Following last week’s Tip, here’s a second way to improve your Updates.
This Tip works for those infrequent, big updates to your boss – like a Quarterly Business Review (QBR).
It’s MUCH better than the usual 100s of slides, and hours of prep.
Next QBR, start with two slides…
The first is titled “Highlights – LAST three months” and has a 4-column table:
- Priority – list your boss’s top priorities – one in each row
- Our actions – the 3-5 main things you’ve done since the last QBR, to address each priority
- Outcomes – the results of each of these actions
- Page ref – the page(s) where they can read more detail on each action/outcome. (So, you’ll then have many of your usual slides at the back. These page refs mean they jump to the ones they’re most interested in
The second slide is identical, except it focuses on the NEXT three months. So:
- Title is “Highlights – NEXT three months”
- Four columns show the business’s priorities, which you’re planning to do, the outcomes you’re hoping for, and the page refs for more detail
These slides are easier, quicker, more relevant, more interesting, and cause a two-way chat – not a one-way rant
Action Point
Before your next QBR, show your bosses this Tip, and ask whether they agree it’s a good format to use. Assuming they do, crack on.