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) Slides Due: Friday of Week 13 (April 17)

Your team will deliver a 25-minute Executive Briefing presenting your audit findings. Non-presenting students are expected to ask substantive questions during Q&A.

Format

  • Presentation: 20 minutes
  • Q&A: 5 minutes

Presentation Requirements

Your briefing should address:

1. Context (3-4 minutes)

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

2. XLRM Framework (5-7 minutes)

  • Key Uncertainties: What could go wrong?
  • Key Levers: What decisions does the plan make?
  • System Models: What models link actions to outcomes?
  • Key Metrics: How does the plan measure success?
  • Framework Gaps: What’s missing?

3. Evidence & Robustness (5-7 minutes)

  • Valuation Methods: How are costs/benefits calculated?
  • Robustness: How does the plan handle deep uncertainty?
  • Vulnerabilities: Where might the plan fail?
  • Evidence Gaps: Where is the analysis weakest?

4. Recommendation (3-4 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

  • 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 20
Technical depth and accuracy 20
Strength of evidence for recommendation 20
Response to Q&A 15
Slide quality and professionalism 15
Audience participation (questions during other presentations) 10
Total 100