# Executive report skeleton (template)

Copy this skeleton, then fill each section in order. The section order is the
reading order executives actually use: conclusion first, then the ask, then
the evidence. Every heading states its own claim once filled in —
replace the parenthetical hints with full sentences.

---

```markdown
# {Title: decision to be made, phrased as a claim}

**For:** {audience} · **From:** {author, role} · **Date:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Reading time:** {n} minutes · **Status:** {draft | reviewed | decision made}

## 1. Bottom line (≤ 120 words)

{The single paragraph you would say if pulled into an elevator. State the
recommendation, the cost, and the deadline. No background here.}

## 2. What we decided to ask (and what we did not)

- Decision requested: {specific action requiring a yes/no or a budget figure}
- Explicitly out of scope: {adjacent questions deliberately deferred, and why}

## 3. Evidence

| # | Finding | Source (linked) | Confidence |
|---|---------|-----------------|------------|
| 1 | {one-sentence finding} | {URL or doc} | {high/med/low + why} |
| 2 | … | … | … |

{Rule: one row per claim. A claim with no row does not go in section 1.}

## 4. What we verified ourselves (and how)

- Verified: {test, date, raw-output link}
- Not verified, relying on external sources: {which claims, whose word}
- Not verifiable before the decision date: {accepted risk}

## 5. Risks and failure conditions

- {Risk} — trigger to watch: {observable signal} — mitigation: {action}
- …

## 6. Options

| Option | Cost | Time | Reversibility | Portability note |
|--------|------|------|---------------|------------------|
| A. {…} | | | | {what happens to the artifacts if we stop} |
| B. {…} | | | | |

## 7. Recommendation and next step

{Chosen option, first action, owner, date. One paragraph.}

## Appendix

- Open questions: {claims that stayed questions — recorded, not hidden}
- Input materials: {links}
- Method + version: {how this report was produced}
- Change log: {date — what changed and why}
```

---

## Acceptance hints (details in `acceptance-checklist.md`)

- Section 1 must survive being read alone.
- Every section-3 row is linked; every factual claim in sections 1, 5, and 7
  maps to ≥ 1 row.
- "Confidence" never says merely "high" — it says why (measured / single
  source / vendor claim / inference).
- The portability column in section 6 is what stops this from being a
  one-way door.