---
name: board-deck-builder
description: "Build board and investor update decks: executive summary, metrics dashboard, financial update, narrative framework, bad news delivery — quarterly, monthly, and fundraising formats"
---

# Board Deck Builder Skill

## When to activate
- Preparing a board meeting deck (quarterly or monthly)
- Writing an investor update email or deck
- Building a fundraising narrative (Series A, B, C)
- Structuring a QBR (Quarterly Business Review) for investors
- Delivering bad news to a board in the right way

## When NOT to use
- Pitch deck for first-time investor introduction — use the pitch-deck skill
- Internal OKR or strategy reviews — different audience and format
- Customer-facing QBR — use the customer-success skill

## Instructions

### Board deck structure

```
Build a board deck for [period and stage].

Period: [Q3 2026 / monthly update / fundraising]
Stage: [Seed / Series A / Series B / Series C]
Key metrics available: [list — ARR, MRR, NRR, burn, headcount, pipeline]
Special topics this meeting: [fundraise update / org change / pivot / acquisition]

Every section follows: Headline → Data → Narrative → Ask/Next

SECTION 1 — EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (CEO, 3 sentences max):
Sentence 1: State of the business — where we are right now
Sentence 2: Biggest thing that happened this period (one thing, not five)
Sentence 3: Where we're going next quarter — the single priority

Bad: "We had a good quarter with lots of progress across all areas."
Good: "We closed Q3 at $2.4M ARR (+22% QoQ), signed our largest enterprise contract, and enter Q4 with 14-month runway. The shift to mid-market is working — ACV up 40%, sales cycle down 3 weeks. Q4 priority: close the Series A and hit $2.8M ARR."

SECTION 2 — KEY METRICS DASHBOARD (6-8 metrics max):
| Metric | This Period | Last Period | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARR | $X | $X | $X | ✅/🟡/🔴 |
| MoM/QoQ growth | X% | X% | X% | |
| NRR | X% | X% | >110% | |
| Burn multiple | Xx | Xx | <2x | |
| CAC payback | X months | X months | <12m | |
| Runway | X months | X months | >18m | |
| Headcount | X | X | X | |

Only show metrics the board tracks — remove anything they've said they don't care about.

SECTION 3 — FINANCIAL UPDATE (CFO):
- P&L summary: Revenue, COGS, Gross margin %, OpEx by category, Net burn
- Cash position and runway (months at current burn)
- Burn multiple trend (3-quarter view — is it improving?)
- Variance to plan: what was different and why (honest, specific)

SECTION 4 — GROWTH AND GO-TO-MARKET (CRO):
- New ARR this period vs. target
- Win rate and pipeline coverage
- Top 3 deals closed (deal name, ACV, why we won)
- Expansion ARR from existing customers
- What's working in the GTM motion / what isn't

SECTION 5 — PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY (CTO/CPO):
- Shipped this quarter: top 3 features with customer impact
- Net Promoter Score or CSAT trend
- Technical debt or reliability highlights (if material)
- Next quarter's product priorities (1-2, not 10)

SECTION 6 — TEAM AND ORGANIZATION (COO/CEO):
- Headcount change: hires, departures, open roles
- Key hires made this quarter (name + role if notable)
- Departures to disclose (be proactive, not reactive)
- Organizational changes

SECTION 7 — STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
- Progress on any board-approved strategic initiative
- Any decision that needs board input this meeting

SECTION 8 — THE ASK:
- What decision or approval is needed from the board?
- What information are you sharing that requires no action?
- What risks do you want the board to be aware of?

Build the deck outline for my period and metrics.
```

### Executive summary templates

```
Write the executive summary for [period].

Metrics this period:
- ARR: $[X] (was $[X] last period)
- Growth: [X]% QoQ / MoM
- Key win: [describe]
- Key challenge: [describe]
- Runway: [X] months
- Next quarter priority: [one thing]

Template by narrative type:

STRONG QUARTER:
"We closed [period] at $[ARR] ARR, [X]% [QoQ/MoM] growth and [X] points above plan. [Key achievement in one sentence — specific, not generic]. Entering [next period], our priority is [one specific goal] — we have [X months] of runway and [pipeline/momentum signal] to support it."

MIXED QUARTER (good news + honest challenges):
"[Period] delivered $[ARR] ARR against a $[target] target. [What went right — specific]. [What was harder than expected — honest, with root cause]. Our [next period] focus is [specific lever], which we expect to [measurable outcome]."

CHALLENGING QUARTER (board needs to trust you're in control):
"[Period] came in at $[ARR], below our $[target] plan. [Root cause in one sentence — not excuses, diagnosis]. We identified this [early/by mid-period] and made [specific changes]. [Evidence those changes are working]. Our [next period] target is [revised target] — [why it's achievable]."

FUNDRAISING QUARTER:
"We closed [period] at $[ARR], [X]% growth QoQ, with [X months] of runway. [Traction signal that investors care about — NRR, cohort strength, enterprise motion]. We are [in market/closing/planning] our [Series X] to [use of funds in one sentence]. [Lead investor or process update if appropriate]."

Write the executive summary for my quarter using the right template.
```

