Act as an experienced chief of staff preparing a board meeting. Convert the verified material below into a concise board package. Do not invent financial results, forecasts, customer commitments, legal conclusions, market facts, or explanations for misses. Mark any missing material plainly. Company stage, board purpose, and meeting length: [MEETING CONTEXT] Prior commitments and current performance: [OPERATING DATA] Decisions or approvals requested: [BOARD DECISIONS] Material risks, incidents, and sensitive matters: [RISKS AND SENSITIVE MATTERS] Management's proposed plan and forecast assumptions: [MANAGEMENT PLAN]
Produce: 1. A timed agenda for the meeting, reserving the most time for decisions and strategic discussion. 2. A board memo of 700-900 words with sections: executive summary; progress against prior commitments; KPIs and financials; decisions requested; strategic topics; risks and mitigations; and appendix items to provide separately. 3. A decision register with decision, recommendation, options, decision owner, deadline, and consequences of deferral. 4. Five discussion questions the CEO should prepare to answer, including at least two that challenge assumptions. Separate facts, management interpretation, forecast assumptions, and board requests. For each decision, present the recommendation and at least one viable alternative, including tradeoffs. Keep operational detail in the appendix unless it changes a board-level decision, risk, or resource allocation. Before answering, check that every board ask is explicit and that any variance, risk, or forecast claim has a source in [OPERATING DATA] or [MANAGEMENT PLAN]. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [MEETING CONTEXT] | State the company stage, board type, meeting objective, date, and available meeting time. | Series A B2B software company; quarterly board meeting on October 8; 2 hours; purpose is approve 2027 operating plan and review Q3 execution. |
| [OPERATING DATA] | Provide verified KPI, financial, customer, hiring, and prior-commitment information with dates and comparisons. | Q3 ARR $4.2m versus $4.4m plan; net revenue retention 108%; 14 enterprise customers; cash $8.6m; burn $620k/month; prior commitment was launch self-serve onboarding by Sept 30, now projected Nov 15. |
| [BOARD DECISIONS] | List decisions or approvals needed from the board and any deadline or governance constraint. | Approve 2027 plan with $7.9m spend; decide whether to authorize one VP Sales hire in Q4; confirm target of 18 months runway. |
| [RISKS AND SENSITIVE MATTERS] | List material risks, incidents, litigation, compliance, people, or security matters and what is known. | Two customers requested SOC 2 Type II before renewal; audit is scheduled but report is not expected until January; one enterprise renewal worth $310k is at risk. |
| [MANAGEMENT PLAN] | Describe the proposed operating plan, forecast assumptions, resource needs, and alternatives considered. | Base case assumes 22% new ARR growth and $540k monthly burn by Q2; alternative is defer VP Sales and extend runway by three months; forecast excludes the at-risk renewal. |
How to use
- Paste reconciled numbers with the period, comparator, and source; do not give the model unreviewed dashboard exports.
- Write each requested board decision as a decision, not a topic such as 'discuss hiring.'
- Check that the memo separates actuals from forecast assumptions and puts bad news beside its mitigation and owner.
- Follow up with: 'Turn the decision register into a one-page pre-read with a clear recommendation and alternative for each item.'
Variations
Board pre-read
Use when you need a concise written packet before the meeting.
Draft a 900-word board pre-read from these verified materials: [PERFORMANCE]. Decisions required: [DECISIONS]. Risks and mitigations: [RISKS]. Management recommendation: [RECOMMENDATION]. Structure it as executive summary, key metrics, decisions, strategic discussion, and risks. Distinguish actuals from estimates and management judgment. For every ask, show the decision deadline and consequence of delay. Do not invent comparisons or explanations. Check that a director can identify every requested action in one scan.
Board minutes
Use after a meeting to create a factual record and action list.
Create draft board minutes from [MEETING NOTES] and [AGENDA]. Include attendees, conflicts or recusals if documented, matters discussed, resolutions or decisions actually made, dissent only if recorded, and an action register with owner and due date. Keep discussion summaries factual and neutral; do not create resolutions from recommendations that were not approved. Produce a concise formal version and a separate follow-up action list. Flag missing vote, quorum, or approval details for counsel or the corporate secretary.
Investor update
Use for a monthly update that does not require formal board action.
Write a monthly investor update using verified data: [METRICS AND EVENTS]. Current priorities: [PRIORITIES]. Specific help requested: [ASKS]. Risks: [RISKS]. Produce a 450-word email with wins, metrics, challenges, priorities, and asks. Include actual values and period comparisons where supplied; separate facts from outlook. Do not hide material misses behind positive language or request vague introductions. Check that each ask names the ideal contact or expertise.
Tips
- A board deck should lead with decisions, variance, runway, and material risks; a long function-by-function update makes it harder for directors to exercise oversight.
- Use the same KPI definitions and reporting period as prior meetings, or explain the change beside the number.
- For a decision request, give directors the recommendation, credible alternative, timing, downside of delay, and the specific authorization needed.
- Have legal counsel or the corporate secretary review formal minutes, resolutions, and sensitive matters before circulation.
FAQ
Can AI prepare formal board minutes?
It can draft from an accurate record, but minutes are a legal corporate record and should be reviewed by the corporate secretary or counsel.
What belongs in the board memo instead of the appendix?
Include information that changes a board decision, resource allocation, risk assessment, or strategic direction. Put detailed operational reporting in an appendix.