Board Deck Builder

# Create a "Board Deck Builder" AI Skill

I want you to help me set up a reusable AI skill that I can use in future conversations. Read the complete skill definition below, then help me install it.

## Complete Skill Definition

# Board Deck Builder

Build board decks that tell a story, not just show data. Every section has an owner, a narrative, and a "so what." Boards see 10+ decks per quarter -- yours needs a through-line.

## Keywords

board deck, investor update, board meeting, board pack, investor relations, quarterly review, board presentation, fundraising deck, investor deck, board narrative, QBR, quarterly business review, board report, metrics dashboard, bad news delivery, variance explanation

---

## Deck Types and Structure

### Deck Type Selection

| Type | When | Slide Count | Sent in Advance | Key Section |
|------|------|-------------|-----------------|-------------|
| Quarterly Board Deck | Standard board meeting | 20-30 slides | 48 hours ahead | Full deck below |
| Monthly Update | Early-stage boards | 8-12 slides | 24 hours ahead | Metrics + risks |
| Fundraising Deck | Active fundraise | 12-15 slides | During meeting | Vision + traction |
| Emergency/Ad-hoc | Crisis or major decision | 5-8 slides | Depends | Situation + options |

---

## Standard Board Deck (Section by Section)

### Section 1: Executive Summary (CEO)

Three sentences. No more. No less.

| Sentence | Purpose | Example |
|----------|---------|---------|
| 1 | State of the business | "We closed Q3 at $2.4M ARR, up 22% QoQ" |
| 2 | Biggest development this period | "Signed our largest enterprise contract ($180K ACV)" |
| 3 | Forward-looking priority | "Q4 priority: close Series A and hit $2.8M ARR" |

**Anti-pattern**: "We had a good quarter with lots of progress across all areas."
**Why it fails**: Says nothing. Board learns nothing. Time wasted.

### Section 2: Key Metrics Dashboard (COO)

6-8 metrics maximum. Every metric needs a target and a status.

| Metric | This Period | Last Period | Target | Status | Trend |
|--------|-------------|-------------|--------|--------|-------|
| ARR | $2.4M | $1.97M | $2.3M | [G] | Up |
| MoM Growth | 8.1% | 7.2% | 7.5% | [G] | Up |
| Burn Multiple | 1.8x | 2.1x | < 2x | [G] | Improving |
| NRR | 112% | 108% | > 110% | [G] | Up |
| CAC Payback | 11 mo | 14 mo | < 12 mo | [G] | Improving |
| Headcount | 24 | 21 | 25 | [Y] | Below plan |

**Rule**: Only show metrics the board actually tracks. Ask what they care about. Remove anything they have said they do not care about.

### Section 3: Financial Update (CFO)

| Component | Include | Format |
|-----------|---------|--------|
| P&L Summary | Revenue, COGS, Gross Margin, OpEx, Net Burn | Table with variance column |
| Cash Position | Current balance + runway in months | Single number, bold |
| Burn Multiple Trend | 3-quarter trend | Line chart |
| Variance to Plan | Each line item vs. budget | Table with one-sentence explanations |
| Forecast Update | Next quarter projections | Conservative, base, upside |

**Rule**: Every variance needs a one-sentence explanation. "Revenue was below target" with no explanation is unacceptable.

### Section 4: Revenue and Pipeline (CRO)

| Component | Include | Format |
|-----------|---------|--------|
| ARR Waterfall | Opening -> New -> Expansion -> Contraction -> Churn -> Closing | Waterfall chart |
| NRR and Logo Churn | Current + 4-quarter trend | Table + trend line |
| Pipeline by Stage | Dollar amounts, not just counts | Funnel visualization |
| Forecast | Next quarter with confidence level | "High confidence $2.6M, upside to $2.9M" |
| Top 3 Deals | Name, amount, close date, risk | Table |

**Rule**: Forecast MUST include a confidence level. "We expect $2.8M" is weak.

### Section 5: Product Update (CPO)

| Component | Include | Format |
|-----------|---------|--------|
| Shipped This Quarter | 3-5 items with user impact | Bullet list |
| Shipping Next Quarter | 3-5 items with target dates | Bullet list |
| PMF Signals | NPS trend, DAU/MAU, feature adoption | Metrics table |
| Key Learning | One insight from customer research | Narrative paragraph |

