ChatGPT Prompts for Report Writing: Analysis, Research, Executive

Published: July 2026 | 8 min read

Report writing is how organizations make decisions. A good report turns data into insight, insight into recommendation, and recommendation into action. AI can help you structure reports, analyze data, draft sections, and refine the narrative — if your prompts understand that a report is not a summary, it is a decision-making tool.

Business Reports

1. Quarterly Business Review (QBR) Template

Role: Business analyst writing a QBR
Task: Create a Quarterly Business Review for [business unit/product].
Period: [Quarter, year]
Data: [Paste key metrics, achievements, challenges, financial summary]
QBR sections:
1. Executive Summary (1 page: performance vs targets, top 3 wins, top 3 issues, outlook)
2. Performance Dashboard:
   - Revenue (actual vs target, YoY growth, variance)
   - Customer metrics (acquisition, retention, NPS, churn)
   - Operational metrics (utilization, efficiency, quality)
   - People metrics (headcount, attrition, engagement)
3. Quarter Highlights (3-5 key achievements with context and impact)
4. Challenges & Misses (what fell short, why, what is being done)
5. Market & Competitive Context (what changed in the market this quarter)
6. Strategic Initiatives Update (status of key projects, milestones, risks)
7. Financial Summary (P&L highlights, budget utilization, forecast revision)
8. Next Quarter Priorities (3-5 focus areas with rationale)
9. Decisions Needed (what input/approval is required from leadership)
10. Appendix (detailed data tables, charts, methodology notes)
Format: QBR document ready for leadership presentation.
Constraint: Executive summary must stand alone — if they read nothing else, they know what happened.

2. SWOT Analysis Report

Role: Strategy analyst
Task: Create a SWOT analysis report for [company/product/initiative].
Subject: [What is being analyzed]
Context: [Market conditions, competitive landscape, timing]
For each quadrant:
Strengths (internal, positive):
1. [Strength] — evidence — how it creates advantage
2. [Strength] — evidence — how it creates advantage
(5-7 items)
Weaknesses (internal, negative):
1. [Weakness] — evidence — how it creates risk
2. [Weakness] — evidence — how it creates risk
(5-7 items, be honest — a SWOT with no real weaknesses is useless)
Opportunities (external, positive):
1. [Opportunity] — evidence — how to capture it
2. [Opportunity] — evidence — how to capture it
(5-7 items)
Threats (external, negative):
1. [Threat] — evidence — how to mitigate
2. [Threat] — evidence — how to mitigate
(5-7 items)
Strategic Implications:
1. SO strategies (use strengths to capture opportunities) — 2-3 actions
2. WO strategies (improve weaknesses to capture opportunities) — 2-3 actions
3. ST strategies (use strengths to mitigate threats) — 2-3 actions
4. WT strategies (minimize weaknesses to avoid threats) — 2-3 actions
Format: SWOT report with strategic action recommendations.

3. Incident / Post-Mortem Report

Role: Technical incident report writer
Task: Write a post-mortem for [incident description].
Incident: [What happened, when, duration, user impact, severity]
Format (Google-style post-mortem):
1. Summary (1 paragraph: what happened, impact, root cause in one sentence)
2. Impact:
   - User impact (how many affected, how, for how long)
   - Business impact (revenue, SLA breach, reputation)
   - Severity level and duration
3. Timeline (minute-by-minute from first alert to resolution):
   - Detection (when did we know? how?)
   - Response (who responded, when, what did they do)
   - Resolution (what fixed it)
   - Recovery (when was full service restored)
4. Root Cause:
   - What caused the incident (technical root cause)
   - Why did it happen (process/system root cause — the "why did we not catch this")
   - Contributing factors (what made it worse or harder to fix)
5. What Went Well:
   - Detection was fast
   - Communication was clear
   - Rollback worked
   (acknowledge what worked — builds trust)
6. What Went Wrong:
   - Monitoring gap
   - Insufficient test coverage
   - Slow escalation
   (be honest, not blame-y)
7. Action Items (table: action, owner, priority, due date, status)
   - Preventive (stops this from happening again)
   - Detective (helps us catch it faster next time)
   - Responsive (helps us fix it faster next time)
8. Lessons Learned (2-3 sentences: what will we do differently)
9. Appendix (graphs, logs, dashboards, related incidents)
Format: Post-mortem document for blameless review.

