More papers, less clarity: what’s going wrong with board reporting?

Associate Director of Organisational Development Normi Cadavieco argues that ineffective reporting is often a system issue, not a writing issue.

My colleague Peter Allanson’s recent blog on Writing board papers is essential reading for all boards. But it got me thinking about how most organisations don’t have a reporting problem because people can’t write; it’s because the system around reporting isn’t effective.

We’ve seen a significant increase in requests for report writing support over the past year from across the spectrum of public-purpose organisations. The feedback is often consistent: board packs are getting longer, papers are harder to interpret and time in meetings is being spent clarifying rather than deciding.

What’s striking is that this isn’t about individual capability. Rather, it’s a reflection of wider organisational pressures and change.

Losing sight of what good looks like

In many cases, organisations are navigating structural change. Mergers, group models and closer working arrangements are reshaping governance structures and assurance flows. New committees are being established, responsibilities are shifting and legacy reporting approaches no longer quite fit. In this context, even experienced teams can find themselves unsure about what good looks like.

Alongside this, expectations of boards and senior leaders continue to increase. There is greater scrutiny, both internally and externally, and a growing emphasis on demonstrating robust assurance. Boards need to be confident not just in the data they are receiving, but in the interpretation, the risks and the implications for decision-making.

At the same time, many organisations are experiencing a familiar tension: more information, but less clarity. Papers are often data-rich but insight-light. We all know what this looks like – reams of diagrams and KPIs with little or no context to support assurance. Key messages can be buried, recommendations unclear and risks described without a clear sense of ownership or impact.

The result is that valuable board time is spent unpacking reports rather than focusing on the strategic conversations that matter most.

Why it matters

We see this issue come into sharper focus during periods of leadership transition. New executive teams and chairs often bring a renewed focus on the quality of reporting – not as an end in itself, but as a way of strengthening governance, accountability and decision-making across the organisation, while recognising the inevitable challenge of more information and less time to process it.

Taken together, these factors mean that report writing is no longer a purely technical skill. It sits at the heart of how organisations govern effectively.

What good looks like 

As my colleague Daniel Taylor wrote recently, ‘Papers are the medium through which performance is understood, risk is interpreted, and strategy is tested.’

Good reporting creates clarity. It enables boards to understand what is happening, what it means and what is required of them. It supports better questions, more confident decisions and stronger assurance.

Crucially, it creates a shared understanding between those writing reports and those receiving them, and gets to the ever elusive ‘so what?’

In practice, this means moving beyond presenting information to providing insight. Being explicit about the purpose of the paper and the ask of the board. Clearly articulating risks, implications and what is changing. And doing so in a way that is proportionate, focused and aligned to the organisation’s governance framework.

Sense check: is your paper doing what it needs to? 

Before submitting a paper, ask:

• Is the purpose clear within the first paragraph? Why is this coming to the board now?
• Is the ask explicit? What exactly do you need the board to do – approve, discuss or take assurance?
• Have you moved beyond data to insight? What does this mean, not just what is happening?
• Are the risks clear and owned? What are we concerned about, and who is accountable?
• Does it capture the ‘so what?’ Why does this matter for the organisation?

If these aren’t clear, the board will spend time trying to interpret the paper rather than using it to inform discussion and decision-making. 

A shift, not a quick fix

This is where many organisations are now focusing their efforts. Not simply on improving individual papers, but on resetting expectations and building a consistent, organisation-wide approach to reporting.

GGi’s report writing training is designed to support this shift. We work with teams to explore what good looks like in their specific context, using real examples and practical exercises to build confidence and capability. The aim is not to produce perfect papers, but to enable clearer thinking, better communication and more effective governance.

Where to start

If reports are becoming harder to write, interpret or act on, it’s likely a sign that something in the wider system needs attention.

In our experience, small shifts in how reporting is approached – focused on clarity of purpose, stronger insight, a shared understanding of what good looks like – can have a disproportionate positive impact. Not just on the papers themselves, but on the confidence, focus and effectiveness of board discussions.