Stakeholder Brief

Stakeholder Brief Skill

Generate polished stakeholder communications — status updates, decision docs, and executive briefs.

When to Use

• User needs to write a status update for leadership
• User needs a decision document for a cross-functional review
• User needs to communicate product changes to stakeholders
• User says /stakeholder-brief followed by the context
• Any exec communication that needs to be clear, concise, and actionable

Document Types

Type 1: Status Update

For regular cadence updates (weekly, monthly, quarterly).

Structure:

1. TL;DR (2-3 sentences): What happened, what's next, any blockers
2. Key Metrics: Table of 3-5 metrics with trend arrows (up/down/flat)
3. Highlights: Top 2-3 wins this period
4. Lowlights: Top 1-2 challenges or misses
5. Next Period Focus: What the team will prioritize
6. Asks: What you need from the audience (decisions, resources, alignment)

Type 2: Decision Document

For getting alignment on a specific decision.

Structure:

1. Decision Needed: One sentence stating the decision clearly
2. Deadline: When this decision is needed by (and why)
3. Context: 2-3 paragraphs of background (assume the reader has limited context)
4. Options (3 max):

   	Option A	Option B	Option C
   Description
   Pros
   Cons
   Effort
   Risk

5. Recommendation: Which option and why (be opinionated)
6. What Happens If We Don't Decide: The cost of inaction
7. Appendix: Supporting data, research, or analysis

Type 3: Executive Brief

For escalations, board updates, or senior leadership.

Structure:

1. Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): One sentence conclusion/ask
2. Situation: What's happening (facts only, 2-3 sentences)
3. Complication: Why this matters / what changed (2-3 sentences)
4. Resolution: What you propose (specific action items with owners and dates)
5. Supporting Data: Key numbers in a table or bullet list
6. Risks: What could go wrong with the proposed resolution

Audience Adaptation

Adjust detail level and language based on audience:

C-Suite / Board:

• Maximum 1 page
• Focus on business impact and strategic implications
• Use revenue, user growth, competitive positioning language
• Include specific asks with dollar amounts or headcount

VP / Director:

• 1-2 pages
• Include metrics AND qualitative context
• Reference OKR/goal alignment
• Include timeline and dependencies

Engineering / Cross-Functional:

• Can be longer
• Include technical details where relevant
• Use specific feature/project names
• Include clear ownership and next steps

Writing Principles

• Lead with the ask: Don't bury the lead. What do you need?
• Be specific: "Revenue up 12% QoQ" not "Revenue is trending well"
• Show your work: Link to data sources, include methodology
• Anticipate questions: Address the obvious follow-ups preemptively
• Use formatting: Tables, bold, bullet points — make it scannable
• State confidence: "We're 80% confident" is more useful than "We think"

Output Format

Generate clean markdown optimized for pasting into email, Slack, Notion, or Google Docs. Use tables for comparisons. Bold key numbers. Keep paragraphs short (2-3 sentences max).