--- name: board-reporting description: Generate comprehensive board packages with financial metrics, variance analysis, KPIs, and strategic updates. Use when preparing board decks, compiling monthly board metrics, creating board committee materials, presenting financial results to directors, or building board-ready narratives. Triggers on phrases like "board deck", "board meeting", "board package", "board metrics", "director report", "board presentation", "board materials", "board update", "board agenda". --- # Board Reporting Automation Auto-generate comprehensive board packages with financial results, KPIs, strategic updates, and forward-looking commentary. ## Workflow ### Board Package Assembly Trigger: 10 business days before board meeting date (typically monthly or quarterly): 1. **Confirm meeting details**: Date, time, location, attendees, agenda items, materiality thresholds, action items requiring board approval. 2. **Data aggregation**: Finalized financial statements, KPI dashboard, prior period comparisons, budget variances, forward-looking metrics, audit/compliance status. 3. **Variance analysis and commentary**: Revenue variance (volume/price/mix/one-time), expense narrative, cash flow commentary, KPI trends — AI-drafted, CFO-reviewed. 4. **Chart and visualization**: Revenue trends (12+ months), margin waterfalls, cash flow breakdown, KPI heat maps, cohort trends. 5. **Strategic update section**: Milestones vs. plan, customer wins/losses, product updates, market/competitive landscape, capital allocation. 6. **Risk and issue reporting**: Risk register, regulatory compliance, litigation, cybersecurity, ESG. 7. **Appendix assembly**: Detailed financials, segment results, entity-level, audit findings, related party transactions. 8. **Review and approval**: CFO review (5 days before), CEO review (2 days before), distribution (48 hours before meeting). ### Board Package Timeline ``` BOARD PACKAGE PREPARATION TIMELINE ==================================== T-15 days (Meeting Preparation): - CFO confirms meeting date, agenda, and required approvals - Finance team begins data collection (preliminary actuals) - Committee chairs identify special topics (Audit, Compensation, Governance) - IR team prepares market/analyst update (public companies) - Legal team reviews pending matters requiring board attention T-12 days (Financial Results Finalized): - Month/quarter-end close complete; final numbers available - FP&A team drafts financial results section with commentary - Cash position and runway calculated - Forecast update completed (rolling forecast refreshed) - Segment and entity-level results compiled T-10 days (Package Assembly Begins): - Full board package outline created in template - Financial results section populated (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) - KPI dashboard generated from BI system - Variance commentary drafted for all material items - Risk register updated with current status - Strategic milestones compiled from department heads T-8 days (Draft Complete): - Full package draft complete (all sections populated) - Charts and visualizations finalized - Appendix schedules attached - Committee materials separated (Audit, Compensation, Governance) - Package reviewed by Finance Director for completeness T-5 days (CFO Review): - CFO reviews full package (2-day review period) - Edits: Narrative tone, emphasis, forward-looking commentary - Validation: All numbers reconcile; assumptions documented - Strategic framing: Context provided for key metrics - Risk assessment: Risks appropriately framed (neither minimized nor exaggerated) - Package returned to finance team with markup T-3 days (CEO Review): - CEO reviews package (1-day review period) - Strategic narrative alignment with company vision - Tone check: Balanced (achievements acknowledged, challenges transparent) - Board dynamics: Anticipate director questions and concerns - Action items: Clear recommendations for board decisions - Final edits incorporated T-2 days (Distribution): - Final package uploaded to board portal (Diligent, BoardEffect, Nabla) - Access confirmed for all directors and alternates - Questions deadline communicated (T-2 days) - Printed copies prepared for in-person meetings - Pre-read notification sent with key highlights - CFO available for director questions T-0 days (Board Meeting): - CFO presents financial results (20–30 minutes) - CEO presents strategic updates (20–30 minutes) - Committee reports (5–10 minutes each) - Director questions and discussion - Votes/resolutions recorded - Meeting minutes drafted (within 5 business days) - Action items tracked T+5 days (Post-Meeting): - Board minutes finalized and distributed - Action items assigned with owners and deadlines - Director feedback collected (informal survey) - Package archived for record-keeping - Lessons learned documented for next cycle ``` ## Board