French executive summary: a decision brief with options and next steps

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated 9 October 2026 · About the library

Build a French executive summary around the decision, options, recommendation and outstanding checks. Includes a compact reference sheet and a worked brief.

In short

Open a French executive summary with the decision facing the reader. Follow with comparable options, the report’s recommendation and the check needed before action. Use status words carefully: envisagé is under consideration, recommandé is recommended, and décidé is decided.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Staff walking between two neighbourhood reception offices. — The brief compares keeping deux sites d’accueil with consolidation. Illustration: Atelier

Note de synthèse pour décision

1 · Name the choice

Give the reader the question they must resolve before describing the report’s background.

La direction doit choisir entre le maintien de deux sites d’accueil et leur regroupement sur un seul site.Management must choose between keeping two reception sites and consolidating them at one site.

2 · Compare the same practical issue

Show what each option changes for the team and service users.

Le maintien conserve deux points d’accès ; le regroupement limite les déplacements de l’équipe entre les sites.Keeping both sites preserves two access points; consolidation reduces the team’s travel between sites.

3 · Keep the recommendation’s actual force

Preserve a recommendation to investigate as a next step.

Le rapport recommande d’approfondir l’option du regroupement.The report recommends examining the consolidation option further.

4 · Expose the outstanding check

Put the missing information next to the action it affects.

Le coût du transfert reste à chiffrer avant toute décision.The transfer cost still needs to be calculated before any decision.

5 · State the present arrangement

Finish with what applies now, particularly when a proposal might be mistaken for a decision.

en vigueur	currently in force
envisagé	under consideration
recommandé	recommended
décidé	decided

Les deux sites restent ouverts pendant cette étude.Both sites remain open during this study.

How do you write an executive summary in French?

The material to summarise

Report detail	What the summary must preserve
Two reception sites are open.	The current arrangement.
The team travels between them.	An organisational constraint.
Consolidation would reduce travel between sites.	A possible benefit of that option.
Transfer costs and support for affected users need examination.	Two unresolved practical questions.
The report recommends further study of consolidation.	The immediate recommendation.

La direction doit choisir entre le maintien de deux sites d’accueil et leur regroupement. Le maintien conserve deux points d’accès pour les usagers, mais implique des déplacements de l’équipe. Le regroupement limiterait ces déplacements. Le rapport recommande d’approfondir cette option en chiffrant le transfert et en précisant l’accompagnement des usagers concernés. Les deux sites restent ouverts pendant cette étude.

Management must choose between keeping two reception sites and consolidating them. Keeping both preserves two access points for users but involves team travel. Consolidation would reduce that travel. The report recommends examining this option further by calculating transfer costs and specifying support for affected users. Both sites remain open during this study.