A good executive summary will identify KEY findings for senior leadership. This is often more challenging than many realize. Sometimes inexperienced Institutional Research (IR) directors may be hesitant to make a decision regarding what is a key finding and what is not. In other words, they may not feel empowered. It is important to remember that without distilling information so that only key findings are highlighted, IR reports may become overwhelming, difficult to read, and they may end up on the shelf and unused.
Following are some guidelines for preparing effective executive summaries.
Remember that most senior leaders do not have time to read detailed and lengthy research findings. For those senior leaders who want the detailed results, make it available as an attachment.
Key findings typically align with the:
organization’s strategic plan and objectives, or
organizational strengths identified through the SWOT, or
organizational weaknesses identified through the SWOT.
A key finding may be a result that has repeatedly cropped up in surveys and studies over time as an unfavorable trend. This may need to be brought to the attention of senior leaders for potential action.
Categorize the key findings by Strengths and Opportunities for Improvement (OFI). Always lead with Strengths. I learned this from a former Richland College president. Leading with Strengths tends to make the OFIs more palatable.
If at all possible, limit the Executive Summary to one page, although it is fine to use the front and back.
Always include a section called Next Steps or other similar wording. It is important to focus the organization on what needs to be done with the findings. IR can initiate the conversation by making some suggestions for improvement actions with a follow up meeting for discussion. These activities engage administrators, faculty, and staff in continuous improvement and serves as documentation for accreditation.
As with other IR products, make the Executive Summary aesthetically pleasing with a format that is easy to read.
Begin with a brief introduction of what the analysis represents.
Follow with key findings categorized by Strengths and OFIs.
End the Executive Summary with a section on Next Steps.
Once the Next Steps have been formalized with action plans, persons responsible, etc. these may be shared with the college personnel. This is particularly effective for survey results demonstrating that changes are made based on the results.
