FAQ
An executive summary is a short, self-contained section at the start of a longer document that conveys the essential conclusions and recommendations to readers who will not read the rest.
Senior readers triage on first contact, so a strong executive summary has to work on its own — without the body. Write it last, after the analysis is finished. Use the same framing the body uses, so readers who do go on don't experience a tonal shift. And keep it ruthlessly short: a summary that doesn't get read defeats its purpose.