In the previous section, we looked at the mechanics of the AI widget. Now, let’s look at the most universal application of this tool: The Executive Summary.

Whether you are managing a strategy report, a specific project, a portfolio, or a digital transformation workstream, the "Overview" configuration allows you to generate a high-level status report in seconds.

The "Overview" Configuration

For this example, we are keeping it simple. We want a standard summary at the top of the report that tells leadership exactly what they need to know.

1. Add the Report Summary widget to your report.
2. Select the Overview option (this is the default configuration).
3. The AI immediately scans every piece of data within the scope of your report—projects, KPIs, updates, and metrics.

The result is typically a concise list of five key bullet points (headlines with supporting details) that summarize the health of your plan.

The Power of Blended Data (Qual + Quant)

The true power of Cascade’s AI isn't just that it reads numbers; it reads context. The Executive Summary automatically blends Quantitative data (hard numbers) with Qualitative data (written context).

Real-world Example:

A standard dashboard might tell you that Revenue is at $4M (Quantitative).

Cascade's AI Summary will tell you: "Revenue is tracking at $4M (Quantitative), which is currently behind target due to upstream supply chain issues identified in the Q3 log (Qualitative)."

By combining live data from integrations (like Snowflake or PowerBI) with the written updates your team provides, the AI creates a narrative that explains why the numbers look the way they do.

Verifying the Data (Citations)

Trust is essential in reporting. You need to know that the AI isn't hallucinating information.

When you look at the generated summary, you will notice hyperlinked citations within the text.

• Click the link: Cascade will scroll to the exact location in the report where that information came from.
• Highlighting: It highlights the specific row, KPI, or update text used to generate that insight.

This allows you to "drill down" immediately. If the summary flags a risk, you can click the citation to see exactly which project manager flagged it and read their full update.

Summary of Benefits

• Universality: Works for Strategy, Portfolios, Projects, or KPIs.
• Context: Explains the "Why" behind the numbers by reading written updates.
• Transparency: Clickable citations allow you to audit the AI's sources instantly.

Next Steps

You now have a standard Executive Summary. But what if you need to drill into specific problems, like "Wins" versus "Challenges"? In the next video, we will look at how to split these insights into separate widgets to create a balanced view of performance.