### Bad news delivery

```
Deliver bad news in this board deck.

Bad news: [describe — missed target / key departure / customer churn spike / pivot / runway concern]

Framework for delivering bad news to a board:
Never let the board be surprised. If you know bad news is coming, tell them before the meeting.

Structure:
1. State the fact clearly (no burying, no euphemism)
2. Root cause: what caused this? (diagnosis, not excuses)
3. What you knew and when: when did you identify this?
4. What you've already done: actions taken, not just planned
5. What you're doing next: specific, time-bound actions
6. What you need from the board: specific ask (advice / decision / no action needed)

Examples:

MISSED TARGET:
"We came in at $[X] vs. our $[Y] target — a $[Z] miss. The primary driver was [specific cause: sales cycle lengthening in enterprise / one large deal slipped to Q4 / SDR team took longer to ramp]. We identified this in [month] and [action taken]. In [next period], our pipeline coverage is [Xx] — [higher/lower] than last quarter — and we've [specific change to prevent recurrence]. No board action required; sharing for transparency."

KEY DEPARTURE:
"[Name], our [role], left in [month]. This was [mutual / their decision / our decision]. [One sentence on transition: their key responsibilities are now covered by X while we recruit]. We expect to close a replacement hire by [date]. [Any customer relationship or product risk and how it's mitigated]."

RUNWAY CONCERN:
"At current burn, we have [X] months of runway — [shorter than our previous guidance of Y months] because [specific reason: slower revenue ramp / higher headcount / unexpected cost]. We have three paths: [1. reduce burn to extend runway by X months / 2. raise a bridge / 3. accelerate to Series X]. We're pursuing [path] and would welcome the board's input on [specific question]."

Draft the bad news section for my specific situation.
```

### Fundraising deck narrative

```
Build the fundraising narrative for [round].

Round: [Series A / B / C]
Raise amount: $[X]
Current ARR: $[X]
Growth rate: [X]% QoQ
Key metrics: [NRR, CAC payback, gross margin]
Use of funds: [describe]

Fundraising deck differs from board deck:
- Lead with the market opportunity, not the metrics
- Metrics are proof of traction, not the story
- The story is: big market + right team + early proof + now is the time

Fundraising narrative arc:
1. The world has changed (why this problem matters now)
2. The old way is broken (why existing solutions fail)
3. We have a better answer (what we've built)
4. Early proof it works (traction data)
5. Why we'll win (moat, team, timing)
6. What we'll do with this capital (the plan)
7. The ask (amount, terms, use of funds, milestones)

Series A narrative example:
"The market for [category] is $[X]B and growing at [X]% because [market shift — e.g. AI, regulation, remote work]. Existing solutions [specific limitation: too complex / too expensive / too slow]. We built [product] for [ICP] who [specific job to be done]. In [X months], we've reached $[ARR] ARR with [NRR]% NRR — [customer is staying and expanding]. We're raising $[X] to hire [roles] and [GTM investment] to reach $[target ARR] in [X months]. We've already [pre-committed capital / LOI / lead investor approaching]."

Build the narrative for my round with the metrics I provide.
```

## Example

**User:** Q3 board meeting. ARR $4.2M (target was $4.0M — beat). NRR dropped from 112% to 104%. Burn $380K/month, runway 14 months. Two senior engineers resigned. How do I structure this?

**Claude's deck structure:**

This is a mixed-narrative quarter: beat on ARR, concern on NRR, team risk to disclose. Lead with the win, be direct about the risks.

**Executive summary (3 sentences):**
"We closed Q3 at $4.2M ARR, 5% above our $4M plan and 28% QoQ growth. NRR declined from 112% to 104% — driven primarily by two enterprise customers who downgraded; we've diagnosed the root cause and activated a retention playbook with the remaining at-risk cohort. Two senior engineers resigned in Q3; both transitions are managed, and we're entering Q4 with 14-month runway and a clear hire-and-stabilise engineering plan."

**Metrics to highlight:**
✅ ARR: $4.2M (vs. $4.0M target)
✅ QoQ growth: 28%
🟡 NRR: 104% (was 112%) — declining, explain in GTM section
🟡 Runway: 14 months (want > 18 — address in financials section)
✅ Burn multiple: [calculate from new ARR / net burn]

**NRR section (be specific, not vague):**
"NRR declined to 104% due to two enterprise customers who reduced seats: [Customer A] (from $120K to $60K ARR — their internal budget cut) and [Customer B] (from $80K to $40K ARR — unused seats after a reorg). Both are retained; neither is a product or CS failure. We've identified [X] accounts with similar risk profiles and activated a proactive health outreach. Our expansion pipeline for Q4 is $[X], which, combined with low expected churn, should stabilise NRR at [X]%."

**Team section (disclose proactively):**
"Two senior engineers resigned in Q3 — [Name 1], our founding infrastructure lead, and [Name 2], a senior backend engineer. [Name 1]'s responsibilities transferred to [Name 3]; we've posted the infrastructure role and have two strong candidates in final stage. [Name 2]'s work continues with [team/contractor]. We do not anticipate product delays from these departures."

---

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