Leadership

Executive Documentation: Packaging Technical Work for Leadership

Creating Principal TPM-level artifacts that translate deep technical implementation into VP/Director-ready communication.

tpmleadershipdocumentationfraud-detection

Summary

  • Executive communication requires tiered documentation: VP summary with deep-dive links for technical depth
  • Quantify business impact explicitly: $2.05M projected annual benefit with clear ROI calculations
  • Credibility comes from honest limitation acknowledgment, not just showcasing successes
  • Four key artifacts: Executive Overview, TPM Execution Strategy, AI/ML Roadmap, Results & Personas

Why This Matters

Technical excellence means nothing if stakeholders cannot understand it. A Principal TPM must be able to:

1. Communicate upward - Summarize complex systems for executives who make funding decisions

2. Demonstrate business impact - Connect technical metrics to financial outcomes

3. Show execution rigor - Present clear frameworks, not just features

4. Be honest about limitations - Credibility comes from acknowledging gaps

The Four Documents

1. Executive Overview

A 2-3 screen document designed to "send to a VP":

  • **Problem & Context**: $2.4M annual fraud loss, 18% false positives, 2-3 second latency
  • **Goals & Constraints**: Target metrics with explicit constraints
  • **Solution at a Glance**: Architecture diagram with latency budget breakdown
  • **Phased Roadmap**: v1 (rules) to v2 (hybrid ML) to v3 (external signals)
  • **Financial Impact Model**: $2.05M annual benefit projection

2. TPM Execution Strategy

How to drive this as a Principal TPM:

  • **Stakeholder Map**: 8 key groups identified
  • **RACI Matrix**: Who decides what
  • **Rollout Sequencing**: Shadow to 5% to 25% to 50% to 100%
  • **Fraud Governance Council**: Monthly cross-functional approval forum

3. AI/ML Roadmap & Current Status

What is built vs planned:

  • **Current**: Rule-based detection (COMPLETE)
  • **Next**: XGBoost with champion/challenger
  • **Future**: Graph neural networks
  • **Guardrails Against Over-Complexity**

4. Results, Limitations & Personas

Honest assessment with persona mapping:

  • **Load Test Results**: 260 RPS at 106ms P99 (47% headroom)
  • **Identified Bottleneck**: PostgreSQL at 4000 RPS
  • **Three Personas**: Fraud Analyst, Risk Lead, SRE
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