Analysis memos, decision docs and executive communication · Proficient · Lesson 77 of 99 · about 3 hours
Writing the analysis memo
After this you can write a one-to-two page analysis memo with the answer, the evidence, the uncertainty and the recommended action.
Why it matters
An analysis memo answers one question for one decision. A reliable shape: the question and the answer in the first paragraph; two to four findings, each with its key number and one chart at most; what this means and what you recommend; caveats and what would change your mind; method in an appendix. No good free video teaches this format specifically, so this topic leans on written guides. Write one memo this week on an analysis you have already done, and ask a stakeholder whether they could act on it.
How to use this resource
A short, current guide to memo writing: quantify the problem, know your reader, compare options against criteria, and lead with the recommendation. Written for policy memos; swap 'policy option' for 'business option' and it is the best free guide to analysis memos.