Write a GTM board update they can read in two minutes.
“What do I tell the board this quarter, and how do I say it in two minutes?”
The number vs plan first, the two or three things that matter, the risks named honestly, and the asks.
What this skill does
Takes your quarter and writes the update a board actually wants: the number against plan at the top, then the two or three things that moved it, the risks named before someone asks, and the asks stated plainly. It leads with the verdict, keeps it short, and does not dress a miss as a win or bury a win in caveats.
Inputs
- Works today with: the period result versus plan, pipeline and a couple of leading metrics, and the two or three things on your mind. Paste it or upload a sheet.
- More powerful connected to a CRM: it pulls bookings, pipeline, and win rate directly so the numbers match the system of record.
- Sharper with a BI or reporting tool: it reads the trend, not just the point, so "up or down" is grounded.
- Sharper with a data warehouse: it reconciles the number against finance so the board sees one truth.
How it works
- 1Number versus plan, first line
Open with the result against PLAN. Not the journey, not the context, the number. A board reads the first line and decides how worried to be, so make that line true and make it early. Green, yellow, or red, then the figure.
- 2The two or three things that matter
Pick MATTERS themes, no more. A board update that lists ten things says the writer does not know which three count. Each theme is one line of what happened and one line of the so-what. If it does not change a decision, it is not a theme, it is a detail, and details go in the appendix.
- 3Risks named honestly
State the risks that threaten the next period before anyone has to pull them out of you. A risk you name is a risk you look in control of. A risk the board finds is a credibility hit. For each, give the exposure and what you are doing about it. No hedging, no "some headwinds."
- 4The asks, verdict-first and short
End with what you need, stated as decisions or resources, not as an open-ended discussion. A board can approve a hire, unblock a deal, or make an intro. Ask for the specific thing, name who or what, and stop. If there is no ask, say that too.
Output format
GTM BOARD UPDATE · Q3 · illustrative
HEADLINE: $8.2M new ARR vs $9.0M plan. RED, 91% of plan.
What mattered:
1. Enterprise slipped. 3 deals ($1.4M) pushed to Q4 on procurement, not loss.
2. Mid-market held. Win rate up, coverage healthy into Q4.
3. New rep ramp is a quarter behind. Capacity gap opens in Q4.
Risks:
- Q4 rests on the 3 slipped deals closing. Exposure $1.4M. MAPs in place, dates set.
- Ramp gap leaves Q4 ~1.5 heads light. Backfills accelerated.
Asks:
1. Approve pulling 2 Q4 reqs into now to close the ramp gap.
2. One board intro to the slipped enterprise account's exec sponsor.
Tips
- The number versus plan is in the first line, before any narrative.
- No more than three themes, each with a so-what, or it gets cut.
- Every risk carries an exposure and a mitigation, never a vague "watching it."
- Asks are specific and actionable, never "support" or "alignment."
- A miss is owned in plain words before the recovery plan, never spun.
Walk into the forecast call with a number you can defend.
Sorts each deal into commit, best-case, or pipeline by evidence, flags one risk, and scripts what to press each rep on.
Run a pipeline review that finds problems, not recites them.
Coverage vs target, stage aging, week-over-week movement, stuck deals, and the question to ask per deal.