Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Decide what kind of report to write
• Part 2 of 2: Writing a business report

Business reports are one of the most effective means of communication in today's business world. There are several purposes for a business report, and companies or individuals can use it to make important decisions. To write an effective business report you must first understand what it is and how it can be used.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Decide what kind of report to write

1. Present an idea. A report that presents an idea is called a recommendation report / advisory report. You can use these reports to provide advice to management or other important decision makers. This report usually has a summary and a body. The summary emphasizes your advice.
   • You may want a 3D printer for your department. To convince your manager to buy one, you can write an advisory report formally asking the management team for a printer.
2. Present the risks of a specific opportunity. An investigation report can help determine the risks of a specific action. This report helps a company see what possible consequences it can expect. This report includes an introduction, middle section and conclusion. The introduction highlights the problem under investigation. The middle section is used to discuss the facts and results of the investigation. And the conclusion sums it all up.
   • Suppose the pharmaceutical company X wants to cooperate with pharmaceutical company Y, but still has reservations. Company X does not want to cooperate with a company that has (had) financial problems now or in the past. Company X conducts an investigation and uses a research report to discuss in detail the financial information about Company Y and its directors.
3. Present compliance information to a governing body. This report, called a compliance report, helps companies demonstrate their responsibility. A company uses a compliance report to prove to a governing body (city council, government, etc.) that it follows all applicable laws / regulations and that it spends money wisely. This report contains an introduction, a body and conclusion. The introduction usually contains an overview of the most important chapters in the report. The middle section contains the specific data, facts, etc., that the governing body needs to know. The conclusion summarizes everything.
   • CALPERS (the California Workers' Retirement Plan) had to demonstrate to the board that in 2010 it followed all applicable laws and regulations. CALPERS prepared an annual compliance report to demonstrate their annual activities.
4. Present the feasibility of an idea or proposed project. A research report that determines whether an idea works or not is called a feasibility study. This report should include a summary and body. The summary presents the idea. The body contains the benefits, potential problems and related costs of the idea. A company can use a feasibility study to answer questions such as these:
   • Can this project be completed within budget?
   • Is this project profitable?
   • Can this project be completed within the timeframe?
5. Present research results from other studies. This kind of research report presents an investigation into a particular problem. It provides a detailed perspective on a very specific problem. The report should contain an abstract (summary), an introduction, methods, results, conclusion and a recommendation. It should also cite the sources of the said studies.
   • For example, a company could conduct a company investigation to determine whether smoking in the employee lounge should be eliminated. The person writing the research must make a research report.
6. Help a company improve policies, products or processes through monitoring. This report, called a periodic report, is written every so often, for example weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. It examines efficiency, profit and loss, or other measurable figures over a chosen interval.
   • For example, a sales associate at a pharmaceutical company can provide a monthly summary of his or her sales calls.
7. Report on a specific situation. A specific situation - as opposed to a specific interval - requires a situational analysis. A situation can be as simple as the information presented at a conference or as complex as a report on the response to a natural disaster. These reports contain an introduction, body and conclusion. Use the introduction to describe the event and provide a brief preview of what you will discuss in the middle section. The conclusion discusses the actions taken or necessary in the situation.
   • For example: a government body wants a situational analysis / report after a hurricane.
8. Present different solutions to a problem or situation. Use an evaluation report to provide different solutions for a given situation. Based on the results, the writer can propose a particular action or action. The report must contain an introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction states the purpose of the report. The middle section presents the situation or problem, followed by potential solutions / alternatives. The conclusion reveals the best solution or alternative.
   • For example: VDL Nedcar wants to set up a factory in Asia. The report can provide three country options based on the needs of the business. The report can then conclude which of the three countries is the best location for a new plant.