Package Content Framework ### Financial Results Section ``` FINANCIAL RESULTS SECTION — STANDARD FORMAT ============================================= Slide 1: Key Financial Metrics Summary ┌─────────────────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┐ │ Metric │ Q4 │ Q3 │ Q4 PY │ Budget │ ├─────────────────────┼──────────┼──────────┼──────────┼──────────┤ │ Revenue │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ │ Gross Profit │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ │ Gross Margin % │ XX.X% │ XX.X% │ XX.X% │ XX.X% │ │ Operating Expense │ ($X.XM) │ ($X.XM) │ ($X.XM) │ ($X.XM) │ │ EBITDA │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ │ Net Income │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ │ Free Cash Flow │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ $X.XX M │ │ Cash Position │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ $XX.XM │ └─────────────────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┘ Highlights: Revenue up X% YoY, X% vs. budget; EBITDA margin expanded Xpp Slide 2: Revenue Detail - Revenue by segment/product/region (bar chart, 4 quarters) - Revenue variance decomposition: Volume + Price + Mix + One-time - Key customer updates (top 10 by revenue; new logos; churned logos) - Pipeline and forward revenue visibility (next 2 quarters) Slide 3: Expense and Operating Leverage - OpEx by category (waterfall: prior year → current year with variances) - OpEx as % of revenue trend (line chart, 8 quarters) - Headcount trend and cost per FTE - Key cost initiatives and savings realization Slide 4: Balance Sheet and Cash Flow - Cash position trend (line chart, 12 months) - Working capital components (AR, Inventory, AP days) - Debt obligations and facility utilization - Capex spending and ROI tracking - Runway analysis (months of cash at current burn rate) Slide 5: Guidance and Outlook - Updated full-year guidance (if changed from last board meeting) - Next quarter outlook (revenue, EBITDA, FCF ranges) - Key assumptions and risk factors - Scenario analysis (base/upside/downside if material uncertainty) ``` ### Strategic Updates Section ``` STRATEGIC UPDATES SECTION — STANDARD FORMAT ============================================= Section 1: Milestone Tracker ┌─────────────────────────────┬──────────┬──────────┬────────────┐ │ Milestone │ Plan │ Actual │ Status │ ├─────────────────────────────┼──────────┼──────────┼────────────┤ │ Launch Product X in EU │ Q3 2024 │ Q3 2024 │ ✓ On │ │ Reach $100M ARR │ Q4 2024 │ Q1 2025 │ → 1Qr lag│ │ Hire VP of Sales │ Q2 2024 │ Q2 2024 │ ✓ On │ │ Complete SOC 2 certification│ Q3 2024 │ Q3 2024 │ ✓ On │ │ Open Singapore office │ Q4 2024 │ Q4 2024 │ ✓ On │ │ Close strategic partnership │ Q4 2024 │ Pending │ △ At risk│ └─────────────────────────────┴──────────┴──────────┴────────────┘ Section 2: Market and Competitive - TAM/SAM/SOM update (market sizing changes) - Competitive landscape: New entrants, pricing changes, acquisitions - Customer feedback summary (NPS, CSAT, key themes) - Regulatory developments impacting the business Section 3: Product and Technology - Product roadmap status (on-track, delayed, pivoted) - Key metrics: DAU/MAU, feature adoption, support tickets - Technology investments and ROI - Security and compliance certifications Section 4: Talent and Organization - Headcount by department (actual vs. plan) - Key hires and departures - Employee engagement (eNPS, retention rate) - Compensation benchmarking and adjustments Section 5: Capital Allocation - Cash deployment: Operations, capex, M&A, debt service, shareholder returns - Capital efficiency: ROIC, FCF conversion - Near-term capital needs (next 12 months) - Fundraising status (if applicable) ``` ### KPI Dashboard ``` OPERATIONAL KPI DASHBOARD =========================== Customer Metrics: Total customers: XX,XXX (+X% QoQ) Net new customers: X,XXX (Q4) Customer churn rate: X.X% (annualized) Net Revenue Retention: XXX% (>100% = expanding) Average contract value: $XX,XXX Customer lifetime: XX months NPS score: XX (target: >50) Sales Metrics: Pipeline value: $XXX.XM Pipeline coverage: X.Xx (target: >3x) Win rate: XX% (target: >25%) Sales cycle: XX days (target: <90) Revenue per AE: $XXX,XXX (target: >$1M) CAC: $X,XXX (trend: ↓) Product Metrics: DAU/MAU ratio: XX% (target: >20%) Feature adoption: XX% (key feature usage) Support tickets: X,XXX (↓ X% QoQ) Time to resolution: X.X hrs (target: <4 hrs) Operational Metrics: Employee count: XXX (+X net in Q4) Revenue per employee: $XXX,XXX eNPS: XX (target: >40) Voluntary turnover: X.X% (annualized, target: <10%) DSO: XX days (target: <45) Cash conversion cycle: XX days (target: <30) ``` ## Board Committee Materials ### Committee-Specific Packages ``` AUDIT COMMITTEE MATERIALS =========================== - Financial statements (draft, pre-board approval) - Internal control assessment (SOX compliance status) - Internal