By avoiding the most common blind spots, your board is in a far stronger position from which to judge the health of the business and take well-informed decisions.

Information blindness is one of the biggest risks faced by any board and research by Board Intelligence and the CGI has identified the most common blindspots.

As a starting point, consider introducing templates that spell out the questions report writers need to engage with to cover the bases. Such templates prompt writers to make a clear ask of the board and tackle topics that might otherwise be neglected — for example, encouraging them to share their concerns as well as good news stories and link operational and financial information to strategic goals. Read our ‘how to’ guides to identify which questions each report should cover.

We'd also recommend reviewing the training you offer your report writers and exploring whether AI tools (such as Report Writer) could help them apply best practice consistently.

Information blindness is one of the biggest risks faced by any board and research by Board Intelligence and the CGI has identified the most common blindspots.

As a starting point, consider introducing templates that spell out the questions report writers need to engage with to cover the bases. Such templates prompt writers to make a clear ask of the board and tackle topics that might otherwise be neglected — for example, encouraging them to share their concerns as well as good news stories and link operational and financial information to strategic goals. Read our ‘how to’ guides to identify which questions each report should cover.

We'd also recommend reviewing the training you offer your report writers and exploring whether AI tools (such as Report Writer) could help them apply best practice consistently.

Research by Board Intelligence found that most directors allocate half a day to reading their board papers, regardless of the length of the pack. At a reasonably fast reading speed, this gives them capacity for up to 100 pages. By staying below this threshold, there's a decent chance your papers will be read thoroughly ahead of your board meetings.

Try paring it back. Research by Board Intelligence found that most directors allocate half a day to reading their board papers, regardless of the length of the pack. At a reasonably fast reading speed, this gives them capacity for up to 100 pages.

Try reviewing your board agenda to see if there are any papers better suited to another forum. Next, consider how you are supporting your report writers — they may need training or better report writing tools to help them keep the word count down. Our guide to writing shorter papers offers some helpful tips to get you started.

Research by Board Intelligence found that most directors allocate half a day to reading their board papers, regardless of the length of the pack. At a reasonably fast reading speed, this gives them capacity for up to 100 pages. If you want your board pack to be read, you need to reduce its size — or your board might miss something important.

Try reviewing your board agenda to see if there are any papers better suited to another forum. Next, consider how you are supporting your report writers — they may need training or better report writing tools to help them keep the word count down. Our guide to writing shorter papers offers some helpful tips to get you started.

Compelling, easy to read writing and well-visualised data make it easier for directors to engage with the materials. Keep up the good work.

There may be several reasons for this, from the way in which data is visualised to the structure of the reports and the quality of the writing within them.

Some report writing tools help management spot these issues and fix them as they go. Alternatively, you could provide templates to help with structuring the information and offer report writing and data visualisation training to sharpen management's communication skills. Our guide to critical thinking also offers tips for structuring complex information. 

Board reporting is about helping your board to see what matters, and your board pack succeeds in this. Well done!

Fixing this should be a priority; if your board can’t see what matters, it’s unlikely they'll have the conversations that matter.

To make it easier for directors to identify the key takeaways in each paper and pinpoint where they can add most value, try introducing executive summaries at the start of each paper. A good executive summary calls out the key messages and makes a clear ask of the reader. Our guide to writing executive summaries offers a downloadable template to get you started.

Well done; by aligning your board materials with your board's priorities, you're helping your board to add value where it matters most.

In many cases, this is because the board's priorities aren't fully understood by report writers. Start by clarifying and communicating what it is your board cares about most — the decisions and discussions that will help them move the needle for the organisation over the next 12-18 months.

The next step is to build out a forward calendar of meeting agendas and paper requests that support these priorities. With this mapped out, you can give each report writer a high-quality brief that makes it clear how the paper they're writing links to the big picture — significantly increasing the likelihood that their paper will deliver what the board needs. 

In many cases, this is because the board's priorities aren't fully understood by report writers. Start by clarifying and communicating what it is your board cares about most — the decisions and discussions that will help them move the needle for the organisation over the next 12-18 months.

The next step is to build out a forward calendar of meeting agendas and paper requests that support these priorities. With this mapped out, you can give each report writer a high-quality brief that makes it clear how the paper they're writing links to the big picture — significantly increasing the likelihood that their paper will deliver what the board needs. 

Your directors are either deeply committed to their work, or your board materials make it easy for them to prepare effectively for meetings. The rest of these results will tell you if both are true!

You can’t govern what you can’t see. You're not confident your directors are reading their board materials in full, which presents a material risk to the organisation.

Use this assessment, supplemented by data from your board portal and performance reviews, to identify why that might be the case — for example, if directors aren’t fully committed to meeting preparation or the materials are getting in their way. Our guide to effective board meeting preparation offers some tips and explores how AI tools like Insight Driver could help to overcome some of these challenges.

By setting out clear priorities, offering structured feedback, and providing tools and training, your board is making an investment in effective reporting that is likely to pay off.

