Board Pre-read Builder

---
name: board-pre-read-builder
description: Use when drafting the pre-read for a board meeting. Triggers on "board pre-read", "board deck doc", "board meeting prep", "send to board before meeting".
---

# Board Pre-read Builder

Most board members don't actually read the pre-read. Write the doc that the 1-2 sharp ones will read carefully — they're the ones who will help you. Optimizing for the others (who will skim or skip) wastes your time.

A board meeting where you walk through slides has failed. A board meeting where the pre-read landed and you spend 90% of the time on 2-3 hard decisions has succeeded.

## Required inputs

1. **Period** — quarter typically
2. **Headline narrative** — 2-3 sentences. What's the story of this quarter?
3. **KPIs** with movement — revenue, retention, burn, runway, headcount
4. **What's working** — 2-3 specific things
5. **What's not working** — 2-3 specific things, honestly
6. **3-5 strategic open questions** — things you're wrestling with
7. **Decisions you need from the board** — explicitly. Approval, input, or FYI.

If "decisions you need" is empty, push back. A board meeting without decisions is a status report, and you can email those.

## Structure

```
# Board Pre-read — [Company] — [Quarter]

## TL;DR (5 bullets, max)
- Headline metric + movement
- Single biggest win
- Single biggest risk
- Top decision needed from the board today
- Cash / runway position

## Quarter narrative (1 page)
- What we set out to do this quarter
- What actually happened
- What we learned

## KPIs (1 page, table)
| Metric | Last Q | This Q | Plan | Notes |
- Revenue (ARR / MRR)
- Net retention
- Logo retention
- Gross margin
- Burn (gross + net)
- Runway (months)
- Headcount + plan

## What's working (1/2 page, 2-3 specifics)
## What's not working (1/2 page, 2-3 specifics — be honest)

## Strategic open questions (1-2 pages)
For each: 1-paragraph context + your current thinking + what input you want from the board.

## Decisions needed today (1 page)
For each:
- **Decision**: [one sentence]
- **Recommendation**: [your view]
- **Alternatives considered**: [2-3]
- **What we need from the board**: approve / discuss / advise

## Risks watchlist (1/2 page)
3-5 risks. Probability + impact + what we're doing about it.

## Appendix
Detail anyone wants to dig into — cohort tables, pipeline, customer quotes.
```

## Anti-patterns

- Slide deck pasted into a doc — slides are for talking, docs are for thinking
- "Everything is great" — board doesn't trust this, and shouldn't
- Mid-meeting surprises — anything material should be in the pre-read, not introduced live
- Roadmap dump — board doesn't need a feature list, they need strategic context
- Vague decisions ("discuss product strategy") — sharpen to the actual call

## Tone

- Direct. Board members are short on time and high on cynicism.
- Quantitative. Every claim has a number or it's an opinion.
- Honest about lowlights — pre-empts the "what aren't they telling us" pattern.
- Length: 6-10 pages including appendix. Tighter is better.

## Output format

Markdown. Use real numbers and specific names where you have them. End with a clear "Decisions needed today" section — bold and number them.