Board papers should be concise and concise with an excellent level of information. Only dig into the operational details when necessary for strategic decisions. Using graphs or charts to summarise information or data trends is also a good method of providing insight at a lower level. In an appendix it is useful to provide a link for more technical information or statistics.
If the decision is a one-time or a continuous issue, the paper should specify the purpose of the Board paper (information only, discussion or seeking a decision) and include an executive summary that clarifies the recommendation. The executive summary should be no longer than 4 to five lines.
The paper should focus on the main issues and risks in the proposed proposal. If the risk is significant there should be a clear mitigation plan and its impact must be determined. It is important to consider the possibility of future risks if the plan is not fully implemented or not successfully achieved, even when the risk is thought to be minimal.
The document should provide a description of the different options that were considered in the decision-making process. The paper should provide a summary of pros/cons or explain how the most preferred option scored click to find out more on the relevant decision criteria. It is crucial to include an alternative analysis because it provides the Board multiple options to consider while performing their governance duties. This ensures that they have considered all possible outcomes.