A project executive summary is a high level overview that provides investors and stakeholders with the most vital project information. Typically, it’s a stand-alone document that accompanies the full project proposal. A project executive summary is a condensed version of a project plan, which contains a detailed budget, timeline, and specific task information.

A well-written and effective project executive summary should include enough information so that investors and upper management can understand what they’re being asked to greenlight without being overloaded by specific project details. In general, a project executive summary should include the following:

First, construct a straightforward statement that identifies the problem that the proposed project is attempting to solve. This statement should help the reader understand the depth of the problem and the need for the project to address it. Include any research or customer feedback that explains why the problem is relevant and why it needs to be solved.

Summarize how you intend to solve the problem and justify why your project is the best possible solution. Here, you should list the overarching project objectives and outline how they will address the problem. You can add relevant supporting statistics and resources to strengthen your argument.

It’s also a good idea to identify the project’s estimated start and end dates so that investors and upper management know how long the project is expected to take.

Don’t worry about including every nitty-gritty detail in this section. Instead, present a broad overview of the steps your team will take to achieve the project objectives. Include anticipated due dates, key metrics, and deliverables for each of the milestones listed. Save the details for your project plan, and utilize this portion to provide investors with an understanding of the overall scale of the project.

In order to demonstrate that you’ve fully researched the proposed project, list all of the potential risks and challenges to the project, and information about how you plan to overcome them. Project risks vary and will depend on your specific project, but many are related to cost, time, available resources, or market competition.

In this final section, conclude the document by summarizing major takeaways, action items, and next steps that you expect investors or upper management to act upon. Include your specific request, whether it’s an outright approval of the project or additional resources needed to refine the project proposal. 

Before submitting the project executive summary, refine your document and ask colleagues to provide feedback. Here are some additional tips for writing a high-quality project executive summary:

• Keep it brief: The executive summary should be brief – usually no longer than a couple of pages. If investors or upper management need additional details, they’ll request the full project plan. Think of the project executive summary as a conversation starter — enough details so that your reader wants more information, but not so heavily detailed that it overwhelms. 
• Use precise and tailored language: Avoid jargon and use direct language. Proofread for grammar, typos, and overall readability. Avoid writing in full sentences and paragraphs, and opt for bullet points so that the content is easily digestible.‍
• Review the content: Edit and refine each section to ensure that it forms a cohesive proposal overview. Make sure that it addresses the following questions: Does the proposed solution address the problem statement? Do the project milestones relate to the overall project objectives? Does the document fully explain how you will address potential project risks and challenges?

Writing a project executive summary doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Spreadsheet.com provides a Project Plan with Executive Summary Template that allows you to build your executive summary in minutes and easily notify investors and stakeholders about key project details.