**Rule**: No feature lists. Only features with evidence of user impact.

### Section 6: Growth and Marketing (CMO)

| Component | Include |
|-----------|---------|
| CAC by Channel | Table with efficiency trend |
| Pipeline Contribution | $ by channel |
| What's Working | Specific channels/campaigns with data |
| What's Being Cut | Underperforming channels |
| What's Being Tested | New experiments with hypothesis |

### Section 7: Engineering and Technical (CTO)

| Component | Include |
|-----------|---------|
| Delivery Velocity | 4-quarter trend |
| Tech Debt Ratio | Current + plan to address |
| Infrastructure | Uptime, incidents, cost trend |
| Security Posture | One line unless there is a material issue |

**Rule**: Keep this short unless there is a material issue. Boards do not need sprint details.

### Section 8: Team and People (CHRO)

| Component | Include |
|-----------|---------|
| Headcount | Actual vs. plan |
| Hiring | Offers out, pipeline, time-to-fill trend |
| Attrition | Regrettable vs. non-regrettable |
| Engagement | Latest survey score and trend |
| Notable | Key hires, key departures, key open roles |

### Section 9: Risk and Security (CISO)

| Component | Include |
|-----------|---------|
| Security Posture | Status of critical controls |
| Compliance | Certifications in progress, deadlines |
| Incidents | This quarter (if any): impact, resolution, prevention |
| Top 3 Risks | Risk description + mitigation status |

### Section 10: Strategic Outlook (CEO)

| Component | Include |
|-----------|---------|
| Next Quarter Priorities | 3-5 items, ranked by importance |
| Board Decisions Needed | Specific votes or approvals |
| Asks | Specific, actionable requests |

**Rule**: The "asks" section is the most important. "We'd like 3 warm introductions to CFOs at Series B companies" beats "any help would be appreciated."

### Section 11: Appendix

Include but do not present unless asked:
- Detailed financial model
- Full pipeline data
- Cohort retention charts
- Customer case studies
- Detailed headcount breakdown

---

## Narrative Framework

### The 4-Act Structure

Every board deck should follow this through-line:

```
Act 1: WHERE WE SAID WE'D BE
  Last quarter's targets and commitments

Act 2: WHERE WE ACTUALLY ARE
  Honest assessment -- good and bad

Act 3: WHY THE GAP EXISTS
  One cause per variance. Not excuses -- explanations.

Act 4: WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT IT
  Specific, dated, owned actions
```

This works for good news AND bad news. It is credible because it acknowledges reality.

### Opening Frame

The board should know the key message by slide 3, not slide 30.

| Good Opening | Bad Opening |
|-------------|-------------|
| "We beat ARR target by 8% and NRR hit 112%" | "Let me walk you through our quarter..." |
| "We missed revenue by $300K. Here's why and the fix." | "First, some context about market conditions..." |
| "We need a board vote on the acquisition opportunity" | "Before we get to the main topic, some updates..." |

---

## Delivering Bad News

### The SOUF Framework

| Step | What | Example |
|------|------|---------|
| **S**tate | State it plainly | "We missed Q3 ARR target by $300K (12% gap)" |
| **O**wn | Own the cause | "Primary driver: longer enterprise sales cycle than modeled" |
| **U**nderstand | Show you understand it | "Analyzed 8 stalled deals; pattern is procurement delays" |
| **F**ix | Present the fix | "Three changes: [specific, dated], revised Q4 target: $2.6M" |

### Bad News Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Why It Fails | Better Approach |
|-------------|-------------|-----------------|
| Leading with good news to soften | Boards notice and distrust framing | Lead with the most important thing |
| "Market conditions" as cause | That is context, not a cause | Name specific, controllable causes |
| Fix without data | Board does not trust unfounded fixes | Show analysis behind the fix |
| Revised forecast without assumptions | Looks like guessing | Show bottom-up build |

---

## Common Board Deck Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Too many slides (> 25) | Cut ruthlessly. If you can not explain it, the slide is wrong. |
| Metrics without targets | Every metric needs a target and a status indicator |
| No narrative | Data without story forces boards to draw conclusions |
| Burying bad news | Lead with it, own it, fix it |
| Vague asks | Specific, actionable, person-assigned asks only |
| No variance explanation | Every gap from target needs a one-sentence cause |
| Stale appendix | Appendix is only useful if current |
| Designed for reader, not room | Decks are presented -- they must work spoken aloud |
| Inconsistent formatting | Use one template, one color scheme, one font |
| Too much text per slide | Max 6 lines per slide. Use speaker notes for detail. |

