analytical-report-shapes

name	analytical-report-shapes
description	Use when selecting or designing the exact shape of a decision-grade analytical artifact: intelligence brief, estimative memo, warning note, decision memo, status report, evaluation report, research report, due-diligence memo, market analysis, or executive one-pager.
metadata	{"portable":true,"compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]}

Analytical Report Shapes

Use When

• Use when the user asks for a report, memo, brief, paper, deck, one-pager, intelligence product, status update, evaluation, or recommendation and the exact shape matters.
• Use before drafting or briefing sub-agents so structure, evidence density, confidence language, and audience action are locked.
• Use alongside research-output-formats; this skill focuses on decision-grade analytical shapes.

Do Not Use When

• The user provides a binding template, regulator form, journal template, or house style.
• The output is a raw research note that is not meant for a reader decision.

Required Inputs

• Audience, decision context, time sensitivity, evidence maturity, confidentiality, and expected action.
• Output family, length, citation expectations, and whether the piece is descriptive, estimative, evaluative, or advisory.

Workflow

1. Identify the reader's action: know, decide, approve, fund, investigate, monitor, challenge, or communicate.
2. Classify the analytic mode: descriptive, explanatory, estimative, warning, evaluative, advisory, or status.
3. Select the shape from references/shape-catalogue.md.
4. Load the matching template from references/templates.md.
5. Route to companion skills for evidence, reasoning, uncertainty, decision, executive writing, and rendering.
6. Run the shape-specific ship gate before final drafting.

Quality Standards

• The first screen or page tells the reader why the artifact exists.
• The shape matches the decision lifespan: current brief, durable report, warning note, or reusable knowledge asset.
• Evidence density matches audience and stakes.
• Confidence language survives editing.
• Headings form a skim path that communicates the argument.

Anti-Patterns

• Treating "report" as a single genre.
• Using an academic essay shape for an executive decision.
• Using a consulting deck shape for an evidentiary investigation that needs audit trail.
• Hiding uncertainty in footnotes.
• Drafting before choosing the reader action.

Outputs

• Shape selection note.
• Artifact outline.
• Shape-specific quality gate.
• Sub-agent deliverable instructions.

Evidence Produced

Category	Artifact	Format	Example
UX quality	Shape selection note	Markdown table	Audience, action, shape, reason
Release evidence	Shape ship gate	Checklist	Evidence, uncertainty, skim path, next action

References

• Load references/shape-catalogue.md to select the artifact.
• Load references/templates.md to draft the artifact skeleton.

Companion Skills

• research-output-formats covers broad academic, advocacy, commercial, and professional families.
• executive-communication supplies Minto, SCQA, and action-title structure.
• analytic-tradecraft supplies intelligence judgment discipline.
• decision-support-analysis supplies options and recommendation logic.