Reports & Analysis prompts

Write a weekly update.

AUDIENCE: [WHO READS IT AND WHAT THEY DECIDE]
PERIOD: [DATES]
MY RAW NOTES: [PASTE EVERYTHING FROM THE WEEK]
KEY NUMBERS: [METRICS AND VALUES, WITH LAST WEEK'S IF YOU HAVE THEM]
WHAT I NEED FROM THE READER: [DECISION / AWARENESS / HELP]

Structure:

**Headline** - one sentence, the single most important thing that changed this week. If nothing changed, say that.

**Numbers** - a compact table: Metric | This week | Last week | Change | Comment (only where the change needs explaining).

**Shipped** - what actually completed. Not what was worked on.

**Risks** - only things that are newly risky or have got worse. Each with: what it threatens, and what would resolve it.

**Decisions needed** - a numbered list. Each with: the question, the options, my recommendation, and the deadline. If none, write 'None this week.'

**Next week** - three lines maximum.

Rules:
- Under 400 words total
- No progress-as-narrative. 'Continued working on X' is banned.
- Never carry a risk forward unchanged without noting how many weeks it has been open
- If a number moved and I have not explained why, write [UNEXPLAINED] next to it rather than guessing

Write an executive summary from this data.

DATA:
"""
[PASTE CSV OR TABLE]
"""

WHAT THE DATA IS: [DESCRIPTION]
PERIOD: [DATES]
AUDIENCE: [ROLE AND WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT]
THE DECISION THIS INFORMS: [WHAT THEY WILL DO WITH IT]

Produce:

**Bottom line** (40 words): what the data says, and what to do about it.

**Three findings**: each one sentence of claim, then one sentence of supporting number. Ordered by how much they should change the reader's mind, not by how interesting they are.

**What this does not tell us**: the limitations. Sample size, missing segments, confounders, anything measured as a proxy. Be specific to this dataset.

**Recommendation**: one action, with the expected effect and how you would know if it worked.

Rules:
- Every number you cite must appear in the data. Do not compute a statistic you cannot show.
- If a trend is within normal variation, say so rather than narrating it as a change.
- Do not use 'significant' unless you mean statistically, and then show the basis.
- If the data does not support a confident conclusion, the bottom line should say that.

Write a board one-pager.

ORGANISATION: [WHAT IT DOES]
PERIOD: [QUARTER]
HEADLINE NUMBERS: [METRICS WITH PRIOR-PERIOD COMPARISON]
WHAT WENT WELL: [NOTES]
WHAT WENT BADLY: [NOTES - be honest, this is the section that matters]
DECISIONS OR APPROVALS NEEDED: [LIST]
BOARD'S KNOWN CONCERNS FROM LAST TIME: [LIST]

One page, roughly 500 words, structured:

1. THE QUARTER IN ONE SENTENCE
2. NUMBERS - table with prior period and variance. Flag anything off-plan.
3. WHAT CHANGED - three items, each two sentences
4. WHAT WENT WRONG - two items, each with: what happened, impact, what we are doing, and by when. Do not soften.
5. LAST MEETING'S CONCERNS - address each one explicitly, even the ones with no progress. Especially those.
6. ASKS - numbered, each with the decision, the options, the recommendation, and what happens if deferred

Rules:
- No adjectives on performance. 'Revenue grew 12%' not 'revenue grew strongly'.
- Section 4 must not be shorter than section 3.
- If a board concern from last time has had no progress, say 'no progress' and why, rather than reframing it.
- Anything you cannot evidence from my notes: mark [NEEDS DATA] rather than asserting it.

Write a project status report.

PROJECT: [NAME AND GOAL]
ORIGINAL DEADLINE: [DATE]
CURRENT FORECAST: [DATE]
ORIGINAL BUDGET/SCOPE: [DETAIL]
WHERE WE ACTUALLY ARE: [PASTE HONEST NOTES]
BLOCKERS: [LIST]
AUDIENCE: [WHO AND WHAT THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT]

Produce:

1. RAG STATUS with a stated rule, not a feeling:
   - GREEN: on track for original date and scope, no unresolved blockers
   - AMBER: forecast date has moved, or scope reduced, or a blocker exists with a known path
   - RED: forecast date has moved more than once, or a blocker exists with no known path, or the goal is no longer achievable as defined
   Apply the rule literally to my inputs. State which condition triggered the rating.

2. SCHEDULE - original vs forecast, and how many times the forecast has moved if I told you.

3. WHAT IS DONE / IN PROGRESS / NOT STARTED - as counts and a short list, not a narrative.

4. BLOCKERS - table: Blocker | Owner | Age in days | What unblocks it | Who can do that.

5. THE ASK - the single most useful thing the audience could do this week.

6. IF NOTHING CHANGES - one honest sentence about where this lands.

Do not rate green because progress is being made. Progress is not the criterion; the criteria are above.

