Proposals & Reports with Claude Code

Proposals, status reports, and executive summaries follow patterns. They pull from the same data sources, use the same structure, and require the same attention to detail. The creative thinking matters — but the assembly work is tedious.

Claude Code can assemble the first draft. You focus on the strategy and the story.

What the skill does

When you run the proposal or report skill, Claude Code:

  1. Reads your template — the structure, sections, and formatting your organisation uses
  2. Pulls relevant data — project status, metrics, financials, timelines
  3. Drafts each section with specific, accurate content (not generic filler)
  4. Formats the output to match your document standards
  5. Highlights anything it couldn't find or isn't sure about, so you know what to verify

Types of documents it handles well

Client proposals

Give Claude Code the prospect's brief or requirements, your service descriptions, and pricing. It produces a tailored proposal that addresses their specific needs, references relevant case studies, and follows your template. You review, add your strategic recommendations, and send.

Weekly status reports

Point Claude Code at your project management tool, time tracking, and recent communications. It summarises what happened this week, what's planned for next week, flags risks, and highlights achievements. A 2-hour Friday task becomes a 10-minute review.

Executive summaries

Take a long document — a research report, an audit, a technical assessment — and Claude Code produces a concise summary for leadership. It identifies the key findings, recommendations, and decisions needed.

Board reports

Combine financial data, project updates, and strategic progress into the board's expected format. Claude Code ensures nothing is missed and the narrative is consistent.

A typical scenario

James needs to submit a quarterly business review by Friday. He has:

  • Sales figures in a spreadsheet
  • Project updates from three team leads (in different formats)
  • Customer feedback from the last survey
  • Last quarter's report as a template

He runs the quarterly report skill. Claude Code reads all four sources, structures them into the template, writes the narrative connecting the numbers to the strategy, and flags two data points it couldn't reconcile. James spends an hour reviewing and refining instead of a full day assembling.

What you need to get started

  • Your templates — Whatever document structures your organisation uses. Claude Code follows them exactly.
  • Data source access — Where does the content come from? Spreadsheets, project tools, CRM? Your technical team connects these.
  • A style guide — How formal is your writing? What terminology do you use? Any phrases or structures to always include (or avoid)?

What it doesn't do

  • It doesn't make strategic recommendations — it assembles the information so you can think clearly about strategy
  • It doesn't guarantee accuracy of source data — if the spreadsheet has wrong numbers, the report will too. It flags inconsistencies where it spots them.
  • It doesn't replace your judgement — every document needs human review before it leaves your desk

Results teams are seeing

  • First draft time reduced by 60–80% for standard documents
  • More consistent quality — nothing gets missed because the skill checks every section
  • Less context-switching — the person reviewing the draft focuses on one task instead of juggling five data sources
  • Templates stay up to date because the skill is updated once and everyone benefits

Next steps

Start with one document type — your most frequent report or proposal. Share the template and data sources with your technical team, and they'll build the skill. For other business use cases, see Sales Meeting Prep and Customer Support.