Part 2 of 2: Writing a business report

1. Determine your objective and format. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with the report. Choose one of the reports as mentioned above based on the desired goal.
   • Make an accurate goal regardless of the answer. If it is muddled, your report will only confuse your reader, affecting the reliability of the report.
   • For example, you want a larger advertising budget for your department. Focus your report on the current advertising budget and how you could use a larger budget effectively.
2. Determine who your reader is. Your reader can be an external party (someone who does not work within your company) or someone within your company. Think about your reader's knowledge of the subject and how confident he / she is with it. Also think about how the reader will use the information in the report.
   • Remember, regardless of your reader, nothing speaks more clearly to a company or client than money.
   • For example, suppose you want to implement a program for your department in which functional tasks are shared. You decide that your target audience consists of the HR director of the company, the CEO and the COO. Think how much they may already know about these types of programs. The answer to that sets the tone for the report. If the company has never thought about such a program, the report should be both informative and strategic. If the company has thought about it before, the report should be less informative and more convincing.
3. Decide what to learn. The hardest part of writing a business report isn't the writing itself. It is compiling the conclusion and gathering the necessary data to support that conclusion. This requires a variety of skills, including data collection and market analysis. What do you - and ultimately management - need to know in order to make an informed decision on the topic?
4. Collect the correct data for your report. It is important that your data comes from thorough research; otherwise you run the risk of affecting reliability. The data collection depends on the type of report you are writing. Make sure to use accurate indicators that are relevant to the purpose of the report.
   • You can find data internally, which means that you can collect it fairly quickly.For example, you can call the sales department for sales figures, so that you can quickly process your data in your report.
   • External data may also be available internally. If a department has already made a customer analysis, you can borrow it. You don't have to do the research yourself. This varies by company, but the writer of a business report usually doesn't need to do the initial research.
   • For example, if you are writing a recommendation / advisory report, you should research all the benefits of your proposed idea and incorporate those results into your report.
5. Compile your report. How you compile your report depends on your objective. For example, you compile a compliance report differently than a feasibility study. Once you have an idea of ​​how you want to put together your report, you can write the content.
   • Divide relevant data into different chapters. A business report should not be a deluge of numbers and information. Dividing the data into separate chapters is important for a successfully written business report. For example, keep the sales figures separate from the customer analysis and give them a separate title.
   • Use headings to structure the report so that it can be quickly read as an independent study while supporting the basic purpose of the report.
   • Since some parts depend on the analysis or input from others, you can often work on the parts separately while waiting for the analysis.
6. Draw conclusions with specific recommendations. Draw clear conclusions that follow logically from the data in the report. Give a clear recommendation on the best policy, based on the conclusion.
   • Any objectives should include specific and measurable actions. Write down any changes in job descriptions, schedules, or costs required to implement the new plan. Each statement must immediately demonstrate how the new method helps to achieve the objective / solution given in the report.
7. Write the management summary. The executive summary should be on the first page of the report, but it should be the last thing you write. The executive summary should present your results and conclusions, and provide a brief overview of what someone is going to read if they choose to read the entire report. Like a trailer in a movie or an abstract in an academic essay.
   • The executive summary is so named as it is probably the only thing a busy manager would read. Tell your boss the main points in no more than 200-300 words. If your boss is curious, he / she can read the rest of the report.
8. If necessary, use infographics for the data. In some cases it can be useful to use graphs or diagrams to present quantitative data. Use color as it draws attention and makes the information stand out. Where possible, use bullet points, numbers, or text boxes to make the report easier to read. This sets your data apart from the rest of the report and reinforces its meaning.
   • In general, visual numbers are a good idea for business reports because the text and data itself can be a bit dry. Don't overdo it, though. All infographics must be relevant and necessary.
   • Use text frames on pages with a lot of text without tables or images. A full page of text can tire the reader. A text box can also be effective for summarizing the main points.
9. Cite your sources if necessary. Depending on the type of research you have done, you will need to explain where you got your information from. The purpose of a bibliography or resource page in a business report is to provide others with the source of the information in case they would like to see the data themselves.
   • Use an appropriate way to quote the sources in your report based on your industry.
10. Read your report again. Spelling mistakes or simple grammatical mistakes can give your readers the impression that you haven't put in enough effort. These mistakes can even call the reliability of your results into question. Also, make sure to present your information in a clear, accurate way.
    • For example, don't overdo it with expensive words or complicated sentences.
    • Avoid dialect or slang.
    • If your report and your audience are tied to a specific industry, you can use jargon or technical terms. But you have to be careful not to use it too often.
    • In general, business writing is better in the passive form, and this is one of the few cases where the passive form is better than the active form.
    • You can often miss mistakes when you reread your own work because you are too familiar with it. Think about who in your department also benefits from the report and can read it for you. Be open to feedback. It is better to hear the mistakes from an employee than from a boss. Read each comment and rewrite the report taking the comments into account.
11. Write a table of contents. Make the business report as formal as possible and create a table of contents so that it is transparent and people can quickly scroll to a chapter. Include all relevant chapters, especially the executive summary and conclusion.
12. Bind your business report together. A thorough, thoroughly researched report goes best with a beautiful presentation. This can include a nice folder, bookbinder or paper. The point is that your business report looks so sharp that your reader is eager to read it.
    • This also applies to any graphs and charts in the report.