Write It Last, Read It First

The executive summary should be the last section written and the first section read. This is not a clever inversion — it is a logical requirement. You cannot summarize an argument that does not yet exist. Teams that write the executive summary first are not summarizing — they are speculating about what the document will eventually argue, then writing a body that attempts to match the speculation. The result is a summary and a body that are slightly misaligned in ways that experienced readers can feel but rarely articulate.

Write the body. Understand the argument. Then write the summary that compresses it.

1. Draft the Body First Without Concerning Yourself with the Summary Resist the urge to draft an executive summary placeholder early. A placeholder summary becomes a structural anchor — it shapes what you write in the body, even subconsciously. Write the body as if the summary will not exist, making the best argument you can for each section. When the body is complete, you will know what the argument actually is, which is the only information you need to write the summary.
2. Run the Four-Sentence Test Before Drafting the Summary With the completed body in front of you, write the four diagnostic sentences: problem, solution, primary evidence, ask. Do not consult the body while writing them — write from memory. If you cannot write all four from memory after having written the entire body, the body's argument is not yet clear enough. Clarify the body's argument before drafting the summary.
3. Draft the Summary in One Uninterrupted Sitting The executive summary should be drafted in a single uninterrupted session — not assembled from body paragraphs, not written in pieces over multiple days. A summary written piecemeal tends to mirror the body's structure (section by section) rather than compress the body's argument (the complete case, in miniature). Write it from memory and argument, not from copying. Then edit against the body to verify accuracy.