Financial narratives — the "why the numbers moved" sections of board decks, monthly reports, and investor updates — eat senior finance time. Claude can produce the first draft in minutes once you brief it correctly. Here is the workflow.
Finance narratives have a specific structure: state the result, explain the driver, contextualize against expectation, flag what to watch. Claude is excellent at this structure once you give it the data and context.
What Claude cannot do: invent the context. You have to tell it why the variance happened. Then it writes the narrative.
Write the variance narrative section for [LINE ITEM] in our [period] report. Actual: [NUMBER] Plan/forecast: [NUMBER] Variance: [NUMBER, % OF PLAN] Why the variance happened (team commentary): [PASTE BULLETS] What we are doing about it: [PASTE BULLETS] What to watch for next period: [PASTE BULLETS] Write a board-ready narrative: - 2-3 paragraphs, ~250 words total - Lead with the variance (do not bury it) - Explain drivers in business terms, not finance jargon - Be direct about whether this is concerning, expected, or favorable - Close with what we are watching Voice: confident, candid, board-appropriate. Avoid "We are pleased to report" or "We continue to drive". Just state the situation.
Verify every number cited. AI sometimes transposes digits.
Decide what to disclose vs. what to keep at exec level. Judgment call.
Write the forward-looking statement. Forecasts come from you.
Sign off on the final version. Always.