Turn financial model outputs into a clear written narrative. Use when asked to write a financial narrative, explain a financial model, summarise a P&L, or translate spreadsheet numbers into a board-ready story. Produces an executive narrative with key insights, drivers, and forward-looking commentary.
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Use financial-model-narrative to turn [financial figures] for [period and audience] into a board-ready narrative that explains key drivers, material variances, cash movement, and forward-looking commentary.
Required inputs
[financial figures]
[period and audience]
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SKILL.md
name: financial-model-narrativedescription: "Turn financial model outputs into a clear written narrative. Use when asked to write a financial narrative, explain a financial model, summarise a P&L, or translate spreadsheet numbers into a board-ready story. Produces an executive narrative with key insights, drivers, and forward-looking commentary."
Financial Model Narrative Skill
Turns financial model outputs into a clear, structured written narrative suitable for board packs, investor updates, or management reporting.
Required Inputs
Financial data (paste key figures: revenue, costs, margins, EBITDA, cash)
Period covered (month / quarter / annual / multi-year)
Audience (board / investors / management / bank / internal)
Key message (what is the headline story?)
Actuals vs budget / prior period? (comparison context)
Output Structure
1. Headline Summary
3-5 sentences. The financial story in plain English. Lead with the most important insight — not "revenue was X" but what that figure means.
2. Revenue
Performance vs prior period / budget
Key drivers: what caused the movement
Risks or opportunities in the revenue line
3. Costs and Margins
Gross margin: % and trend
Key cost movements and why
EBITDA performance and drivers
One-off items clearly flagged
4. Cash and Balance Sheet
Cash position and movement
Runway (for startups)
Key working capital movements
5. Variance Analysis
For each significant variance:
[Line item] — Over/Under by [amount]
Cause: [Plain English explanation]
Permanent or temporary? One-time / Structural
Action being taken: [If applicable]
6. Forward-Looking Commentary
Expected next period
Key risks to forecast
Key opportunities
Any reforecast or guidance change
Writing Rules
Never just restate a number — always explain what it means
Flag variances over 10% automatically
Use past tense for actuals, conditional for forecast
One insight per paragraph
Quality Checks
Headline summary leads with meaning, not just the number
Every significant variance has a cause, permanence, and action
Forward-looking commentary includes specific risks and opportunities
Audience-appropriate language (board vs investor vs management)
One-off items clearly distinguished from recurring items
Anti-Patterns
Do not list numbers without explaining what is driving them — narrative must go beyond restating the figures
Do not mix one-off items with recurring performance without clearly distinguishing them
Do not write the same level of detail for all line items — focus depth on the items that matter most
Do not omit forward-looking commentary — a narrative without outlook is incomplete for board or investor audiences
Do not use technical accounting language without translation — the audience is executives, not accountants
Example Trigger Phrases
"Write a financial narrative for these results: [paste numbers]"
"Turn this P&L into a board narrative"
"Write the finance section of our board pack"
"Explain these financial results in plain English"