Draft Management Report Commentary with Fathom Commentary Writer
What the source describes
Fathom's help centre explains how the Commentary Writer, an AI tool inside Fathom Pro reports, drafts data-based commentary from up to six selected report components. Users add persistent Business Context (goals, strategy, market conditions) and per-period Report Context (one-off events, audience), choose a Simple or Technical style and length, then prompt and refine before adding the text to the report. Figures in the generated commentary can be hovered over to check where they came from.
Result or outcome
According to the source, the Commentary Writer produces clear, professional commentary on demand with numbers that can easily be reviewed for accuracy, and it can calculate period-to-period and budget variances when the selected components contain that data.
How to run it
- Confirm the client company is on Fathom Pro and that the Commentary Writer has been turned on for your organization.
- In Company Settings, fill in the Business Context with the client's goals, strategy, market conditions and current position, then save it.
- In the Pro report's settings, add Report Context for this period, such as one-off events, seasonal shifts, report type and the audience.
- Open the Commentary Writer, select the tables and charts to discuss, and pick a Simple or Technical style and a Concise or Detailed length.
- Use the prompt on this page as your instruction, refine the draft with follow-up prompts, then click Add to report and edit the text there.
Try it yourself
Copyable prompt
You are writing the commentary section of a monthly management report for [client business name], a [industry] business. Audience: [owner / board / lender], with [low / high] financial knowledge. Below are this period's results compared to [last month / budget / same month last year]: [paste P&L and cash summary]. Business context: [goals, strategy, current position]. Period context: [one-off events, seasonality, staffing changes]. Write three short paragraphs: 1) overall performance and the two biggest drivers, 2) the line items most off track with a plain-English reason, 3) cash versus profit and what to watch next month. Show every figure you calculate and how you got it. Avoid jargon and do not guess at causes I have not given you; list open questions instead.
Replace the [bracketed] placeholders. Remove client names, account numbers, and personal data before pasting into any AI tool.
What to review
Hover over each figure in the draft to see where it came from, and tie the key numbers back to the P&L and budget in the report. Check that every reason given for a variance matches what you entered as context rather than an AI guess. Update the Business Context before reusing it in a later period.
Related free download: 50 AI Prompts for Bookkeepers (Prompt pack (PDF))
Source: Fathom Help Centre
Not professional advice. This is general information, not accounting, tax, legal or financial advice. Check AI output yourself and consult a licensed professional for your situation. See our Terms of Use.
This entry summarizes a public source. Features, plans, and availability change, so confirm details with the vendor. Tool names are trademarks of their respective owners.
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If you want somewhere to check the numbers from this report or analysis, the Small Business Bookkeeping Spreadsheet Bundle is on our sister store.