Executive Briefing Landing Page Design Direction
Date: 2026-02-17 Author: Claude (Opus 4.6) Status: Active — Supersedes previous 5-tab-within-category approach ADR: ADR-209 (extends D5 Dashboard Type Registration) Track: J.19.11
Design Directive (Verbatim)
"The csuite briefing should be the landing page not just another tab, across the entire dataset for the dashboard elements there should be no duplication of data, and only show, link or make available what is essential or important, the objective is actionable insights that can inform and guide decision making, less is more."
5 Design Principles Extracted
P1: Landing Page First
The executive briefing is THE primary entry point for the dashboard viewer, not a category item within a tab navigation. When a user opens the dashboard, they see the executive briefing immediately.
Impact on architecture:
viewer.jsxdefault route renders executive briefing (not category grid)- Category navigation becomes secondary (sidebar or drill-down from briefing)
dashboards/executive/category is promoted to default view- J.19.5.4 ("Add executive briefing to viewer.jsx category navigation") is superseded — it IS the navigation
P2: Zero Data Duplication
Each data point has exactly ONE authoritative location in the rendered output. No metric appears in more than one section/card/tab.
Impact on architecture:
- The briefing component becomes a data router, not a data displayer
- Metrics shown in the Summary section are NOT repeated in detail tabs
- Detail sections link back to authoritative source (SQL query, TRACK file, session log)
_validate_deduplication()(J.19.10.5) becomes a build-time gate, not optional
Duplication audit findings (from csuite-briefing.jsx analysis):
| Metric | Current Occurrences | Authoritative Location | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity (27x) | 12 | Summary hero metric | Remove from Accomplishments, Methodology |
| ACV ($150K-$500K) | 8 | GTM Readiness | Remove from Summary, Investment |
| LTV:CAC (18.7x) | 8 | Investment section | Remove from Summary, GTM |
| TAM ($3.5B) | 6 | GTM Readiness | Remove from Summary |
| Sprint 1 (19/19) | 5 | Summary hero metric | Remove from Accomplishments |
| Traditional cost ($680K) | 7 | Investment section | Remove from Methodology |
| Task count (410) | 5 | Summary hero metric | Remove from Accomplishments |
P3: Essential/Important Only
Show, link, or make available only what matters for decision-making. Everything else is accessible via drill-down or link but not on the primary view.
Content triage (from duplication audit):
- Essential (41%): Keep visible — hero metrics, active risks, blocking decisions, sprint health
- Nice-to-have (46%): Link only — detailed breakdowns accessible via click/expand
- Reference (24%): Remove from view — available in underlying data files, not rendered
Impact on architecture:
- Hero section: 5-7 key metrics maximum (velocity, completion %, sprint health, active risks, top blocker, budget burn)
- Decision cards: Only decisions requiring action (not historical/resolved)
- Risk matrix: Only active/critical risks (not mitigated/accepted)
- Accomplishments: Top 3 only, with "see all" link
P4: Actionable Insights
The objective is to inform and guide decision-making. Every element on the page should answer: "What should I do about this?"
Impact on architecture:
- Each metric card includes recommended action or "on track" status
- Risk items include mitigation action with owner
- Decisions include options with trade-offs and recommended choice
- Sprint analysis includes "adjust" vs "hold course" recommendation
- No decorative elements, no context-only information without action
P5: Less Is More
Minimalist, focused design. Fewer elements with higher information density. White space is a feature.
Impact on architecture:
- Remove RadarChart (6-axis visualization adds complexity without actionability)
- Remove methodology section (process documentation, not decision input)
- Consolidate Investment section into 3 key numbers (total burn, runway, ROI)
- Single-screen hero layout — no scrolling needed for executive summary
- Detail sections via progressive disclosure (expand on click)
Revised Architecture
Before (Current 5-Tab Approach)
viewer.jsx → Category Grid → Executive → csuite-briefing.jsx
├── Tab 1: Summary
├── Tab 2: Accomplishments
├── Tab 3: Decisions
├── Tab 4: Investment
└── Tab 5: Methodology
After (Landing Page Approach)
viewer.jsx → Executive Briefing (DEFAULT)
├── Hero: 5-7 Key Metrics
├── Risks: Active/Critical Only (expandable)
├── Decisions: Pending Only (expandable)
├── Sprint: Current Status + Recommendation
└── [Drill Down] → Category Dashboards
├── Planning (28 dashboards)
├── System (impact register, etc.)
└── Executive (detailed briefing tabs)
Data Flow
SQLite (22 tables) → generate-briefing.py → briefing-data.json (SINGLE SOURCE)
↓
Landing Page renders
each datum ONCE from
briefing-data.json keys
↓
Drill-down links to
category dashboards
(which read their own
data sources)
Impact on Existing J.19 Tasks
| Task | Current Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| J.19.5.2 | Register as dashboard type with 5-tab layout | SUPERSEDED — landing page, not 5-tab |
| J.19.5.4 | Add to viewer.jsx category navigation | SUPERSEDED — IS the default view |
| J.19.9.5 | Consolidate redundancy in csuite-briefing.jsx | EXPANDED — zero-duplication mandate |
| J.19.9.7 | Wire as 6th tab "Trends" | SUPERSEDED — no tabs, progressive disclosure |
| J.19.2.6 | Extract RadarChart molecule | DEPRIORITIZED — P5 says remove complexity |
| J.19.7.* | Interactive Decision Capture | RETAINED — aligns with P4 actionable insights |
New Tasks Required (J.19.11)
- Redesign viewer.jsx to render executive briefing as default/home view
- Implement zero-duplication data contract — each metric keyed once in JSON
- Create hero layout component — 5-7 key metrics, single screen
- Implement progressive disclosure — expand-on-click for risks/decisions/sprint
- Add drill-down navigation from briefing to category dashboards
- Update generate-briefing.py to output deduplicated single-source JSON
- Add deduplication validator as build-time gate
- Remove/archive: methodology tab, RadarChart, decorative elements
- Validate landing page renders correctly with ProjectSwitcher (J.18.4)
- Update ADR-209 with D12: Landing Page First architecture decision
Verification Criteria
- Landing Page Default: Opening viewer.jsx shows executive briefing immediately
- Zero Duplication:
_validate_deduplication()passes — no metric appears in >1 section - Essential Only: Page renders entirely above the fold on 1080p display
- Actionable: Every visible element has an associated action or "on track" status
- Less Is More: Total rendered data points < 30 (down from ~256)
References
- ADR-209: Executive Briefing Generator Integration
- Duplication Audit: Performed on csuite-briefing.jsx (1,977 lines, ~256 data points)
- McKinley Feedback:
sql-llm-dashboard-feasibility-mckinley-feedback-2026-02-17.md - Architectural Review:
architectural-direction-review-2026-02-17.md