EFFECTIVE REPORT WRITING FACILITATES DECISION MAKING

Effective report writing supports in developing vision, strategy and goal-setting of the organization based on sustainable solutions supported by improved management systems, processes and quality. An effective report should be appropriate to the purpose/ drive, target audience, clear, concise, logical, accurate, and complete with clear section and sub-section headings. It is a structured demonstration developed in response to a specific drive, objective or application.

Reports can be broadly categorized as:

Project/ Program Report – Data can be recorded using Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT), a project management tool to track the project outcomes/ deliverables against the original plan. Project/ Program report helps in mapping out and tracking the tasks and timelines with overall details of the project at the point of completion. The conclusions and recommendations become a learning/ready reference and create a scope for improvements in forthcoming projects/ programs.

Evaluation Report – Designed at the midpoint and at the completion of a project/ program. It covers evaluation indicators, including the significance, efficacy, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project/program.

Annual Report - Presents the activities and achievements of an organization during the financial year. Data can be recorded using the Gantt charts, where we break down the annual plan into operational plan or break down the activities into small tasks on weekly/ monthly basis. It is an instrument to provide communal evidences of economic stability, display the accomplishments of an organization and helps in designing the future roadmap.

Research Report - Data is documented by researchers and statisticians post analyzing the date gathered by organized research. An analyst, researcher, strategist and investor can act upon the actionable recommendations for bringing in innovative products/ services in different fields of work.

Writing and designing a report full of content and data analytics, requires strong research, writing, logical and creative skills. The simplest way for designing and compiling a report is to follow the SSC (Structure-Style-Content) Approach:

STRUCTURE - Structure defines the arrangement, relation and construction from different sections of the report.

Step 1:     Decide on the different sections of the report

Decide on what is the report about, why it is needed and who is it aimed for? This will help in deciding the different sections of the report and what information should be placed in the report.

Step 2:     Decide on the information, process and flow

Decide on what information is needed? Is there a need for any background reading through articles or documents, contacting the library for assistance or interviewing people to record data? It is important to decide the stepwise approach to gather data along with the flow of events.

Step 3:     Find/ Collect the information

After deciding on what information is needed, delegate the tasks into smaller teams to gather the information from different sources as mentioned in Step 2.

Step 4:     Decide on the structure

Decide on the type of report to be designed - Project/ Program Report, Evaluation Report, Annual Report, Research Report and the length of the report. Depending on the type of report, the structure will include: A Coverpage/ Title Page, Backpage/ Endpage, Executive Summary, Contents (sections and sub-sections), Findings, Conclusions, Recommendations, References/ Bibliography, Annexure, etc.

STYLE - Style defines the design, layout and a particular procedure by which the report will be designed and written.

Step 5:     Design the main coverpage, backpage and sub-section coverpages

Design the coverpage with name/ theme of the report, sub-section coverpages, color combinations, photos/ images/ cliparts, data and graphs to be used in the report.

Step 6:     Decide the style/ format and draft the first part of your report

Choose the Font Type & Size with uniformity in placing of content for different sections, including findings and appendices/ annexure also.

CONTENT - Content is the collection of words, diagrams, tables, graphs and illustrations used in the report.

Step 7:     Develop Content, Analyze your findings and draw conclusions

It is important to analyze the information collected, what do the findings suggest and draw conclusions by correlating its significance to the theme of the report. Then start drafting the content of the report in third form.

Step 8:     Make recommendations

To help deciding on what to recommend, it is essential to reread the findings and conclusions, understand what actions should be carried out, check that the recommendations are practical and are based logically in the conclusions. Ensure to include adequate details for the reader to know what needs to be done and who should do it?

Step 9:     Draft the executive summary and table of contents

An executive summary should be usually about 200-250 words long. It conveys the reader what the report is about and summarizes the recommendations.

Step 10:   Compile a reference list

List of all the sources/ references referred to in the report.

Step 11:   Revise your draft report

It is always important to revise or proofread the report. Ensure to check that the required sections are included, and are in the correct order. The information provided in the report is accurate with no gaps and it supports the conclusions and recommendations. All the terms, symbols and abbreviations used have been explained. Diagrams, tables, graphs and illustrations are properly numbered and labeled. From the layout and design point of view, make sure to check the consistency/ uniformity of formatting, including numbering, spacing between objects/ text and headings throughout the report. At the end, the report should read well, and the writing should be simple, clear and effective.

We all are experiencing a paradigm shift in the way reports were written earlier (past) as compared to the present. Quoting few of the changes from “the old to the new system”:

• Paper reports to e-Reports;
• Periodic Reporting to Continuous Reporting;
• Past performance was emphasized in old systems whereas new reporting systems emphasizes on future prospects;
• Locally oriented to globally matched structure and style of the report;
• Fundamentally static system to constantly changing model; and
• Preparer laid protocols to sustaining market-place demands.

 Finally, the findings, conclusions and recommendations contained within the report helps in making better decisions and align with the demonstrable change within an organization/ community. It is easy to think about ideas, however developing a knack of capturing those ideas, dialogues, research and findings in written aligned with a logical implementation and monitoring plan will give effective and sustainable solutions.

Mr. Hitesh Kumar Gulati is an Organization Development and Change Management Consultant with versatile experience in HR Interventions, Process Excellence, Report Writings and Trainings. He is a Certified PPA Practitioner in Personal Profile Analysis (PPA) & Human Job Analysis (HJA), by Thomas International. He could be reached at [email protected]