Report Writing

BUSINESS BUSINESS COMMUNICATICOMMUNICATIONON REPORT WRITINGREPORT WRITING

MS 111MS 111

Presented By:Presented By:

025 Anil Gupta025 Anil Gupta

026 Tanvi Jindal026 Tanvi Jindal

027 Anshul Jain027 Anshul Jain

028 Vipul Singhal (Group 028 Vipul Singhal (Group Leader)Leader)

029 Vineet Kumar029 Vineet Kumar

030 Ishita Dhingra 030 Ishita Dhingra

Overview

Report and its Importance Report Writing Classification of Reports Styles of Report Writing Tips For Effective Report Writing Who writes and reads Reports Purpose of Report Writing Steps involved in Report

Writing Essentials of a Good Report Parts of Formal Reports Three Levels of Reports Some Principles of Report

Writing Presentation of a Report Various Examples of Reports

What is a Report?

Management tool for effective decision making.

Detailed examination of a situation or problem, of action

taken, or of the findings of an investigation.

Written in a clear, informative way.

Often drawing conclusions, making recommendations.

Orderly and objective communication of factual

information that serves a business purpose.

Report Writing

Importance of Report writing:

Report writing is central to:

Decision making

Progress reporting

Root cause analysis

Problem solving

MIS

Report writing can be done by an individual or by a team.

Writing a Report

Assembling material Planning the Report

Drafting the ReportEditing the Report

Classification of Reports

REPORTS

InformationalReport

AnalyticalReport

Informational Report


Intended to explain something or educate readers.

Focus on data and facts without analysis or

recommendations.

Informational Reports include those for monitoring and

controlling operations, progress reports and

compliance reports.

E.g. Annual Report prepared by the company

secretary for presentation at Annual General Meeting.

Analytical Report


Designed to convince audience that the conclusions and

recommendations developed are valid.

Body of the report presents all the facts and ends by

presenting a decision or a solution to a problem.

E.g. Technical Reports

Styles of Report Writing

Letter style Report Schematic Report

Report Writing styles

Letter Style vs Schematic Style Report

Styles of Report Writing

Letter Style of

Report

Covering mainly one topic

Is used to make requests,

pass information.

Used for detailed

communi-cation.

Schematic Report

Deals with a number of

related topics.

Is generally requested by

senior management.

Is presented in a particular

format.

Tips For Effective Report Writing

While writing a Report, some useful tips are as under:

Simple words and Short Paragraphs

Avoid adverb and adjectives

Avoid emphatic words like very, highly, extremely

Be specific and precise

Never exaggerate

Write to inform and not to impress

Who Writes And Reads Reports

Generally subordinate to superior.

In specific terms, it depends on purpose of writing it.

Because of constraints, managers delegate this duty

to their subordinates.

E.g. -- a sales manager forecasts sales on the basis of

field representative ‘s report.

Purpose of Report Writing

1. Informing

2. Analyzing 3.

Recommendin

g

Informing

Facts and events surrounding a particular situation.

No attempt is made to analyze or interpret the data

or to draw conclusions or recommend a course of

action.

Main interest lies in providing all relevant

information, objectively and accurately.


Analyzing

Data in itself is meaningless, so should be played

with to serve the purpose.

Interpret data as per the requirement of problem.

It involves going into depth of problem,

understanding it and coming out with some

solutions.


Recommending

Endorsing a specific course of action

After interpretation , suggesting a plan of attack

Recommendation should be based on problem in

question and data gathered and analyzed.


Steps Involved in Report Writing

Planning

Data gathering

Organizing

Analyzing

Drafting

Planning

Define the purpose of report ----

Determine why issue is important

What use of report will be made?

Decide purpose of report and know constraints.

Define the audience for report---

Whether it is for internal or external reader.

Level of interest and knowledge of reader.


Gathering Information

Determine what data would be required.

Know what data is available with you.

Trace the sources from where remaining data can

be obtained.

Collect the data actually.


Organizing the Data

Compiling data in a systematic and logical form.

Organizing data according to problem.

It involves classifying data, tabulating them,

using graphs and other pictorials.


Analyzing Data

Each bit of data individually and then in conjunction

with other data.

It brings out----

Findings

Alternative solutions and sometimes probable solution

as well

Conclusion.


Drafting the Report

Consider needs of reader and nature of problem.

Determine length, formality and format of report.

Make sure that report is complete, objective and

credible.

Proofread to ensure it reflects highest standards

of accuracy, thinking and care.


Essentials of a Good Report

Meet the needs of the readers and answer the questions in their minds.

At the right level for the readers- some readers have an in-depth knowledge of the subject; others may be decision-makers without specialized technical knowledge.

Have a clear, logical structure- with clear signposting to show where the ideas are leading.

Not to make assumptions about the readers’ understanding. All writers need to apply the “so what” test and need to explain why something is a good idea.

Give a good first impression. Presentation is very important.

Parts of Formal Reports

A Report is divided in three sections:

Preliminary Section

Supplementary Section

Body of the Report

Preliminary Section

A) Title page

Typically contains the title of the report; the writer’s name, title

& department; and the date of submission.

Should indicate the purpose and content of the report.

B) Letter and Memo of Transmittal

It introduces report to the reader. Its like Preface or Foreword.

It may include personal comments or suggestions and any item

worthy of discussion.

Should be concise and subjective.


C) Table of Contents

Lists all major sections and the page on which each

begins.

An aid in quickly locating specific information in the

report

Usually for reports of more than five pages.

Sometimes also contains list of illustrations.

Preliminary Section (cont.)


Body of the Report

A) Introduction

General Information about the problem and main issues involved in it.

Statement of problem which clearly identifies the specific problem

that was investigated.

