Executive Briefing Guidelines

CEVE 421/521 Final Project

Published

Monday, April 20, 2026

Draft Material

This content is under development and subject to change.

Overview

Presentations: Week 14 (April 20, 22, 24) Slides Due: Friday of Week 13 (April 17)

Your team will deliver a 20-minute Executive Briefing presenting your audit findings to a simulated “Client Board.” Non-presenting teams will role-play as board members and must ask substantive questions.

Format

  • Presentation: 15 minutes
  • Q&A: 5 minutes
  • Audience: Your classmates role-play as the board that commissioned the audit

Presentation Requirements

Your briefing should address:

1. Context (2-3 minutes)

  • What plan did you audit? (Title, organization, scope)
  • Why does this plan matter? (Stakes, affected populations)
  • What was your audit approach?

2. Decision Framework (3-4 minutes)

  • Key Levers: What decisions does the plan make?
  • Key Metrics: How does the plan measure success?
  • Framework Gaps: What’s missing from the decision structure?

3. Evidence Base (3-4 minutes)

  • Valuation Methods: How are costs/benefits calculated?
  • System Models: What models predict outcomes?
  • Evidence Gaps: Where is the analysis weakest?

4. Robustness (3-4 minutes)

  • Uncertainty Treatment: How does the plan handle uncertainty?
  • Vulnerability Analysis: Where might the plan fail?
  • Robustness Gaps: What scenarios are ignored?

5. Recommendation (2-3 minutes)

Provide a clear verdict with justification:

  • Endorse: The plan is sound; implement as proposed
  • Modify: The plan has merit but needs specific changes
  • Reject: The plan has fundamental flaws; redesign needed

Your recommendation must be supported by specific findings from your audit.

Slide Requirements

  • Maximum 15 slides (excluding title slide)
  • Slides due Friday of Week 13 by 11:59 PM
  • Submit as PDF to Canvas
  • All teams submit before any presentations (fairness)

Audience Participation

When you are not presenting, you are a Board Member. Board members must:

  • Ask at least one substantive question per presentation
  • Questions should probe assumptions, methods, or conclusions
  • Avoid softball questions; this is a professional audit review

Grading Rubric

Criterion Points
Clear communication of audit findings 25
Technical depth and accuracy 25
Strength of evidence for recommendation 20
Response to Q&A 15
Slide quality and professionalism 15
Total 100

Audience Participation (separate grade):

  • Quality of questions asked during other presentations
  • Graded as part of class participation