Giving authors greater clarity about what's required, and then supporting them to deliver it, will yield benefits that outweigh any additional costs involved. A combination of structured briefs, regular feedback, training, and dedicated board reporting tools is the best way to reduce time spent reviewing and rewriting papers while also driving better board discussions. Our team of board reporting experts can guide you through the options.

Giving authors greater clarity about what's required, and then supporting them to deliver it, will yield benefits that outweigh any additional costs involved. A combination of structured briefs, regular feedback, training, and dedicated board reporting tools is the best way to reduce time spent reviewing and rewriting papers while also driving better board discussions. Our team of board reporting experts can guide you through the options.

Conduct regular due diligence to make sure your board portal provider is offering the best possible protection.

Printed documents can be mislaid and emails and files stored on desktop computers can be hacked with increasing ease. Encryption should be a minimum requirement while a board portal is likely to offer the best protection, giving your organisation full control of your most sensitive data.

Printed documents can be mislaid and emails and files stored on desktop computers can be hacked with increasing ease. Encryption should be a minimum requirement while a board portal is likely to offer the best protection, giving your organisation life-time control of your most sensitive data.

Hopefully, the timely distribution of your papers is rewarded by directors that are well prepared when they arrive at your boardroom.

The more time your directors have to read their papers, the better prepared they’ll be for the meeting — and the greater the chance of a strategic, forward-looking discussion that adds value. Often, a month of ‘zero tolerance’, with late papers excluded from the pack is enough to bring about a change in behaviour.

Read our guide to effective board meeting preparation for tips on making that extra time count.

The more time your directors have to read their papers, the better prepared they’ll be for the meeting — and the greater the chance of a strategic, forward-looking discussion that adds value. Often, a month of ‘zero tolerance’, with late papers excluded from the pack is enough to bring about a change in behaviour.

Read our guide to effective board meeting preparation for tips on making that extra time count.

Things are moving fast and new AI tools are emerging all the time for boards and governance teams. Conduct regular reviews to identify new use cases (from minute writing to meeting preparation) and ensure your tools are delivering the expected benefits to ensure you continue to make the most of this opportunity.   

Brainstorm ideas to identify aspects of board reporting and management that could be enhanced by AI and other digital tools — such as preparing for board meetings and creating meeting minutes. Consider adopting a fail-fast approach when testing out new tools, but set clear guardrails (for example, around board-relevant use cases and information security) to ensure decisions are robust.

Read our guide to AI for the board pack to find out where AI is currently being used in board reporting and where it might go in the future.

Brainstorm ideas to identify aspects of board reporting and management that could be enhanced by AI and other digital tools — such as preparing for board meetings and creating meeting minutes. Consider adopting a fail-fast approach when testing out new tools, but set clear guardrails (for example, around board-relevant use cases and information security) to ensure decisions are robust.

Read our guide to AI for the board pack to find out where AI is currently being used in board reporting and where it might go in the future.

The more you can do to strengthen your board pack, the better... but you are on the right path. Keep your board materials under review — for example, by integrating this assessment into your board review process — so you can maintain these standards and find further opportunities for improvement.

At a minimum, board materials should not impede the work of the board. A better aim, however, is for board materials to set the board up to succeed — by driving informed, impactful, and timely decisions. Use these results to align the board and management team around what good looks like, set clear expectations, and prioritise where to start.

For further advice, read the Chartered Governance Institute's guidance on Effective Board Reporting. You can also speak to a member of the Board Intelligence team to find out more about our board reporting advisory services and AI-powered board reporting software. 

At a minimum, board materials should not impede the work of the board. A better aim, however, is for board materials to set the board up to succeed — by driving informed, impactful, and timely decisions. Use these results to align the board and management team around what good looks like, set clear expectations, and prioritise where to start.

For further advice, read the Chartered Governance Institute's guidance on Effective Board Reporting. You can also speak to a member of the Board Intelligence team to find out more about our board reporting advisory services and AI-powered board reporting software. 

The more you can do to strengthen your board pack, the better... but you are on the right path. Keep your board materials under review — for example, by integrating this assessment into your board review process — so you can maintain these standards and find further opportunities for improvement.

At a minimum, board materials should not impede the work of the board. A better aim, however, is for board materials to set the board up to succeed — by driving informed, impactful, and timely decisions. Use these results to align the board and management team around what good looks like, set clear expectations, and prioritise where to start.

For further advice, read the Chartered Governance Institute's guidance on Effective Board Reporting. You can also speak to a member of the Board Intelligence team to find out more about our board reporting advisory services and AI-powered board reporting software. 

At a minimum, board materials should not impede the work of the board. A better aim, however, is for board materials to set the board up to succeed — by driving informed, impactful, and timely decisions. Use these results to align the board and management team around what good looks like, set clear expectations, and prioritise where to start.

For further advice, read the Chartered Governance Institute's guidance on Effective Board Reporting. You can also speak to a member of the Board Intelligence team to find out more about our board reporting advisory services and AI-powered board reporting software.