A bad monthly business review is 40 slides of context, a status section nobody trusts, and three decisions buried in slide 35 that get pushed to next month. A good one is 8 slides, R/Y/G initiative status with named owners, three decisions called out by slide 3, and asks that say “Sarah, by Friday, because…”. These 11 prompts force exactly that shape — plus a 2-page board pre-read version and a pre-cooked answer pack for the eight questions execs are most likely to throw. Pair with the executive summary prompts for the cover page.
Best for
- Executive monthly business reviews
- QBR prep
- Investor monthly updates
- Board pre-reads
- Cross-org rollups
1. MBR deck outline (8 slides)
Outline an 8-slide MBR deck. Audience: {execs}. Output the 8 slide titles + 3-bullet body each. Must include: headline summary, key metrics with month-over-month deltas, top risks, top decisions needed.2. Red/Yellow/Green status report
Draft the R/Y/G status section of the MBR. Initiatives: {paste list}. For each, give status, 1-line reason, named owner, expected status next month. ≤150 words total.3. Headline-first MBR summary
Write the headline summary slide of the MBR. 5 bullets max. Each bullet must include a number or a decision. No "we continue to focus on…". Output for {company / org / function}: {paste data}.4. Metric narrative (why did it move)
Metric: {name}. Last month: {value}. This month: {value}. Hypothesis on movement: {paste}. Write the 80-word narrative that interprets the move for an exec audience. Include 1 leading indicator to watch next month.5. Risks & mitigations slide
Draft the risks slide for an MBR. Inputs: {paste 5 candidate risks}. Output: top 3 risks selected, severity, owner, mitigation, and "what triggers escalation". Cut anything not actionable.6. Decisions-needed slide
Draft the "decisions needed" slide. Inputs: {paste decision candidates}. Output: top 3 decisions, 1-line context for each, options considered, recommendation, and the exec who must approve.7. Pre-meeting reading note
Write a 250-word pre-meeting reading note that lets execs skip the deck if they want. Include: top 3 facts, top 3 risks, top 3 decisions. Be ruthless about cuts.8. Asks-from-execs slide
Draft a "what we need from leadership" slide. Inputs: {paste raw asks}. Output: 3 asks max, each ≤20 words, specifying name + ask + deadline + why-now. No vague "more support".9. Q&A pre-cooked answers
Predict the top 8 questions execs will ask in this MBR. Inputs: {paste MBR draft}. For each, write a 60-word pre-cooked answer. Mark the 2 most likely "gotcha" questions.10. Year-end / annual review
Draft a year-end version of an MBR. Inputs: {paste yearly metrics + initiatives}. Output: 6 slides — headline, what worked, what did not, key metrics with annual deltas, top 3 lessons, next-year priorities.11. Board pre-read
Convert the MBR into a 2-page board pre-read. Audience: board members who get an hour to read 5 docs. Output: page 1 = headline + metrics + risks; page 2 = decisions + asks. No marketing language.Common mistakes
- Dumping 40 slides of context that nobody reads before the meeting
- No R/Y/G initiative status, so the room can’t triage in 60 seconds
- Decisions buried in slide 35 and pushed to next month every time
- Asks without owner + deadline (“we need more support”) — execs can’t action vague
- Same deck month-to-month with no narrative on what actually changed
- Metric moves shown without a “why did it move” hypothesis or a leading indicator
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- Executive summary prompts
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