Write a GTM board update they can read in two minutes.
The number vs plan first, the two or three things that matter, the risks named honestly, and the asks.
Inside: The number vs plan, the so-whats, the risks, and the asks.
Install it in one line, or paste it in.
~/.claude/skills/ and runs automatically when it is relevant.Connect your context. Set it to your motion.
it pulls bookings, pipeline, and win rate directly so the numbers match the system of record.
it reads the trend, not just the point, so "up or down" is grounded.
it reconciles the number against finance so the board sees one truth.
This was built for a B2B SaaS GTM leader reporting to a board or exec team. Set these to your stack:
Run any format your board prefers. The skill leads with the verdict and keeps it short, so point it at your metrics, not a template you inherited.
| Set this | What it is | Default / Example |
|---|---|---|
| HEADLINE | the one number that matters | new ARR or net-new bookings vs plan |
| PLAN | what you committed to | the board-approved target |
| LEADING | one or two forward metrics | pipeline coveragewin rateCAC payback |
| MATTERS | how many themes to surface | 2 to 3never more |
| RISK_BAR | what counts as a named risk | anything that threatens next quarter |
| ASKS | what you need from the board | hiringbudgetintrosa decision |
| LENGTH | ceiling on the whole thing | one screenverdict in the first line |
| TONE | how you carry a miss | own itthen the planno spin |
Everything the skill does, in full.
Takes your quarter and writes the update a board actually wants: the number against plan at the top, then the two or three things that moved it, the risks named before someone asks, and the asks stated plainly. It leads with the verdict, keeps it short, and does not dress a miss as a win or bury a win in caveats.
- 1Number versus plan, first line
Open with the result against PLAN. Not the journey, not the context, the number. A board reads the first line and decides how worried to be, so make that line true and make it early. Green, yellow, or red, then the figure.
- 2The two or three things that matter
Pick MATTERS themes, no more. A board update that lists ten things says the writer does not know which three count. Each theme is one line of what happened and one line of the so-what. If it does not change a decision, it is not a theme, it is a detail, and details go in the appendix.
- 3Risks named honestly
State the risks that threaten the next period before anyone has to pull them out of you. A risk you name is a risk you look in control of. A risk the board finds is a credibility hit. For each, give the exposure and what you are doing about it. No hedging, no "some headwinds."
- 4The asks, verdict-first and short
End with what you need, stated as decisions or resources, not as an open-ended discussion. A board can approve a hire, unblock a deal, or make an intro. Ask for the specific thing, name who or what, and stop. If there is no ask, say that too.
- The number versus plan is in the first line, before any narrative.
- No more than three themes, each with a so-what, or it gets cut.
- Every risk carries an exposure and a mitigation, never a vague "watching it."
- Asks are specific and actionable, never "support" or "alignment."
- A miss is owned in plain words before the recovery plan, never spun.
GTM BOARD UPDATE · Q3 · illustrative HEADLINE: $8.2M new ARR vs $9.0M plan. RED, 91% of plan. What mattered: 1. Enterprise slipped. 3 deals ($1.4M) pushed to Q4 on procurement, not loss. 2. Mid-market held. Win rate up, coverage healthy into Q4. 3. New rep ramp is a quarter behind. Capacity gap opens in Q4. Risks: - Q4 rests on the 3 slipped deals closing. Exposure $1.4M. MAPs in place, dates set. - Ramp gap leaves Q4 ~1.5 heads light. Backfills accelerated. Asks: 1. Approve pulling 2 Q4 reqs into now to close the ramp gap. 2. One board intro to the slipped enterprise account's exec sponsor.
The one-screen ceiling, the two-to-three theme cap, and the verdict-first line are defaults, not laws. They suit a board that wants signal over story. If your board reads deeper, add an appendix, but keep the front page short. The structure does not change. The length is yours.
Where an operator takes this next.
Writing the update by hand each quarter works. Here's how it stops depending on someone remembering to draft it.
A board that trusts the number trusts the plan that follows it.
Connect Salesforce or HubSpot so bookings and pipeline feed the first line automatically instead of a manual export the week before the board meeting.
Set a scheduled Claude task to generate a draft update the Monday before every board meeting, so the leader edits instead of starting from a blank page.
Pull the number through Snowflake or your warehouse so the board sees one number that already matches finance, not two versions that need explaining.
One skill is the on-ramp.
A single skill does one job. Chained into a playbook, or run as a full build, it becomes a system. Here is where this one plugs in.