What is the purpose of an executive summary How long is an executive summary?
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An executive summary (or management summary, sometimes also called speed read) is a short document or section of a document produced for business purposes. It summarizes a longer report or proposal or a group of related reports in such a way that readers can rapidly become acquainted with a large body of material without having to read it all. It usually contains a brief statement of the problem or proposal covered in the major document(s), background information, concise analysis and main conclusions. It is intended as an aid to decision-making by managers and has been described as the most important part of a business plan.[1][2][3][4] Show An executive summary was formerly known as a summary. It differs from an abstract in that an abstract will usually be shorter and is typically intended as an overview or orientation rather than being a condensed version of the full document. Abstracts are extensively used in academic research where the concept of the executive summary is not in common usage. "An abstract is a brief summarizing statement... read by parties who are trying to decide whether or not to read the main document", while "an executive summary, unlike an abstract, is a document in miniature that may be read in place of the longer document".[5] In common usage the term "executive summary" is a synonym for "summary" and has partially displaced that term. Structure[edit]There is general agreement on the structure of an executive summary for business use - books and training courses emphasise similar points.[6][7][8][9][10] Typically, an executive summary will:
Importance[edit]Executive summaries are important as a communication tool in both academia and business. For example, members of Texas A&M University's Department of Agricultural Economics observe that "An executive summary is an initial interaction between the writers of the report and their target readers: decision makers, potential customers, and/or peers. A business leader’s decision to continue reading a certain report often depends on the impression the executive summary gives."[11] Criticisms[edit]It has been said that, by providing an easy digest of an often complex matter, an executive summary can lead policy makers and others to overlook important issues.[12] Prof. Amanda Sinclair of the University of Melbourne has argued that this process is often active rather than passive. In one study, centred on globalization, she found that policy makers face "pressures to adopt a simple reading of complex issues" and "to depoliticise and universalize all sorts of differences". She claims that "all research was framed under pre-defined and generic headings, such as business case points. The partners' reports were supposed to look the same. The standardization of research occurred via vehicles such as executive summaries: 'executives only read the summaries' we were told".[13] Similarly Colin Leys, writing in The Socialist Register, argues that executive summaries are used to present dumbed down arguments: "there is remarkably little adverse comment on the steep decline that has occurred since 1980 in the quality of government policy documents, whose level of argumentation and use of evidence is all too often inversely related to the quality of their presentation (in the style of corporate reports, complete with executive summaries and flashy graphics)."[14] An executive summary provides an overview of a larger document or research and is usually the first thing your reader will see. Oftentimes, executive summaries are the only place decision makers will go to determine if action is warranted on a particular action or idea. Executive summaries will analyze a problem, drawn conclusions, and recommend a course of action in a complete but brief synopsis. Remember, the people who are reading the summary often do not have much time, so your executive summary must grab their attention and entice them to read through the larger, more in-depth documentation. Do you have examples of executive summaries? Check out the links below for examples of executive summaries and presentations. Allina Health Executive Summary https://www.allinahealth.org/-/media/allina-health/files/about-us/community-involvement/need-assessments/owatonna.pdf St Luke's Executive Summary https://www.stlukes-stl.com/community-health-needs-assessment/documents/executive-summary.pdf AHRQ executive summary https://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/final-reports/ptfamilyscan/ptfamilysum.html Preparing to Write an Executive Summary It is important to keep in mind to whom you are writing your summary. Your audience may not be versed in the technical language of your profession and may only focus on specific business needs. The executive summary should address these main points:
Writing the Executive Summary Keep in mind that the executive summary is the first thing your reader is going to see and may be the only thing your reader will look through before making a decision about action or inaction. Be sure to use concise language and bullet points to present your ideas. Here is an example of a way to organize your summary:
Remember, your summary should grab the reader's attention. Lay out why this is so important and how it will benefit/impact them and/or the business. Be sure to use language that relates to them and avoid any technical jargon. Common Mistakes An executive summary is NOT:
An executive summary is a stand-alone document and should make sense without any other information. You will want to avoid these common mistakes when writing your summary:
References Frederick, P. (2011). Persuasive writing: How to harness the power of words. Retrieved from http://www.pearsoned.com/ James, G. (2007, July 25). The art of the executive summary. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-art-of-the-executive-summary/ Markowitz, E. (2010, September). How to write an executive summary. http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/09/how-to-write-an-executive-summary.html UMUC Effective Writing Center. (n.d.). Writing the executive summary. http://polaris.umuc.edu/ewc/web/exec_summary.html University of Maryland University College. (n.d.). Executive summaries: Learn about executive summaries and how to write them. http://www.umuc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/writing-resources/executive-summaries/index.cfm?noprint=true USC Libraries. (n.d.). Organizing your social sciences research paper: Executive summary. http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/executivesummary Vassallo, P. (2003). Executive summaries: Where less really is more. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 60(1). Retrieved from http://www.generalsemantics.org What is the purpose of an executive summary?Executive summaries provide a brief summary of a larger document and are meant to persuade decision makers to read the larger work. The executive summary is typically the first document of the body of a report or proposal, and it should function independently of the larger document.
What is the maximum length of an executive summary?Length of the Executive Summary
As a general rule, the correct length of an executive summary is that it meets the criteria of no more pages than 10% of the number of pages in the original document, with an upper limit of no more than ten pages [i.e., ten pages for a 100 page document].
Is an executive summary short?Here's the good news: an executive summary is short. It's part of a larger document like a business plan, business case or project proposal and, as the name implies, summarizes the longer report.
How many words is an executive summary?Writing an executive summary will help your audience quickly understand the policy problem and proposed solution of your report. It is intended for a busy reader; and is a stand-alone, 1-2 page actionable document of no more than 1000 words.
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