Research & Analysis Reports

4. Market Research Report

Role: Market research analyst
Task: Create a market research report for [market/industry/topic].
Research question: [What are we trying to understand?]
Data sources: [What data is available — surveys, interviews, public data, competitor analysis]
Report structure:
1. Executive Summary (1 page: key findings, implications, recommendations)
2. Research Objective (what we wanted to learn, why it matters)
3. Methodology (how data was collected, sample size, limitations)
4. Market Overview:
   - Market size (TAM/SAM/SOM)
   - Growth rate and trends
   - Key segments and their characteristics
5. Competitive Landscape:
   - Top 5 competitors (market share, positioning, strengths/gaps)
   - Competitive dynamics (consolidating? fragmenting? new entrants?)
6. Customer Insights:
   - Needs and pain points (what do they want? what stops them?)
   - Decision criteria (how do they choose? what matters most?)
   - Willingness to pay (price sensitivity, value perception)
7. Opportunities:
   - Underserved segments
   - Gap analysis (what needs are not being met?)
   - Adjacent markets (where could we expand?)
8. Risks:
   - Market risks (disruption, regulation, economic)
   - Competitive risks (who could eat our lunch?)
   - Timing risks (too early? too late?)
9. Recommendations (3-5 specific, actionable recommendations with rationale)
10. Appendix (data tables, survey methodology, source list)
Format: Market research report ready for strategy team and leadership.

5. Competitor Analysis Report

Role: Competitive intelligence analyst
Task: Create a competitor analysis report for [competitor name].
Competitor: [Name, market position, why we are analyzing them]
Our company: [Who we are, our position, our differentiation]
Report sections:
1. Executive Summary (1 paragraph: who they are, threat level, what to do)
2. Company Overview:
   - Founded, funding, size, geography
   - Mission, positioning, target market
   - Recent news (last 6 months: product, funding, leadership changes)
3. Product Comparison:
   - Feature matrix (us vs them — feature by feature)
   - Where they are better (be honest — this is for internal use)
   - Where we are better
   - Where nobody is good (opportunity gap)
4. Pricing Comparison:
   - Their pricing model and tiers
   - Our pricing model and tiers
   - Value perception (are they cheaper for less, or same price for more?)
5. Go-to-Market:
   - Sales model (direct, self-serve, channel, PLG?)
   - Marketing channels (where do they show up? SEO, ads, content, events?)
   - Messaging (what do they claim? how do they position?)
6. Customer Perception:
   - Review themes (G2, TrustRadius, app stores)
   - What customers love about them
   - What customers complain about (our opportunity)
7. Strengths (what they do well — be honest)
8. Weaknesses (where they are vulnerable)
9. Threat Assessment:
   - How likely are they to take our customers?
   - What markets are they likely to enter?
   - What should we watch for?
10. Our Response:
    - What should we do (3-5 specific actions)
    - What should we NOT do (things that would not work against them)
    - What should we reinforce (our strengths they cannot match)
Format: Competitor analysis for leadership review.

