Writes a concise, evidence-based policy brief – problem, options compared on consistent criteria, and a recommendation – that a decision-maker can act on in minutes.
Writes a concise, evidence-based policy brief - problem, options compared on consistent criteria, and a recommendation - that a decision-maker can act on in minutes. Use when someone asks "write a policy brief", "summarize the evidence and options for this decision", "brief the minister/board/council on X", or needs a one-to-four-page document that turns research into a recommended action. Do NOT use for persuasive opinion pieces - use op-ed-writer instead; for long-form marketing documents, use whitepapers; for condensing an existing long document, use executive-summary.This is the skill's description: the text your AI reads to decide when the skill applies.
policy-brief/SKILL.md
---
name: Policy Brief
description: Writes a concise, evidence-based policy brief - problem, options compared on consistent criteria, and a recommendation - that a decision-maker can act on in minutes. Use when someone asks "write a policy brief", "summarize the evidence and options for this decision", "brief the minister/board/council on X", or needs a one-to-four-page document that turns research into a recommended action. Do NOT use for persuasive opinion pieces - use op-ed-writer instead; for long-form marketing documents, use whitepapers; for condensing an existing long document, use executive-summary.
---
# Policy Brief
A brief exists to inform one specific choice by one specific decision-maker - not to survey a literature. The costly failure is the brief that is read only as far as its summary and gives the reader nothing actionable there, or that strawmans the rejected options and loses credibility the moment a stakeholder notices. Write so that a busy reader who stops after the first half-page still knows the problem, the recommendation, and why.
## Inputs to collect
1. Who decides, and what decision they face - the single question the brief must answer. If the user cannot name the decision, help them narrow it before writing; "inform them about X" is not a decision.
2. The decision deadline and any political, budget, or legal constraints that rule options in or out.
3. The evidence available: studies, data, prior evaluations. Note what is missing; gaps shape how strongly the brief can recommend.
4. The audience's technical depth. Default: intelligent non-specialist - define every acronym on first use.
5. Length target. Default: one to four pages. Longer than four pages is a report, not a brief.
Label anything assumed rather than supplied.
## Operating procedure
Order matters: options cannot be compared until criteria are fixed, and the executive summary is written last even though it appears first.
1. **Fix the decision and criteria.** State the choice in one sentence. Choose 3-5 comparison criteria - effectiveness, cost, equity, feasibility, time-to-impact are the standard set - and hold them constant across every option.
2. **Draft the problem statement.** What is wrong, who is affected, why now, and the cost of inaction. Quantify wherever possible; a problem without a number invites indefinite delay.Click to play with sound.