Managing "Information Overload": How to Curate a 50-Page Board Pack

In the boardroom, volume is often mistaken for transparency. The logic suggests that if management provides everything, they cannot be accused of hiding anything. However, from a governance perspective, this approach is counter-productive. A 500-page pack does not inform the board; it buries the board.

A well-curated 50-page board pack can be far more effective than a 500-page one. The goal is to give more signal and remove the noise. This article offers practical, actionable guidance on how to reduce board information overload while improving the quality of board decision-making.

The Cost of the "Data Dump"

Under the UK Corporate Governance Code, the Chair is responsible for ensuring directors receive accurate, timely, and clear information. A data dump fails the "clarity" test. Bloated board papers lead to: 

1. Diluted Focus: Directors spend their limited preparation time searching for the signal amidst the noise.
2. Operational Drift: Meetings get bogged down in "business as usual" updates rather than focusing on the long-term strategy and Section 172 duties.
3. Governance Risk: If a critical risk is buried in Appendix G on page 412, can the board genuinely claim they were informed?

Why Board Packs Keep Growing

Before fixing the problem, it helps to understand why it exists. Common causes of board pack bloat include:

• A desire to be “safe” by including everything Legal concerns push companies to document everything
• Department heads want their work recognised.
• Poor clarity on what decisions are actually required
• Management reports written as operational updates, not board papers
• Fear of omitting detail that might be needed
• Previous board members requested specific data, so it stays forever.
• Legacy templates that grow longer each year

1. Start With Decisions, Not Reports

The single most effective way to reduce board pack size is to design it around decisions, not departments.

Begin your curation process by identifying the two or three strategic matters requiring board input. Everything else in the pack should either support these decisions or meet genuine compliance requirements. Work backwards from board decisions. If you're seeking approval for a major investment, include the business case, financial projections, and risk analysis. Don't include tangential operational updates that can wait until next quarter.

Apply the "Need to Know" vs "Nice to Know" Filter Need to know information affects board-level decisions or fulfils fiduciary duties. Nice to know information might interest directors but doesn't require their input. Ask “would removing this section change the board's ability to make informed decisions?” If a paper cannot answer these questions on the first page, remove it or move it to an appendix.

Common culprits for the chopping block include detailed operational metrics that don't indicate strategic issues, comprehensive department updates covering business-as-usual activities, historical data beyond one or two comparison points, and multiple draft versions of documents when only the final version matters.

Actionable Tips: 

• Label every item clearly as Decision, Discussion, or Noting in the contents page. This alone sharpens focus and reduces unnecessary reading.
• Update your board paper templates to include a mandatory "Purpose of Paper" box at the very top. If the author cannot articulate the specific outcome they want from the meeting, the paper should not be included.  

2. The Executive Summary (and tips for writing for executives) 

The most common failure in board reporting is the Executive Summary that merely sets the scene. A true Executive Summary should give the board the answer upfront.

If a director reads only the summary, they should still understand the current status. Directors should be able to understand the essence of the issue without reading further. Detailed analysis can follow—but only for those who need it.

That executive overview should include:

• The decision or purpose of the paper (What decision needs to be made?)
• Background in 3–4 bullet points
• Key risks and trade-offs
• Clear recommendations from management
• Financial or strategic impact (where relevant)

Your board members are experienced professionals, not graduate trainees needing exhaustive background. Write accordingly. Front-load your key points. Put conclusions and recommendations at the beginning of sections, not buried at the end. Busy directors skim from the top—make sure they catch what matters. Replace dense paragraphs with clear formatting. Use subheadings, bullet points for key takeaways, and bold text for critical information. A well-formatted page conveys information faster than solid text blocks.

3. Enforce Page Limits (and Stick to Them)

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available. In board reporting, text expands to fill the space available.

To curate a 50-page pack, you must impose constraints. A standard monthly operational report should not exceed 3–4 pages. A strategic proposal might need 5–6 pages, but rarely more.

This requires a cultural shift. Management often feels that writing a longer report validates their hard work. The Chair and Company Secretary must reinforce the idea that brevity takes more skill—and is more respectful of the board’s time—than verbosity.

This forces discipline in thinking and writing. Good judgement thrives on clarity, not volume.

