How to Write Effective Board Decision Papers

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Board documents should be concise and clear, with a high level insight. Only dig into the operational level when it is necessary for strategic decisions. Use charts or graphs to present information or to show trends in data. Linking to more details or statistics in an appendix is helpful.

Whether the decision is one-off or an ongoing matter the paper should clearly state the purpose of the Board document (information only discussion, or seeking the Board’s approval) and include a brief executive summary that clarifies the recommendation. The executive summary should not exceed 4 to 5 lines.

The paper should outline the principal risks and issues in the proposed proposal. If the risk is a significant one it is essential that a clear mitigation strategy and its likely consequences should be identified. It’s important to include the potential for future risks if the plan is not fully implemented or not successfully achieved, even in the event that the risk is believed to be minimal.

The report should outline the various options that were considered in the decision making process and give a summary of the pros and cons or provide a summary of how the preferred option was rated on the relevant decision criteria. Including an alternatives analysis is essential as it gives the Board with more than one option to consider in their governance responsibilities and helps to ensure that all possible outcomes have been thought through.