The short answer
An executive summary states the conclusion first, then the reasons, then the ask. The Pyramid Principle gives the structure: one governing thought at the top, the sentence the reader should remember, with a number in it; three supporting reasons beneath it that do not overlap; then the decision you need, and the main risk stated before anyone asks. It fits on one page, and a reader who stops after the first two lines still knows what you want and why.
The Pyramid Principle
The Pyramid Principle, developed by Barbara Minto at McKinsey, is a way of ordering an argument for a busy reader: the answer first, then the reasons that support it, then the evidence beneath each reason. It reverses the order most reports follow, where background comes first and the conclusion arrives last.
The answer at the top is the governing thought: the one sentence the whole document proves. Beneath it sit the supporting reasons, which should be MECE, mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive: they do not overlap, and together they cover the case. Most executive summaries need three.
A related structure, SCR (situation, complication, resolution), is often used to introduce the governing thought: what the reader already agrees on, what has changed, and what you recommend.
The five parts of a one-page summary
| Part | What it says | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | The governing thought, with its number | One sentence |
| Situation | The fact that makes the decision necessary now | One or two sentences |
| Three reasons | Why the recommendation is right, each with evidence | One line each |
| The ask | The decision, the amount and the date | One sentence |
| The risk | The main objection, answered before it is raised | Two or three sentences |
How to write it in five steps
1. Write the ask first
State the decision you need in one sentence, with the amount and the date. Everything else in the summary exists to get that sentence approved.
2. Find the reader’s real question
Ask what the reader believes today and what they must believe to approve. The real question is often not the one on the agenda, and the summary has to answer it.
3. Write the governing thought with a number
A governing thought without a number is a slogan. Put the figure that makes the case in the headline.
4. Choose three reasons that do not overlap
Test each pair: if two reasons would be proved by the same evidence, merge them. If an obvious objection is not answered by any of them, one is missing.
5. State the risk before anyone asks
A reader who finds the bad news in paragraph six assumes it was hidden. Stated on the first page, with how it is managed, it becomes part of the case.
Worked example: Halcyon Financial
The scenario
40 pages of findings, 20 minutes and a board that has written off $31M
The COO of Halcyon Financial, a regional bank with $9 billion of assets, has 40 pages of AI findings and 20 minutes on the board agenda to ask for $24 million. The board has written off $31 million on two technology programmes in five years, and two of the directors sat through both.
The board’s real question was not the return. It was why this would not be a third write-off. So the summary had to change one belief: from “large technology programmes here overrun and under-deliver” to “this one limits the cost of being wrong to $6 million, not $24 million”. This is the one-page summary that went to directors before the meeting:
Situation. Our cost-to-income ratio rose 6.1 points while peers cut theirs by 8.6. The gap to peers is now 14.9 points.
The ask. $24M, released at four gates. The board can stop the programme at any of them.
Three reasons. AI is the only lever that closes a 14.9-point cost-to-income gap without shrinking the bank. Three platforms carry 78% of the addressable benefit. $24M returns $61M cumulative, cash-positive during FY28.
The risk, stated before anyone asks. The board has written off $31M on two programmes in five years. This one puts $6M at risk before the first measured result, and its benefits are measured by Finance and audited by Internal Audit.
A director who reads only the headline knows the ask, the structure and the maximum early loss. The cost-to-income ratio is operating cost as a share of operating income, so a rising ratio means the bank is spending more to earn each dollar.
What a one-line prompt gets wrong
Paste 40 pages into an AI tool and ask for “an executive summary”, and it will summarise: a shorter version of the document, in the document’s order.
| Where it goes wrong | What usually comes back | What the reader needs |
|---|---|---|
| Order | Background first, conclusion last | The governing thought first |
| Purpose | A shorter version of everything | The case for one decision |
| Numbers | “Significant savings” | The figure in the headline |
| The ask | “Next steps to be discussed” | The decision, amount and date |
| Risk | Omitted or at the end | Stated on the page, with how it is managed |
Try it: a shortened Prompt 06
This is a shortened version of Prompt 06 from the Executive Communication pack, set up to run on its own. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in the brackets.
You are a former chief of staff to a bank CEO who has written board papers and investor updates. An executive summary is not a shorter report: it is the case for one decision, written answer first, and a reader who stops after the headline must still know what is asked and why. THE DECISION: - What you need approved, the amount and the date: [ask] - Who decides, and what they believe about this today: [audience and their concern] - The objection most likely to be raised: [e.g. a past failure, cost, timing] THE MATERIAL: - Your findings: [paste the report, notes or key figures] - The figures you are confident in, and the ones that are estimates: [list] Produce: 1. THE GOVERNING THOUGHT. One sentence that states the answer, with the number that makes the case. 2. THE THREE REASONS. Three reasons that do not overlap, each with its evidence, and the objection each one answers. 3. THE ONE-PAGE SUMMARY. Headline, situation, three reasons, the ask and the risk stated before anyone asks, in under 250 words. 4. THE TEST. What a reader who stops after the headline would understand, and any sentence that is background rather than case. Use only the figures I give you. Mark estimates as estimates, and leave out anything that does not support the decision.
The full Prompt 06 has eight parts rather than four, and it reads the presentation plan built by prompts 01 to 05, so the summary uses the same governing thought, storyline and figures as the deck.
Checks before you send
- The headline states the answer and includes a number.
- The ask names the decision, the amount and the date.
- The three reasons do not overlap.
- The main risk is stated on the page, with how it is managed.
- It fits on one page.
Questions
How long should an executive summary be?
One page, and often under 250 words. The test is not length but whether a reader who stops after the headline knows what you want and why.
What is the Pyramid Principle?
A way of structuring an argument with the conclusion first, the supporting reasons beneath it, and the evidence beneath each reason. It was developed by Barbara Minto at McKinsey.
What is a governing thought?
The single sentence a document or presentation proves, stated as the answer. A good one includes the number that makes the case.
Should an executive summary include risks?
Yes, the main one. Stated on the first page with how it is managed, a risk strengthens the case; found later, it reads as something the writer hoped would be missed.
Written by a former Gartner Managing Partner and investment banking SVP
The guides and the prompt templates on this site come from a career spent building these documents: board decks, forecasts, business cases and hiring decisions, as Managing Partner at Gartner, SVP in investment banking and Country Manager at international subsidiaries. The worked examples are published in full on each product page. Browse the Prompt Library.
Halcyon Financial is a fictional company and its figures are illustrative.
Output from any AI tool should be reviewed before use.