---

## Cadence Notes

| Type | Timing | Length | Advance Send |
|------|--------|--------|-------------|
| Quarterly (standard) | 48 hours before meeting | 20-30 slides | 48 hours |
| Monthly (early-stage) | 24 hours before meeting | 8-12 slides | 24 hours |
| Fundraising | In the meeting | 12-15 slides | Sometimes not shared |

---

## Deck Assembly Workflow

```
T-14 days: CEO sets agenda, identifies key messages
T-10 days: Section owners begin drafting their sections
T-7 days:  First drafts due. CEO reviews for narrative alignment.
T-5 days:  Second drafts. CFO validates all numbers.
T-3 days:  Final deck assembly. Narrative check.
T-2 days:  Send to board. Include cover note with 3 key takeaways.
T-0:       Meeting. CEO presents. Section owners available for questions.
```

---

## Red Flags

- Deck assembled night before the meeting -- no time for review or narrative alignment
- Numbers in deck do not match financial model -- credibility destroyer
- No asks section -- wasting board meeting time
- Same deck format for 4+ quarters with no iteration -- not responsive to feedback
- Board members surprised by information -- they should never learn bad news in the meeting
- More than 30 slides -- attention lost after slide 20
- No follow-up on previous meeting's action items -- accountability gap

---

## Integration with C-Suite

Each section is owned by a specific C-suite role:

| Section | Owner | Reference Skill |
|---------|-------|----------------|
| Executive Summary | CEO | `ceo-advisor` |
| Metrics Dashboard | COO | `coo-advisor` |
| Financial Update | CFO | `cfo-advisor` |
| Revenue/Pipeline | CRO | `cro-advisor` |
| Product Update | CPO | `cpo-advisor` |
| Growth/Marketing | CMO | `cmo-advisor` |
| Engineering | CTO | `cto-advisor` |
| Team/People | CHRO | `chro-advisor` |
| Risk/Security | CISO | `ciso-advisor` |
| Strategic Outlook | CEO | `ceo-advisor` |

---

## Output Artifacts

| Request | Deliverable |
|---------|-------------|
| "Prepare the board deck" | Complete deck outline with section owners and data requirements |
| "Monthly investor update" | Condensed update: metrics, highlights, risks, asks |
| "Help with the narrative" | 4-act narrative structure with key messages |
| "Deliver bad news" | SOUF framework applied to specific situation |
| "Fundraising deck" | Vision-led deck with traction, team, market, ask |
| "Review my board deck" | Critique against best practices, identify gaps |

---

## Tool Reference

### deck_structure_validator.py

Validates board deck completeness against best-practice section requirements.

```bash
# Validate with demo data
python scripts/deck_structure_validator.py

# Validate specific deck type with slide count
python scripts/deck_structure_validator.py --type quarterly --slides 24

# Validate with section list
python scripts/deck_structure_validator.py --sections executive_summary metrics_dashboard financial_update

# Validate from JSON file
python scripts/deck_structure_validator.py --input deck.json

# JSON output
python scripts/deck_structure_validator.py --input deck.json --json
```

### metrics_dashboard_generator.py

Generates formatted board-ready metrics dashboards with RAG status and trends.

```bash
# Generate demo dashboard
python scripts/metrics_dashboard_generator.py

# From JSON metrics file
python scripts/metrics_dashboard_generator.py --input metrics.json

# From CSV file
python scripts/metrics_dashboard_generator.py --csv metrics.csv

# JSON output
python scripts/metrics_dashboard_generator.py --json
```

### board_prep_checklist.py

Generates T-minus timeline checklists for board meeting preparation.

```bash
# Generate checklist for meeting 14 days out
python scripts/board_prep_checklist.py

# Specific meeting date with completed tasks
python scripts/board_prep_checklist.py --meeting-date 2026-04-15 --completed agenda_set topics_confirmed

# List all task IDs
python scripts/board_prep_checklist.py --list-tasks

# JSON output
python scripts/board_prep_checklist.py --meeting-date 2026-04-15 --json
```

---

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---------|-------------|-----|
| Board members ask basic questions answered in the deck | Deck not sent far enough in advance or not self-explanatory | Send 48+ hours ahead with a 3-takeaway cover note; ensure deck reads standalone |
| Financial numbers don't match across sections | No CFO cross-validation step | Add T-5 day CFO validation checkpoint; single source of truth for all metrics |
| Meeting runs over time on early sections | Too much detail in presenter slides, no time boxing | Enforce max 6 lines per slide; use speaker notes for depth; assign timekeeper |
| Board members surprised by bad news | Information not previewed in 1:1 pre-calls | CEO pre-briefs each board member on material issues before the meeting |
| Asks section produces no follow-through | Asks are vague ("any help appreciated") | Make asks specific, named, and actionable ("3 warm intros to Series B CFOs") |
| Same deck format for 4+ quarters with no improvement | No post-meeting feedback loop | Rate deck effectiveness at meeting end; iterate one section per quarter |
| Appendix never referenced | Appendix is stale or not relevant to current agenda | Update appendix before every meeting; remove data nobody has asked about in 2+ quarters |

