Date: [Current date] Overall Status: [Green/Yellow/Red] - [One sentence summary]
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (3 bullets max)
• [Most important update] • [Key achievement or concern] • [Critical decision needed]PROGRESS METRICS
| Metric | Target | Actual | Status | |--------|--------|--------|--------| | [Fill 4 rows with relevant KPIs]KEY UPDATES (2-3 items)
[Update Category] - What: [Brief description] - Impact: [Business implications] - Next Steps: [Specific actions with owners]RISKS & MITIGATION
1. [Risk Name] (Probability: H/M/L) - Impact: [What happens if this occurs] - Mitigation: [What we're doing about it]DECISIONS NEEDED
□ [Specific decision 1] - By: [Date] □ [Specific decision 2] - By: [Date]NEXT 2 WEEKS
Week 1: [Key deliverables] Week 2: [Key deliverables]Keep entire report under 500 words. Use data from our project."
The output was perfect. Not just good—exactly what Jessica needed, formatted precisely for executive consumption.
"How did you know to be so specific about the format?" Jessica asked.
Tom smiled. "AI is incredibly good at following structural instructions. Most people tell it what to write about. I tell it exactly how to present that information. It's called Format Forcing, and it's the difference between outputs you have to rewrite, and outputs you can use immediately."