Board update deck template (PowerPoint)

What it is

A board update tells directors how the business is doing against what they agreed, what is at risk and what you need from them. A good one is short and candid, and it is sent ahead of the meeting so the time goes to discussion and decisions, not to reading slides aloud.

This outline gives each regular topic its own slide, with a grey instruction line telling you what belongs there, a table or boxes to fill, and speaker notes with fuller guidance.

Who it is for

Founders and executives preparing a quarterly or monthly board pack, investor relations staff, and finance leads who need a consistent shape for the meeting.

When to use it, and when not to

• Use it for a regular board or investor update, or as a checklist for a pack you already produce.
• Use it when you want the same structure every period, so changes stand out.
• Do not use it to replace the formal papers your governance requires, such as financial statements. Reconcile any figure to the accounts the board receives.
• Do not use it unchanged if the board has asked for a particular format.

What is inside

Eleven 16:9 slides, each with a grey instruction line, a table or boxes to fill, and speaker notes:

1. Title. The company, the period and the meeting date.
2. Summary and what we need from you. Three points on where you are, and up to three asks.
3. Scorecard. Six measures with target, actual, variance, a Green, Amber or Red status and a one-line comment.
4. Financials. Results against plan and the prior year, with the largest variances explained in words.
5. Progress on priorities. The priorities the board agreed, their status, what happened and what is next.
6. Customers and market. Wins, losses and risks, and market signals.
7. People and organization. Changes, open roles and gaps.
8. Risks and issues. The few risks that could change the plan, with likelihood, impact, mitigation and an owner.
9. Cash and outlook. Cash today, the next period and how long it lasts, with the assumptions stated.
10. Decisions requested. A question, a recommendation, a reason and a date for each.
11. Appendix. Detailed financials, definitions of the scorecard measures and supporting documents.

How to fill it in

1. Start with the decisions slide. Write each decision as a question the board can answer, with your recommendation and a date. Then write the summary.
2. Pick six to eight scorecard measures with the board, and keep them the same in every update.
3. Fill the financial slide from the accounts. Explain the largest variances in words.
4. Report the priorities the board agreed, in the same order as last time. Mark what has slipped and give the new date.
5. List only the few risks that could change the plan. Remove the ones that have passed.
6. Delete each grey instruction line as you fill the slide. Keep detail in the appendix.
7. Send the deck ahead, with time for the board to read it.

Worked example (an illustration)

Illustration only. The company and every number below are made up, with round figures, to show how a filled slide reads. They are not real.

A made-up software company's scorecard slide:

And its decisions slide:

Common mistakes

• Burying the news. Lead with what changed and what you need.
• Changing the scorecard every period. A board cannot see a trend in measures that keep changing.
• Showing only good news. Directors learn to distrust packs with no problems in them.
• Asks with no date, or decisions the board cannot make from the pack.
• Too many slides. If a slide does not help a decision or a question, move it to the appendix.

Download

Free to download. The numbers in the file are made up, so replace them.

Use and limits

Free to use and adapt for your own work. If you publish or share it, a link back is appreciated.

Boards and investors differ in what they expect. Adapt this outline to your governance documents and ask your chair what the board wants to see.

Sources and further reading

Sources are linked so you can check them. Statements that vary by employer, or that accounts disagree about, are hedged in the text. Found a mistake? Email support@forwardeployed.work and we will correct the page and update its date.

1. Board of directors. Encyclopedia entry.
2. Corporate governance. Encyclopedia entry.
3. Key performance indicator. Encyclopedia entry.