CHAPTER 015 min
Reframe from metrics to questions
A CFO doesn't read metrics. They read the answers to five questions.
DO THIS
- Q1: is revenue where we said it would be?
- Q2: is the funnel healthy?
- Q3: is retention improving?
- Q4: is cash tracking runway?
- Q5: is there a risk we're not naming?
TIP
If you can't answer the five questions in ten minutes, the dashboard is wrong.
NEXT CHAPTER
02 · Map each question to a source
CHAPTER 025 min
Map each question to a source
One source per question. No cross-referencing during the read.
DO THIS
- Revenue → Revenue Intelligence
- Funnel → Business Intelligence
- Retention → Revenue Intelligence
- Cash → Revenue Intelligence
- Risk → Executive Assistant
TIP
The moment you have to jump between tools mid-read, the system is broken.
NEXT CHAPTER
03 · Read leading indicators first
CHAPTER 036 min
Read leading indicators first
CFOs read leading indicators before lagging ones. Reverse your usual order.
DO THIS
- Start with pipeline coverage, not revenue
- Then retention leading indicators
- Then the top-line
TIP
Revenue is the last number a CFO reads, not the first.
NEXT CHAPTER
04 · Name the risk explicitly
CHAPTER 045 min
Name the risk explicitly
Every read includes a stated risk. Even if it's “no new risk this week.”
DO THIS
- Force a risk sentence every week
- Log it
- Track resolution
TIP
Unnamed risks compound. Named risks get owned.
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05 · Compare to plan, not to last week
CHAPTER 055 min
Compare to plan, not to last week
“Up from last week” is meaningless. “Ahead of plan by 4%” is a decision.
DO THIS
- Set the quarterly plan
- Track weekly variance vs. plan
- Drop the week-over-week vanity view
TIP
Week-over-week is a trend. Plan variance is a decision.
NEXT CHAPTER
06 · Ship the weekly memo
CHAPTER 066 min
Ship the weekly memo
The read ends with a one-page memo that answers the five questions.
DO THIS
- Write the memo in five paragraphs
- One per question
- Ship every Monday morning
TIP
The memo is written for the board, then re-used internally. Not the other way around.
WRAP UP
You've reached the outcome.
A weekly read that surfaces the real signal, not the loudest number.