6. Literature Review / Research Summary

Role: Research analyst
Task: Create a literature review / research summary on [topic].
Topic: [What is the research question?]
Sources: [List of papers, articles, reports with key findings]
Structure:
1. Introduction (topic background, why it matters, scope of review)
2. Methodology (how sources were selected, how many, inclusion criteria)
3. Themes Identified (organize findings by theme, not by source):
   For each theme:
   - Theme description
   - Key findings across sources (what do they agree on? where do they disagree?)
   - Quality of evidence (strong, moderate, weak)
   - Gaps in the research (what has not been studied?)
4. Key Findings (bullet list of the most important insights)
5. Contradictions (where sources disagree and possible explanations)
6. Limitations (of the research and of this review)
7. Implications (what this means for our decision/work)
8. Recommendations (what to do based on this research)
9. Further Research (what still needs to be answered)
10. Source Quality Assessment (table: source, methodology, sample size, bias risk)
Format: Research summary for non-academic decision-makers.
Constraint: Cite every claim. No "research shows" without saying which research.

Executive & Status Reports

7. Executive Briefing

Role: Executive briefing writer
Task: Write an executive briefing on [topic/issue].
Topic: [What the executive needs to understand]
Executive: [Who — their role, what they care about, what they already know]
Format (1-2 pages max):
1. Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF — 2-3 sentences: the key takeaway)
2. Background (3-4 sentences: context they need — do not over-explain)
3. Current Situation (bullet list: facts, no opinions)
4. Options (2-3 options, each with):
   - What it involves
   - Pros
   - Cons
   - Cost
   - Timeline
   - Risk level
5. Recommendation (which option, why — 2-3 sentences)
6. Risks of Inaction (what happens if they do nothing)
7. Decision Needed By (when, why that deadline)
8. Next Steps (what happens after they decide)
Rules:
- Executive writes the decision, not the analysis
- One page if possible, two maximum
- Numbers, not narrative ("15% decrease" not "significant decline")
- No hedging — have a recommendation and defend it
Format: Executive briefing ready for a 10-minute decision meeting.

8. Project Status Report

Role: Project manager writing status report
Task: Write a project status report for [project, period].
Project: [Name, sponsor, phase]
Format:
1. Project Health: Green/Yellow/Red (with 1-sentence reason)
2. Executive Summary (2-3 sentences: what happened, what is next, any issues)
3. Schedule Status:
   - Planned completion: [date]
   - Current projected: [date]
   - Variance: [+/- days]
   - Reason for variance: [if any]
4. Budget Status:
   - Approved budget: [$]
   - Spent to date: [$]
   - Forecast at completion: [$]
   - Variance: [+/- $, %]
5. Scope Status:
   - Changes this period: [list any approved changes]
   - Pending changes: [list pending]
   - Scope creep risk: [yes/no, description]
6. Risk Update (top 5 risks with current status and trend arrow):
   - Risk 1: [status: increasing/stable/decreasing — mitigation update]
7. Milestone Tracker:
   - Achieved this period: [list]
   - Upcoming: [list with dates]
   - At risk: [list with concern]
8. Resource Status:
   - Team utilization: [%]
   - Open roles: [list]
   - Capacity concerns: [any]
9. Decisions Needed (what, by whom, by when)
10. What to Watch Next Period (2-3 things to keep an eye on)
Format: One-page report, scannable, email-ready.

9. Financial Performance Report

Role: Financial analyst writing performance report
Task: Write a financial performance report for [period/entity].
Data: [Revenue, COGS, gross margin, OpEx, EBITDA, net income, cash, key ratios]
Format:
1. Executive Summary (3-4 sentences: performance vs plan, key drivers, outlook)
2. Revenue:
   - Total revenue vs plan vs prior year (table)
   - Revenue by segment/product (table with mix %)
   - Revenue trend (Q-over-Q, Y-over-Y)
   - Key drivers (what drove revenue up/down)
3. Margins:
   - Gross margin % (vs plan, vs benchmark, trend)
   - Operating margin % (vs plan, trend)
   - EBITDA margin (vs plan, trend)
   - Margin walk: what changed and why
4. Operating Expenses:
   - By category (vs plan, vs prior, variance explanation)
   - Headcount and people costs
   - Non-cash items (D&A, stock-based comp)
5. Cash Flow:
   - Operating cash flow (vs plan, trend)
   - Free cash flow (vs plan, trend)
   - Cash position (end of period, runway if applicable)
6. Key Ratios:
   - Current ratio, quick ratio
   - Debt service coverage (if applicable)
   - Customer acquisition cost / lifetime value (if applicable)
7. Variance Analysis:
   - Revenue variance: volume vs price vs mix
   - Cost variance: volume vs rate vs efficiency
8. Forecast Update:
   - Revised full-year outlook
   - Key assumptions (what changed)
   - Risk factors
9. Recommendations (what to do based on these numbers)
Format: Financial report for CFO/CEO/board level.

