Brief · Template
Overview.
LiveOverviewUnderstand a topic well enough to act on it: the main point first, how sure we are, what is established and what is assumed, and what would change the picture.
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When to use it
You need to understand a topic, a file or an actor, and you are not being asked to decide yet.
Who it is for. Leads who meet a new subject: public affairs, regulatory, medical, market access, corporate development and brand leads who have to be useful on it by the end of the week.
Why overviews mislead
A reader who comes to a topic cold cannot tell what is established from what is assumed, or how sure the writer is. An overview that blurs fact and inference cannot be checked. This template keeps the two apart, says how confident it is in words you will read the same way, and says what would change its mind.2
What you get
The main point first, with how sure we are. The first paragraph says what to understand, how confident the specialist is, and what is most likely wrong. A reader who stops there still has the answer.1,2
What is known, kept apart from what is assumed. Established facts carry a source and a certainty label. Interpretation is marked as interpretation, in its own section.2
Likelihood in words that mean the same thing to everyone. Words such as “likely” and “unlikely” are read differently by different people, so the overview uses them with stated ranges and does not mix confidence in the evidence with the likelihood of an event.3
Terms defined once, in plain words. At Comprehensive length a table defines the terms and the parties a newcomer needs, so no key message depends on a later explanation.4
Small graphics inside the argument. Where sourced data support it, a small chart or timeline sits beside the sentence it supports, chosen for the question it answers.5,6
What would change the picture. The closing section names the signposts to watch and the main gaps, so you know when to read it again.2
What is in it, by length
| Section | Brief | Standard | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom lineWhat to understand, how sure we are, and what is most likely wrong | ● | ● | ● |
| Why it matters nowThe situation, what disturbed it, and the question that follows | – | ● | ● |
| What we knowWhat is established, with what certainty and from which sources | – | ● | ● |
| How it worksThe mechanism or structure underneath | – | – | ● |
| What it meansWhat follows from the facts, labeled as interpretation | ● | ● | ● |
| Terms and actorsWhat the terms mean and who the parties are | – | – | ● |
| What would change thisWhat would alter the picture, what to watch, and the main gaps | ● | ● | ● |
A Standard overview runs about 1,100 words and up to 1,500. A Comprehensive overview runs about 2,800.
Choosing a length
Choose Standard for most topics. Choose Comprehensive when you are coming to the subject cold, or when it has a mechanism to show and terms to define. Brief is a quick read: the point, what it means, and what would change it.
The standards and practice behind it
The structure and the checks come from published practice in analysis, evidence synthesis and data graphics. These are the references we drew on and what we took from each. None of their authors has reviewed the template.
| What we took | From | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Put the single summary point at the top, the supporting points beneath it, and the data under those | The Pyramid Principle (Barbara Minto)1 | The bottom line comes first; every later section supports it |
| State the main message up front; describe the quality of sources; express and explain uncertainty; separate information from assumptions and judgments; name what would change the assessment | Intelligence Community Directive 203, Analytic Standards (US Office of the Director of National Intelligence)2 | The bottom line, What we know, What it means and What would change this |
| Use agreed words for likelihood, because readers interpret the same phrase very differently | Words of Estimative Probability (Sherman Kent, CIA Center for the Study of Intelligence)3 | Likelihood words carry stated ranges; confidence in evidence is never mixed into a likelihood |
| Open with the key messages, then what was asked, what was found, the limits and how current the evidence is, in plain language | Cochrane template for writing a plain language summary4 | The order of the first sections, and the terms table at Comprehensive length |
| Draw word-sized graphics inside the text, with no decorative ink | Sparkline theory and practice (Edward Tufte)5 | Small charts and timelines placed beside the sentence they support |
| Choose the chart for the question it answers, and draw it only from sourced data | The Financial Times Visual Vocabulary6 | No chart is drawn from numbers that were not sourced |
What it will not do
It does not recommend an action. An overview explains; it does not decide. When you have a choice to make, a Decision Memo is the template for it.
It is one specialist’s reading of public sources. Check any figure you will act on against its primary source.
It does not replace reading the regulation, the filing or the guideline it cites.
References
- [1] Minto, B. The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking. Pearson, 3rd edition. Retailer listing; the book was not read. Editions and dates differ between listings.
- [2] Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Intelligence Community Directive 203: Analytic Standards. Signed January 2015; technical amendment of 21 January 2022. The standards are in Section D of the directive.
- [3] Kent, S. Words of Estimative Probability. CIA Center for the Study of Intelligence. The page gives title and author and links the PDF; the essay’s date was not shown on the page.
- [4] Cochrane. Template for writing a Cochrane plain language summary. Current template, with a word limit of 400 to 850 words. Heading order as summarized in search excerpts; the page redirected from our tools.
- [5] Tufte, E. Sparkline theory and practice. edwardtufte.com, 27 May 2004.
- [6] Financial Times Visual Journalism Team. Visual Vocabulary. Financial-Times/chart-doctor repository.
Links checked 9 October 2026
These are the sources the template drew on. None of their authors or issuers has reviewed it.
About the Brief service
A Brief is a written answer from one specialist, at the depth you asked for. It arrives with its sources, and it closes by saying plainly what would change the conclusion. Nothing is hidden behind a summary, and anything the expert could not source is marked as a gap rather than filled in.
Use cases for the Overview
8 ready-to-run use cases. Each opens its own page with the question, the specialists, the standards and the references.
To edit a saved template, open New → Brief → From template, or the library rail on the service form.