Playbook #19
Read the essentials of a financial report without getting lost
Extract key indicators, risk signals, and strategic messages from a dense financial report in minutes.
The Challenge
Financial reports are designed to be exhaustive, not to support quick decision-making. Between technical tables, methodological notes, and accounting jargon, the essential gets diluted. The risk is not only wasting time but misinterpreting a key figure, missing a weak signal, or relying on a conclusion out of context. Result: decisions taken with partial or late understanding of the real financial situation.
What this playbook brings you
This capsule allows you to transform a voluminous financial report into actionable reading for decision-making. From a dense PDF, you get a clear synthesis highlighting truly decisive indicators, trends to watch, critical assumptions, and risk signals, while linking each element to its source in the document. The goal is not to replace expert analysis, but to quickly give you a reliable understanding of the financial situation, enabling you to ask the right questions, prioritize your attention points, and decide with more confidence.
"Numbers don't lie, but they like to hide on page 84." — Anonymous
When to use this capsule
- Before a management or committee meeting, when time is short for a full read
- To prepare relevant questions for an analyst, partner, or external firm
- To quickly compare the financial situation of multiple organizations or projects
- To identify sensitive points of a report before engaging a strategic decision
- To get a reliable first read without immediately depending on a third party
What you'll need
- The financial report in PDF to analyze.
- The period covered by the report (e.g., Q3 2024).
- *** Confidentiality Note: If the document is internal or non-public, use only a secured AI tool (e.g., Copilot M365, Gemini Enterprise). Never share these documents in public tools.
This prompt works with all AI tools
Copy-paste this prompt into your tool
Act as a senior financial analyst tasked with preparing a reading note for a non-specialist decision-maker.
Analyze the financial report contained in the file [FileName.pdf] and produce a clear, factual, and actionable synthesis, in English.
Imperative Rules
- Do not invent any figure, trend, or interpretation not explicitly present in the document.
- Each figure or important statement must be accompanied by the exact page number of the report.
- If information is absent or ambiguous, state it explicitly.
Expected Synthesis Structure
1. Overview (10-12 lines maximum)
- Nature of document (quarterly, annual, consolidated report, etc.)
- Covered period
- Main financial message to retain
2. Key Indicators
Present only indicators really available in the report, among:
- Revenue
- Margin (gross or operating)
- Net result or profit
- Cash flow
For each: value, evolution compared to previous period if mentioned, and source page.
3. Watch Points and Risks
- Three financial, operational, or structural risks explicitly mentioned in the report
- For each: nature of risk and reference page
4. Elements Requiring Clarification
- Fuzzy points, implicit assumptions, or areas where information is insufficient
- Questions a decision-maker should ask management or the analyst
5. Decisional Reading
- In a few lines, what this report allows to conclude
- And what it does not allow to conclude without complementary analysis
Expected Tone
Professional, neutral, precise. No promotional language, no speculation.
Reminder: AI can make mistakes. Always review the content before sharing it.
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Less than 30 seconds