Purpose of the study that why the study was conducted. It should

convince the reader that the problem was important and need to be

studied.

Scope of the research which can include resources, time, or

geographic boundaries.

Writer can define the terms unfamiliar to the reader. If there are

many terms than glossary should be included in the supplementary

section.


B) Procedures or Methodology It includes the steps taken in conducting the study. It allows readers to determine whether all aspects of the problem

were investigated adequately.

C) Findings They are results discovered during the research. Presented in a factual and objective manner without personal

opinion or interpretations. Present all findings- Positive and Negative.

D) Analysis It is the writer’s interpretation of the qualitative and quantitative

assessments of the findings. Analysis assists reader in determining which relationships are

important.

Body of the Report (cont.)


E) Conclusions

These are drawn from the findings of the study.

Summary of the content of the Analysis Section.

No new data should be presented in this section.

A study may have one or more conclusions.

F) Recommendations

It is the writer’s suggestion to the reader as to the actions that

should be taken to solve the problem.

These should develop logically from the findings, analysis and

conclusions of the study.

Body of the Report (cont.)


Supplementary Section

A) Glossary

Alphabetic list of terms used in the report with brief definition of each.

Used only when numerous unfamiliar terms are included in the text.

B) Appendix

Related information excluded from the body to improve its readability.

All appendixes should be referred to in the body of the report.

Some examples are: questionnaires, computer printouts, follow-up letters,

working papers, intricate tables and supporting material.


Levels of Reports

There are three levels of reports that means a Report can

provide:

Information Only:

Sales report and Quarterly reports

Information plus Analysis:

Annual Reports, Audit Reports and Make-good or pay-back reports

Information plus Analysis plus a Recommendation:

Feasibility reports, Justification reports and Problem-solving reports.

Principles of Drafting a Report

1. Principle of Purpose: Must have a specific and

sound purpose.

2. Principle of Organization: Should be properly

planned and well-organized.

3. Principle of Clarity: Written in Simple Language.

4. Principle of Brevity: Should be brief

enough.

5. Principle of Scheduling: Without

undue burden on staff and with sufficient

time for their preparation.

6. Principle of Cost: Cost should be less

than the benefits.

Principles of Drafting a Report (cont.)

Presentation of a Report

After the collection of data for the

report comes the stage of presentation

of the data in the report. This stage is

one of the most important stage in

report writing and presentation thereof

as however good the data may be if it

is not presented correctly and the

hardwork put in collecting the data may

go in vain.

Factors to be considered in Presenting a Report

Errors in interpreting the data

Not being too elaborative

Congestion of data must be avoided

The report must look good

Presentation of Reports

Errors in Interpreting the Data

Adding colors to the facts

Drawing unnecessary conclusions

Interpreting the lack of evidence as a proof of the

contrary

Comparing the non-comparable data

Drawing illogical cause-effect conclusion

Relying on unreliable and unrepresentative sources

Oversimplification of the problem


Remedial Steps

Maintain a judicious attitude (Without bias or

prejudice)

Consult others

Test your interpretations. For this, the two tests are:

i. The experience test

ii. The negative test


Not being too elaborative

Focus on the subject matter

Attention span of the audience must be kept in

mind

Not too lengthy

Unnecessary details and explanations must be

avoided


Congestion must be avoided

Data to be arranged in paragraphs, paragraphs to be

evenly placed.

Paragraphs must be duly identified.

Consecutive lines/paragraphs must be properly spaced.

Font size of the words must be adequate for the

readers to read.


Looking Good

Use pleasant colored background

Different color font for titles, headings and body text.

Font size for titles, headings and body text must be

different.

Appropriate diagrams must be used at proper place


Various Examples of Reports

Annual Reports

Audit Reports

Feasibility Reports

Sales Reports

Progress Reports

Directors Reports

Case Studies

Annual Report

An annual report lists the achievements and failures of

an organization.

It is a progress report in which every department is

accounted for.


Audit Report

There are two types of auditor: the external auditor

and the internal auditor.

External auditors are independent of the companies on

which they report. They are required to report to the

shareholders at general meetings on whether the final

statements of a company give a 'true and fair view' of

the state of the company's affairs.

Internal auditors are concerned with the segregation of

duties and the internal control of the business for

which they are employed.


Feasibility Reports

These discuss the practicality, and possibly the

suitability and compatibility of a given project, both

in physical and economic terms.

They also discuss the desirability of the proposed

project from the viewpoint of those who would be

affected by it.

Report writers must come to a conclusion, and must

recommend that some action is taken or is not taken

and/or that some choice is adopted or is rejected.


Sales Report

It is a salesperson's detailed record of sales calls and

results for a given period; typically, a sales report will

include information such as the sales volume per

product or product line, the number of existing and

new accounts called upon, and the expenses incurred

in making the calls.


Progress Report

You write a progress report to inform a supervisor,

associate, or customer about progress you've made

on a project over a certain period of time.

The project can be the design, construction, or repair

of something, the study or research of a problem or

question, or the gathering of information on a

technical subject.

You write progress reports when it takes well over

three or four months to complete a project.


Directors Report

Financial Report prepared for company directors.

The report is typically prepared on a quarterly and

annual basis.

It includes detailed items such as the accountant's

financial analyses and management

recommendations.

The report is usually unaudited.


Case Studies

Case study refers to the collection and presentation of detailed

information about a particular participant or small group,

frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves.

A form of qualitative descriptive research, the case study looks

intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing

conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that

specific context.

Researchers do not focus on the discovery of a universal,

generalizable truth, nor do they typically look for cause-effect

relationships; instead, emphasis is placed on exploration and

description.


Documents

Report Writing