Show the working.
The useful part of an advisory process is often the record of how a conclusion was reached: the question, the evidence, the alternatives and the uncertainty.
Separate facts from assumptions.
A statement may be true, plausible or simply familiar. Those are different starting points. Put a source and date beside evidence, identify the person who can check it and label assumptions directly.
Where information is missing, write a question. Where accounts disagree, preserve that difference until it can be investigated. A tidy document should not conceal a contested point.
Keep the alternatives visible.
Describe each practical option in the same terms. Consider the people affected, dependencies, time available and what would be difficult to reverse. Include doing less or waiting where those are genuine choices.
Use a simple scoring exercise only when its assumptions are clear. Explain every contribution and discuss what the numbers leave out.
Try the illustrative consideration matrixRecord the work honestly.
Supply your own photograph
1600 × 1000 pixels
Alt text: Sample: Describe the actual working document or session shown, without disclosing private information.
Caption: Sample: Name the real activity, explain its context and credit the photographer.
Use your own photos, not stock people. Obtain permission from everyone pictured and permission to show the location or work.
This instructional space is reserved for your own real work. Remove confidential material, obtain necessary permissions and label any recreated example clearly. No sample client project is claimed here.
Close with responsibility.
A meeting can end without a decision. Record that clearly, along with what is needed to move it forward. For agreed actions, name an owner and a review point.
Keep the paper short enough to revisit. As new information arrives, add the source and date rather than quietly rewriting the history.
Read the preparation notes