Quarterly Business Review Narrative
Write the story behind the quarter's numbers for stakeholders.
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Write the narrative section for a quarterly review. Quarter: [QUARTER]. Results against plan: [RESULTS]. Drivers we know: [DRIVERS]. Customer or market changes: [MARKET_CHANGES]. Plans for next quarter: [NEXT_QUARTER_PLANS]. Write 400 to 500 words under these headings: Results in brief, What drove the results, What we learned, What we are changing, and What we need. Quote each number with its comparison and show percentage changes with arithmetic. Separate facts from explanations, and mark explanations as our interpretation. Add three charts to include, with what each should show, and a list of five questions leadership may ask with draft answers. Do not claim causes without evidence and do not use forecasts as results. Write the narrative in a way that links numbers to decisions: for each result state the action it suggests. Provide a one-slide summary with a headline, three numbers and one recommendation, and a short speaker note of 90 words. Include a paragraph on what we got wrong this quarter, with the lesson, to encourage honest reporting. Show how to calculate percentage change correctly as new minus old divided by old, with a simple example, 120 compared with 100 is a 20 percent increase. Suggest how to show comparisons with the same quarter last year to account for seasonality, and a caution about drawing conclusions from small samples or short periods. Add a list of data sources and the date each was extracted, and remind the reader that preliminary figures may change. Keep the tone factual and avoid promotional language. Add a final section titled Risks to next quarter with three risks, the early warning sign for each and the decision we will take if the sign appears. Include a one-line owner for each risk and a date by which the owner will report back. Keep each risk to two sentences and use only the information supplied.
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Invented figures. Revenue this quarter 118,000 against 100,000 last quarter: change = (118,000 - 100,000) / 100,000 = 18 percent. Against plan of 120,000: 118,000 - 120,000 = minus 2,000, which is 1.7 percent under. Results in brief: revenue grew 18 percent on last quarter but finished 1.7 percent under plan. Drivers (our interpretation): new reseller started in month two; one large order slipped to next quarter. Learned: forecasts should treat large orders separately. Changing: monthly check of the five largest open orders. Need: decision on the reseller discount level.
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