Quality & Review

10. Report Review Checklist

Role: Report quality reviewer
Task: Create a report review checklist for [report type].
Review dimensions:
1. Content:
   - Does it answer the question it was commissioned to answer?
   - Is the executive summary accurate (does it reflect the body?)
   - Are all claims supported by data?
   - Are recommendations actionable (specific, owned, time-bound)?
2. Structure:
   - Does it follow a logical structure (does each section build on the last?)
   - Is the executive summary self-contained?
   - Are sections properly headed and numbered?
   - Is there a clear progression: data -> analysis -> recommendation?
3. Clarity:
   - Can a non-expert understand the executive summary?
   - Is jargon defined on first use?
   - Are acronyms spelled out?
   - Are sentences under 25 words? (break longer ones)
4. Data Quality:
   - Are all numbers sourced? (no "studies show" without citation)
   - Are charts labeled (title, axes, legend, units)?
   - Is the data current? (when was it collected?)
   - Are there obvious data errors? (sums do not add, percentages over 100)
5. Objectivity:
   - Is the tone neutral (not advocating, presenting)?
   - Are opposing views acknowledged?
   - Are limitations stated?
   - Is there confirmation bias (only supportive data)?
6. Actionability:
   - Can someone make a decision after reading this?
   - Are next steps clear?
   - Is there a timeline?
   - Are owners assigned?
Generate 30-40 review items.
Format: Review checklist for self-review and peer review.

11. Report Outline Generator

Role: Report structure specialist
Task: Create a detailed outline for [report type] on [topic].
Report type: [Business analysis / research / technical / financial / strategic]
Topic: [What the report covers]
Audience: [Who will read it, what they need]
Purpose: [What the report should achieve]
Outline:
1. Title (proposed)
2. Executive Summary (1 paragraph: what goes here)
3. Section 1: [Name] (what it covers, key points to include, estimated length)
4. Section 2: [Name] (...)
... (8-12 sections)
N. Conclusions and Recommendations
N+1. Appendix (what supporting material goes here)
For each section:
1. Purpose (why this section exists)
2. Key content (what specifically goes in this section)
3. Data needed (what data to gather for this section)
4. Estimated length (pages/words)
5. Writer (who should draft this section — role, not name)
6. Dependencies (what other sections must be drafted first)
Output: Report outline ready to assign to a team.

12. Data-to-Narrative Transformer

Role: Data storytelling specialist
Task: Transform this data into a narrative report section.
Data: [Paste data: tables, metrics, survey results]
Audience: [Who will read this — what do they care about?]
Point to make: [What is the key takeaway? What should the reader do?]
Narrative structure:
1. Headline finding (1 sentence: the most important thing in the data)
2. Context (1-2 sentences: compared to what? last period? benchmark? target?)
3. The numbers (2-3 key figures, in plain English, not raw tables)
4. What it means (2-3 sentences: business implication of the numbers)
5. So what? (1-2 sentences: what action should be taken)
6. Drill-down (if relevant: where is the biggest change concentrated?)
Rules:
- Numbers in context, not isolation ("up 15% vs last quarter" not "1,234 units")
- One chart worth of data per paragraph (do not dump all numbers)
- Start with the insight, not the methodology
- End with the action, not the data
Format: 200-300 word narrative section ready for the report body.

Best Practices

For more reporting content, see our AI prompts for data analysis and AI prompts for Excel automation.