts, says the process of distilling the essence of your business down to a page forces you to think hard, decide what's important, and discard things that aren't essential to the story line. By doing this, he says, you develop a better vision of what your business is all about, and you become better at telling your story. how to write an executive summary: why write it? investors, lenders, executives, managers, and ceos are busy. That means the executive summary is an essential gateway for your business plan to get read.

Com 150 Final Project Expository Essay

Think about it this way: if you had an endless list of things to do, and someone handed you an 80 page document and said, read this! you'd probably first want to know why. The most important reason to include an executive summary is that in many cases, it is the only thing the reader will read, says pablo bonjour, founder and ceo of katy, texas based smg business plans, a company that offers entrepreneurs assistance in writing business plans. According to bonjour, investors will read the executive summary to decide if they will even bother reading the rest of the business plan. It's rare for an investor or lender to read an entire business plan, at least in the initial stages of analysis and consideration for funding, so having a strong executive summary is key. When you're writing your business plan, your goal is to get your foot in the door and face time with the investor. Assuming that your business is a good fit for the investor, a strong executive summary will get you invited in for a meeting, hirai says. dig deeper: how to write a great business plan how to write an executive summary: the first paragraph just as a movie might begin with a fight scene or a magazine article open with a funny anecdote, you'll need a strong hook for your executive summary.

The most important part of an executive summary is the first paragraph that clearly explains what the company does, according to dave lavinsky, president of growthink, a los angeles based company that helps entrepreneurs develop business plans and raise capital. Most business plans start with a story that tries to create excitement, and this doesn't always work. One way to think about it, says hirai, is that your executive summary needs an executive summary.

If you've identified a problem in the marketplace that isn't being adequately serviced, you might start with that. dig deeper: business executive summary template how to write an executive summary: the nuts and bolts there is no set structure for an executive summary, but there are guidelines you must follow to ensure your business plan or investment proposal gets the attention it deserves. Use bullet points to present your ideas, and make sure you always use concise language. You need to match your story to your audience, your business, and your desired outcomes, says hirai. After you've explained what your company does, it's time to sell why you believe you're uniquely qualified to succeed. Lavinsky recommends addressing these questions when putting together your executive summary: bull do you have a unique partnership? bull do you already have customers and traction? bull do you have patents or technology? bull is your marketing plan special in some way? depending on your audience, you can also try a more rigid approach to the executive summary. After the first paragraph, bonjour says one effective structure is to summarize each section in the same order in which the items are presented within the full business plan.