Here are short descriptions of the components of the performance story, in the order in which I present them:

* Executive Summary: This section introduces the entire exercise and sets the stage so anyone can understand the importance of your task. You want to establish what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you accomplished. Clearly stating this at the beginning will provide a kind of road map to guide your audience. Part of the Executive Summary section is a further consolidation of the Performance Summary section. Focus on the business and trying to communicate a highly technical situation to nontechnical people. It's easy to get too technical, so be careful. Remember that this is probably the only section management will read. Make it simple, relevant, and to the point. Do not try to impress people with your technical prowess here. There are plenty of other areas to impress your colleagues. I also include the overall engagement objectives and accomplishments in the Executive Summary section.

* Recommendations: Most people will ask for a consolidated recommendation list. While this list may be more detailed in subsequent sections and summarized at a high level in the Executive Summary section, in the Recommendation section, keep this list succinct, like a simple check box list. This also serves as a follow-up reference; that is, a kind of baseline.