All CEOs like a great summary that shows the whole picture. In my research, I came across this one A3 page (U.S. standard fanfold) that I believe is an excellent example of clever reporting. The finance team has summarized the areas to note, the month’s financial performance, business unit performance focusing on the important units, and a very summarized P& L and balance sheet . It can be delivered as a full screen report or an A3 page in full colour.

You can also use the back for analysing the business units.  For a retail operation I suggested they put their 200 retail shops in three league tables, the large, medium and small shops based on sales per square foot or employee, shading the top and bottom quartiles.

If designed right this one-screen/A3 page will become the main report. Whatever you include on the back side, ensure you do not go below a 10 – point font size.