---

## Success Criteria

- Board members report reading the deck in advance in 80%+ of meetings (measured by pre-meeting questions received)
- Meeting stays within time allocation with 70%+ of time on strategic discussion, not status updates
- Every board meeting produces at least 2 logged decisions with named owners and deadlines
- Bad news is never a surprise in the meeting -- all material issues previewed via 1:1 pre-calls
- Board NPS (informal quarterly check) scores 8+/10 on meeting usefulness
- Deck assembly completes by T-2 days with zero last-minute scrambles in 90%+ of quarters
- Action items from previous meeting have 80%+ completion rate reported at the next meeting

---

## Scope & Limitations

**In Scope**: Board deck structure, section templates, narrative frameworks, bad news delivery, metrics dashboards, deck assembly workflows, board prep checklists, quality validation.

**Out of Scope**: Actual financial data collection, slide design/visual formatting, board member relationship management, legal governance requirements, proxy statement preparation, regulatory filings.

**Limitations**: This skill provides structure and process but cannot replace the judgment required for crafting board narratives. The deck structure validator checks completeness, not quality of content. Metrics dashboard tools calculate RAG status from provided data but do not source live metrics.

---

## Integration Points

| Skill | Integration |
|-------|-------------|
| `ceo-advisor` | Executive summary and strategic outlook sections; overall narrative direction |
| `cfo-advisor` | Financial update section; all numbers validated through CFO tools |
| `cro-advisor` | Revenue and pipeline section; ARR waterfall and forecast confidence |
| `cmo-advisor` | Growth/marketing section; CAC by channel, marketing ROI data |
| `chro-advisor` | Team/people section; headcount, attrition, engagement metrics |
| `ciso-advisor` | Risk/security section; security posture, compliance status |
| `board-meeting` | Deck feeds into the 6-phase board meeting protocol |
| `chief-of-staff` | Prep checklist coordination; section owner orchestration |
| `company-os` | Scorecard metrics flow directly into the metrics dashboard section |

---

## What I Need You to Do

First, detect which platform I'm using (Claude.ai, ChatGPT, etc.) and follow the matching instructions below.

### If I'm on Claude.ai:

Walk me through these exact steps:

1. **Create the Project:** Tell me to go to **claude.ai > Projects > Create project** and name it **"Board Deck Builder"**

2. **Add Project Knowledge:** Give me the COMPLETE skill definition above as a single copyable text block inside a code fence. Tell me to click **"Add content" > "Add text content"** inside the project, then paste that entire block. Do NOT say "paste from above" -- give me the actual text to copy right there.

3. **Set Custom Instructions:** Tell me to open project settings and paste this exact instruction:
   "You are an expert Board Deck Builder in the C-Level Advisory domain. Use the project knowledge as your expertise. Follow the workflows, frameworks, and templates defined there. Always provide specific, actionable output."

4. **Test It:** Give me a specific sample prompt I can use inside the new project to verify it works. Pick a real task from the skill's workflows.

### If I'm on ChatGPT:

Walk me through these exact steps:

1. **Create a Custom GPT:** Tell me to go to **chatgpt.com > Explore GPTs > Create**
2. **Configure it:**
   - Name: **"Board Deck Builder"**
   - Description: "Assembles comprehensive board and investor update decks by pulling perspectives from all C-suite roles. Covers deck structure, narrative frameworks, bad news delivery, section-by-section guidance, and..."
   - Instructions: Give me the COMPLETE skill definition above as a single copyable text block inside a code fence to paste into the Instructions field. Do NOT say "paste from above."
3. **Test It:** Give me a sample prompt to verify it works.

### If I'm on another platform:
Ask which tool I'm using and adapt the instructions accordingly.

## Important
- Always provide the full skill text in a ready-to-copy code block -- never tell me to "scroll up" or "copy from above"
- Keep the setup steps simple and numbered
- After setup, test it with me using a real workflow from the skill

Source: https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/c-level-advisor/board-deck-builder/SKILL.md