Audience-First Report Design

In LR-201c we covered three reporting formats: executive summary, risk dashboard, and detailed risk report. At the 301 level, we design reports starting from the audience's decision-making needs and working backward to the data. The executive decides whether to fund mitigation — the report must present the investment case. The board decides whether risk appetite is appropriate — the report must show exposure against appetite. The regulator decides whether compliance is demonstrated — the report must present evidence against requirements. Same data, different purposes, different designs.

1. Identify the Decision Every report should drive a specific decision. "Should we increase the mitigation budget?" "Is our risk posture acceptable?" "Are we compliant with Article 9?" The decision determines what information the report must contain and what format makes that information actionable. A report without a target decision is a report without a purpose.
2. Map Information to Decision For each target decision, identify the minimum information required. The mitigation budget decision needs: current exposure, proposed mitigation cost, expected risk reduction, and ROI. Nothing else. Every additional data point dilutes the decision-relevant information. Less is more when the purpose is decision, not education.
3. Design for Speed The decision-maker should reach the conclusion within 60 seconds of opening the report. Executive summary at the top. Key numbers prominent. Recommendation explicit. Supporting detail available but not foregrounded. The report is designed for the reader who will spend 90 seconds, not the reader who will spend 30 minutes. [RECOMMEND]: Test the report with a stakeholder who has not seen it before — if they cannot identify the key message in under two minutes, redesign.