If a topic genuinely requires more detail, ask whether it should be handled in a workshop or committee rather than the main board meeting.

4. Use Appendices 

The main board pack should contain the narrative, the analysis, and the synthesis of data. The detailed supporting materials—spreadsheets, full compliance logs, unabridged policy documents charts, and technical detail should be housed in the Appendices. Appendices should support the argument, not compete with it. 

Include clear signposting in the main pack. When you reference supporting detail, note exactly where directors can find it: "Full market analysis available in Appendix C of the board portal. "This ensures that the information is available for directors who wish to "deep dive" or fulfil their due diligence, without clogging the primary channel of communication. 

Set up a secure board portal with appendices and reference materials available on demand. Directors who want deeper analysis can access detailed financial models, full research reports, or comprehensive risk registers without forcing these on everyone.

Rule of thumb:

If the board cannot act without reading the appendix, then the main pack is incomplete.

5. Visualise, Don't just Narrate

A 500-page pack is often the result of trying to explain complex data in prose. A well-designed dashboard can replace ten pages of text. 

Effective board dashboards:

•  Use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align strictly with the organisation's strategic goals.
• Link clearly to strategy and risk
• Highlight exceptions and material changes
• Focus on trends, not raw numbers. Use trend lines rather than static numbers. Knowing that revenue is £5m is less useful than knowing it is £5m down from £7m last month.
• Use consistent metrics over time

6. Establish a Gatekeeper Role

Someone needs authority to enforce page limits and quality standards. The Company Secretary typically acts as the gatekeeper of the board pack. This is a difficult role that requires soft power and diplomacy.  It requires genuine empowerment to push back on executives.

Your gatekeeper should review every submission against clear criteria: relevance to board decisions, adherence to page limits, quality of executive summaries, and appropriateness for board-level discussion versus management team matters. It involves pushing back on senior executives when their papers are too long, unclear, or lack a specific ask. It involves saying, "This is good work, but it belongs in a management meeting, not a board meeting."

Create a submission deadline at least one week before distribution. This allows time for editing, challenging, and improving materials rather than accepting whatever arrives at the last minute. To support this, many UK boards are now establishing a "Review Day" 48 hours before the pack goes out. This allows the Chair and Company Secretary to review drafts and return them for editing if they don't meet the standard.

7. Standardise Board Paper Templates

Inconsistent formatting forces directors to relearn how to read each paper. A standard template reduces cognitive load and improves speed. A strong UK-focused board paper template typically includes:

1. Purpose and decision required
2. Strategic alignment
3. Key information and analysis
4. Risks and mitigations
5. Financial implications
6. Recommendation
7. Appendices (if needed)

Once agreed, enforce the template rigorously. Consistency is a powerful antidote to information overload.

Pro Tip: For required disclosures and approvals, use standard templates that present information consistently and concisely. Create annual calendars showing when specific compliance items will appear, so nothing surprises your board. Batch routine compliance items into a consent agenda that can be approved collectively unless a director requests discussion.

8. Improve the Process, Not Just the Pack

Information overload is often a process problem. Consider:

• Earlier deadlines for paper submission
• Editorial review before circulation
• Clear guidance from the Chair on expectations
• Feedback to management on what works (and what doesn’t) Review and Refine Continuously
• After implementing a leaner board pack, gather feedback. What sections proved most valuable? What was missed? What still felt like padding?
• Resist pack creep. Once you've achieved a manageable length, defend it. When someone requests adding new content, ask what should be removed to accommodate it.

Board packs improve fastest when boards actively shape them, rather than passively accepting what arrives.

The Bottom Line

Fifty pages isn't magic, but it represents a realistic target for comprehensive yet digestible board materials. Your goal is creating board packs that directors will thoroughly read, properly understand, and effectively act upon.

A 50-page board pack is not about doing less work. It is about doing the right work at board level. If you can't articulate what matters most in 50 pages, you probably haven't identified what matters most.

When information is curated properly:

• Directors prepare more effectivelyMeetings focus on judgement, not clarification
• Risks are debated earlier
• Decisions are faster and better informed

Start your next board pack with a blank page, not last quarter's template. Build it around decisions, not departments. Respect your directors' time and intelligence. The result will be better governance, not just shorter documents.

A shorter board pack, done well, is not a compromise. It is a competitive advantage.