audit findings and remediation status - External auditor independence confirmation - Related party transactions disclosure - Going concern assessment - Significant accounting judgments and estimates - Cybersecurity risk assessment COMPENSATION COMMITTEE MATERIALS ================================== - Executive compensation summary (CEO, CFO, SVPs) - Compensation vs. peer benchmarking - Equity grant program status (remaining pool, burn rate) - Employee compensation survey results - Bonus pool calculation and payout recommendations - Executive performance scorecard GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MATERIALS ================================ - Board composition and skills matrix - Director independence assessment - Board evaluation results (annual) - Succession planning (CEO, CFO, key roles) - Related party conflict review - Policy updates and recommendations - Shareholder engagement summary ``` ## Edge Cases - **Material adverse events** (revenue miss >20%, key customer loss, regulatory action): - Front-load disclosure in executive summary; do not bury in appendix - Separate section with detailed impact analysis (financial and operational) - Include timeline: When discovered, containment actions, expected resolution - Recommend dedicated board discussion time (15–30 minutes) - Coordinate with legal on disclosure language; privilege markings where applicable - Prepare Q&A: Anticipate 10+ director questions; rehearse responses - IR coordination: If public company, coordinate with investor communications - **Guidance change or earnings revision**: - Detailed rationale for change (specific assumptions that shifted) - Model scenarios: Base, upside, downside with probabilities - Historical context: How often has guidance changed? What was accuracy? - Address likely board questions: Impact on valuation, investor confidence, growth trajectory - Coordinate with IR: Analyst calls, investor outreach, press release if public - Board vote: Formal guidance approval required - **CFO/CEO transition**: - Continuity narrative: Interim arrangements, search progress, timeline - Board search committee materials: Candidate pipeline, recruiter status - Operational impact: Any disruption to financial reporting or investor relations - Compensation: Interim compensation for incoming executive - Communication: How will transition be communicated to employees, customers, investors? - Risk: Key-person dependency; mitigation plan - **Audit qualification or going concern**: - Coordinate with external auditors and legal counsel before board meeting - Detailed explanation of qualification (specific issue, materiality, resolution plan) - Going concern: Cash runway, financing options, cost reduction plan - Emergency board session may be required (not wait for regular meeting) - Public company: SEC disclosure requirements (8-K within 4 business days) - Private company: Investor notification; potential covenant breach - **Regulatory investigation or litigation**: - Legal privilege: Package reviewed by legal before distribution - Confidential appendix: Sensitive matters in separate privileged document - Board resolution: Authority to engage counsel, settle, or litigate - Insurance: D&O insurance notification and coverage assessment - Public company: Material event disclosure (Form 8-K); forward-looking statement caution - Ongoing reporting: Monthly updates to board until resolution - **Virtual board meeting considerations**: - Enhanced digital package: Interactive dashboards with drill-down capability - Secure access: Board portal with multi-factor authentication - Recording: Meeting recorded per governance policy (board-approved only) - Engagement: Structured discussion time; digital polling for votes - Follow-up: Written confirmations of verbal decisions - Technology: Backup communication channel (phone bridge if platform fails) ## Integration Points - **ERP/GL**: NetSuite, SAP, Oracle — finalized financial statements, trial balance, GL detail - **BI Tools**: Tableau, Power BI, Looker — KPI dashboards, automated chart generation, trend analysis - **CRM**: Salesforce, HubSpot — pipeline metrics, customer data, revenue by account - **Planning Platforms**: Adaptive Insights, Anaplan — forecast data, scenario comparisons, budget vs. actual - **Compliance Systems**: AuditBoard, SAI360, Workiva — SOX compliance, internal audit findings, risk register - **Legal/Compliance**: Relativity, Litify — litigation tracking, regulatory matters - **IR Systems**: Q4, S&P Capital IQ, Bloomberg IR — market data, analyst estimates, peer comparisons - **Secure Distribution**: Diligent, BoardEffect, Nabla, OnBoard — board portal, document distribution, voting - **Presentation Tools**: Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva — deck creation, branding - **Data Rooms**: Intralinks, Firmex, Ansar — secure document sharing for sensitive matters