Advisory Commentary 👤

Read Your Advisory Commentary

Your advisory commentary is the written analysis your advisor publishes for you each period — an executive summary, a risk assessment, priority recommendations, and notes on each pillar. It's your advisor's narrative read on how your business is doing, grounded in the data you submitted. This guide walks you through what's on the Advisory Commentary page. 💡 Tip — Who can use this Available to clients on tiers that include advisory commentary. Find it under Advisory Commentary in the left-hand menu. Quick reference | Step | Action | |------|--------| | 1 | Read your executive summary and risk assessment | | 2 | Explore the pillar notes and partner advisory logs | Step 1 — Read the executive summary and risk assessment Click Advisory Commentary in the sidebar. At the top is your Executive Summary — your advisor's headline read on the period. The advisory executive summary with headline and risk assessment The summary includes: - A headline and analysis — the overall narrative for the period. - Your Top Achievement and Top Concern — what went best and what needs the most attention. - A Risk Assessment — rated Low, Medium, High, or Critical, shown as a bar. - A Priority Recommendation — the single most important thing your advisor suggests you focus on next. 📝 Note — "Analysis in progress" means it's not ready yet If you see a notice that analysis is in progress, your advisory commentary hasn't been published for this period. On most plans, your partner reviews and publishes the commentary before you can see it — so a short wait is normal right after you submit data. Step 2 — Explore the pillar notes and partner logs Scroll down to the Advisory Pillars section. You'll see a card for each pillar with your advisor's specific notes on that area. The advisory pillars and partner notes section Below the pillars, the Partner Advisory Notes section lists each assigned partner's individual log as an expandable entry. Expand one to see: - The partner's summary, strengths, risks, opportunities, and decisions for the period. - Their client sentiment rating and the domains they covered. - Any attachments they've shared, which you can download. 💡 Tip — Commentary is per-period Everything on this page is for the month shown in the header. Switch the period selector to read a different month's advisory. On higher tiers, you'll also see a benchmark comparison showing how you stack up against industry standards.

Read Your Partner's Advisory Notes & Attachments

Beneath the executive summary on your Advisory Commentary page, each assigned partner has an expandable advisory notes entry with their detailed observations and any files they've shared. This guide covers reading them. 💡 Tip — Who can use this Available to clients on tiers with advisory commentary. Find it on the Advisory Commentary page. Quick reference | Step | Action | |------|--------| | 1 | Expand a partner's notes and download attachments | Step 1 — Read partner notes On the Advisory Commentary page, scroll to the Partner Advisory Notes section. Each assigned partner has an expandable entry showing their name (with Lead and AI badges), the date, their client sentiment rating, and the domains they covered. Expand an entry to read that partner's: - Summary — their overall narrative. - Strengths, Risks, Opportunities — structured observations. - Decisions made or recommended. - Action Items — tasks they've flagged. - Attachments — files they've shared (downloadable via signed links). 📝 Note — Notes are per-partner, per-period Each partner writes their own log for the period. If you have multiple advisors, you'll see separate entries — useful for comparing perspectives. The lead partner's consolidated view is internal to the advisory team. 💡 Tip — Attachments may have a time limit Download links for attachments are signed and time-limited for security. If a link has expired, re-open the advisory notes — generating a fresh view issues a new link.

Why Your Advisory Says "In Progress"

If your Advisory Commentary page shows "Analysis in progress" or an empty state, the advisory for that period hasn't been published yet. This guide explains the "in progress" state. 💡 Tip — Who can use this Relevant to all clients. Quick reference | Cause | What to do | |-------|------------| | Pulse AI is still analyzing | Wait a few minutes | | Partner hasn't published | Wait for their review | What "in progress" means There are two common reasons: Pulse AI is still analyzing. Right after you submit a new period, Pulse AI runs an analysis pass. If you check immediately, you may see an "analysis in progress" banner. This usually completes within a few minutes — refresh the page. Your partner is reviewing. On paid plans, the AI draft goes to your partner as a draft. They review, adjust, and publish. Until they publish, the advisory shows as in progress or empty. This is the normal, expected flow on a paid engagement. 📝 Note — Don't confuse "in progress" with an error "In progress" isn't a problem — it's the system telling you the work isn't ready yet. On a Trial plan, expect auto-published results within minutes. On a paid plan, expect your partner to publish as part of their regular cadence. 💡 Tip — When to follow up If "in progress" persists far beyond the expected window (long after submitting on a Trial, or well past your partner's usual cadence on a paid plan), message your partner for an update. Otherwise, a short wait is normal.

Understand Risk Assessment Levels

Your advisory commentary includes a risk assessment — a rating of how much risk your advisor sees this period, shown as a level with a bar. This guide explains the levels. 💡 Tip — Who can use this Relevant to all clients with published advisory commentary. Quick reference | Level | Meaning | |-------|---------| | Low | Few concerns; steady course | | Medium | Some watch items | | High | Significant risks to address | | Critical | Urgent risks requiring immediate action | The four levels Your advisor rates the period's overall risk as Low, Medium, High, or Critical, shown as a labeled bar on the Advisory Commentary page. The rating reflects their read of your flags, metrics, and the broader context — it's their judgment, not a formula. 📝 Note — Risk reflects the period, not a permanent verdict A "High" or "Critical" rating is about this period's situation, not a permanent label on your business. Address the flagged items and the rating typically improves next period. 💡 Tip — Pair the rating with the priority recommendation The risk assessment tells you how concerned to be; the Priority Recommendation in the same commentary tells you what to do about it. Read them together for the clearest action.

View Benchmark Comparisons

On the Executive tier, your advisory commentary includes a benchmark comparison — showing how your metrics stack up against industry standards. This guide explains the benchmark feature. 💡 Tip — Who can use this Available on the Executive tier, on the Advisory Commentary page. Quick reference | Step | Action | |------|--------| | 1 | Read the benchmark comparison in your advisory | Step 1 — Read the benchmark comparison On your Advisory Commentary page (Executive tier), a Benchmark Comparison section appears alongside the rest of the commentary. It shows how your key metrics compare against benchmarks for your industry and business stage — giving you an external reference point, not just an internal one. The comparison is written by your advisor (informed by the platform's benchmark matrix), contextualizing where you're ahead of or behind industry norms. 📝 Note — Benchmarks are industry- and stage-specific The benchmarks aren't one-size-fits-all — they're tailored to your industry and business stage (startup, growth, mature, transformation). A metric that looks "low" in absolute terms might be on par for your stage. 💡 Tip — Use benchmarks for prioritization If a benchmark comparison shows you're well behind industry norms on a metric, that's a strong signal to prioritize it. Pair the benchmark with your flags and priority recommendation to decide where to focus.