Analyse period-over-period variance.

CURRENT PERIOD DATA:
"""
[PASTE]
"""
PRIOR PERIOD DATA:
"""
[PASTE]
"""
WHAT CHANGED IN THE BUSINESS BETWEEN THEM: [PRICE CHANGES, CAMPAIGNS, SEASONALITY, STAFFING, OUTAGES, ANYTHING]

Produce:

1. VARIANCE TABLE - Metric | Prior | Current | Absolute change | % change | Material? (yes/no)
   Define material as more than 10% or more than [THRESHOLD] absolute, whichever you judge more meaningful, and state which rule you used.

2. FOR EACH MATERIAL VARIANCE:
   - Candidate explanations, ranked by plausibility
   - Which of my stated business changes could account for it
   - What data would confirm or rule out each explanation
   - Confidence: high / medium / low

3. VARIANCES THAT CANCEL OUT - places where two movements offset and the headline number hides real change underneath.

4. WHAT I CANNOT EXPLAIN - list these plainly. Do not force an explanation onto every number.

Rules:
- Correlation with a business change is not causation. Say 'consistent with' not 'caused by'.
- Where the change is within the normal range of past variation, say so and do not explain it.
- Never attribute a movement to seasonality unless I gave you prior-year data.

Convert this report into a slide narrative.

REPORT:
"""
[PASTE]
"""

AUDIENCE: [WHO]
TIME SLOT: [MINUTES]
THE ONE THING THEY MUST LEAVE BELIEVING: [YOUR ARGUMENT]

Produce a slide-by-slide outline. Budget roughly 2 minutes per slide.

For each slide:
- SLIDE TITLE: written as a full assertion, not a label. 'Churn is concentrated in month two' not 'Churn analysis'.
- WHAT IS ON IT: the chart, table or three bullets - be specific about which data
- WHAT YOU SAY: two sentences of speaker notes
- WHY IT IS HERE: which step of the argument this advances. If you cannot answer, cut the slide.

Structure the deck as an argument: situation, complication, question, answer, evidence, implication, ask. Do not mirror the report's section order.

Also output:
- CUT LIST: what from the report does not make the deck, and where it goes instead (appendix / pre-read / nowhere)
- THE THREE QUESTIONS the audience will ask, and which slide should answer each
- If the time slot cannot hold the argument, say so and give the shorter version.

Write a rigorous definition for this metric.

METRIC NAME: [NAME]
WHAT I THINK IT MEASURES: [PLAIN DESCRIPTION]
WHY WE WANT IT: [THE DECISION IT SUPPORTS]
DATA AVAILABLE: [WHAT SYSTEMS AND FIELDS YOU HAVE]

Produce:

1. DEFINITION - one precise sentence. Numerator and denominator stated explicitly if it is a ratio.
2. INCLUSION RULES - exactly what counts. Be pedantic.
3. EXCLUSION RULES - what does not count, and why. Internal users, test accounts, refunds, duplicates, bots, staff.
4. EDGE CASES - a table: Scenario | Counts? | Rationale. Include at least eight, covering: partial events, reversals, changes of status mid-period, users who qualify twice, and records with missing fields.
5. TIME BASIS - when the event is counted: on occurrence, on completion, on payment, or on report date. Say which and why it matters.
6. HOW IT CAN BE GAMED - if someone were incentivised on this number, what would they do? List three.
7. WHAT IT IS OFTEN CONFUSED WITH - the neighbouring metric people will assume you mean.
8. THE DECISION TEST - state the decision this supports, and confirm the definition actually serves it. If it does not, say so and propose a better metric.

Be pedantic. Vagueness here becomes an argument in six months.

Prepare talking points for a team update.

AUDIENCE: [WHOLE COMPANY / TEAM / BOARD]
LENGTH: [MINUTES]
WHAT HAPPENED (results, news, changes): [PASTE]
THE ONE MESSAGE PEOPLE MUST REMEMBER: [MESSAGE]
SENSITIVE TOPICS: [e.g. layoffs rumours, missed targets]

Produce:
1. OPENING - 2-3 sentences that say the most important thing first
2. 3-5 TALKING POINTS - each with the point, one supporting fact, and what it means for the audience
3. THE HARD PART - how to address bad news or rumours honestly and specifically
4. LIKELY QUESTIONS - 6 questions people will ask, with honest answers; mark any where the answer is "we don't know yet" and suggest how to say that well
5. CLOSE - what happens next and when they will hear more

Rules: plain language, no corporate filler ("synergies", "right-sizing"). Do not promise anything I did not state.