Business Report Writing Guide: Executive Summary

What is an executive summary?

An executive summary is included in most business reports. The summary is the second page in a report, after the Title Page. Business people prefer reading a summary of the contents of the report so they can quickly make decisions. For this reason, the summary most contain the information required for decision making. The detail in the report can be accessed at a later date.

What is included in an executive summary?

The summary should be written in a way that communicates to the reader exactly what is in the report without having to read the report.

It should include:

1. The purpose of the report.
2. One or two key points from the conclusion.
3. The recommendation.

What are the features of a good executive summary?

Report writing does not follow normal writing conventions. For example, paragraphs do not include a topic sentence; the section headings replace the need for a topic sentence. Throughout the report it is important to write succinctly and this is especially true for the executive summary. Be sure to be concise and write your summary clearly. Always use a professional, business-like tone and write in third person.