Content

• Steps

Business reporting is one of the most effective means of communicating business operations today. Despite their broad goals, they are generally used when a business or individual needs to make important decisions. To write effective business reports, you first need to understand what they are and how they can be used.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Determine the type of report to write

1. 

   Present ideas. This is the type explanatory reports / proposals. These reports can be used to make recommendations to key management or decision-makers in a company, usually composed of two parts: summary and content. Summary highlights your suggestion. The content (body) section further analyzes benefits, costs, risks, etc. come with it.
   • Let's say you want to offer a 3D printer for your department. In order to persuade your manager to approve the purchase of this device, you need to write an explanation / recommendation report to formally petition the management.

2. 

   
   
   Describe the risks associated with a particular opportunity.Investigation report helping to determine the degree of risk associated with a certain course of action. This type of report is extremely helpful in assisting a company in predicting possible consequences. It includes an introduction, investigative content and conclusions. The introduction highlights the issue under consideration. The survey content is used to discuss facts and results of the investigation. The conclusion is used to summarize the problem.
   • Suppose that Pharmaceutical Company X wants to work with Pharmaceutical Company Y but still has concerns. Company X does not want to cooperate with a company with present or past financial problems. This company will conduct an investigation and use the investigation report to discuss in depth the financial information of company Y and its directors.

3. 

   
   
   Presents information about compliance with a particular regulatory agency. This is compliance report, is used to help a company demonstrate its responsibility. It demonstrates compliance with laws / regulations and reasonable company spending in front of governing body (city, provincial, government, etc.). This report includes the introduction, the content of the report and the conclusion. The introduction usually contains an overview of the main content in the report. The content section represents data, events, etc. Executive agencies need to know. Conclusions are used to summarize.
   • For example, Nestle needs to show its governing board they are following host country policy and law guidelines over the years. As a result, they have used their annual compliance reports to be transparent about their activities for the year.

4. 

   
   
   Presentation of the feasibility of the proposed idea or project. Exploration reports used to determine whether an idea is practical or not is called possible report. This report should be structured in two parts: the summary and the content of the report. The content shows the benefits, possible problems, costs involved, and so on. of the proposed idea. A company can use a feasibility report to explore questions similar to the following:
   • Can this project be completed within budget?
   • Will this project be profitable?
   • Can this project be completed within the allotted time frame?

5. 

   
   
   Presentation of investigative research results.Investigative research report presenting research on a problem or problem. It is usually an in-depth look at a particular subject matter, and should include sections: summary, introduction, research methodology, results obtained, conclusions and recommendations. Relevant research should also be included in this report.
   • For example, a company might conduct company-wide research on whether or not to ban smoking in the employee lobby. The operator will prepare an investigative research report.

6. 

   
   
   Help your company improve its policy, product or business process through continuous monitoring. Formulated on fixed intervals, such as weeks, months, quarters, etc., Periodic reports performance, profit and loss or any other criteria can be reviewed in detail over a given time period.
   • For example, every month, a pharmaceutical sales representative will probably create a table summarizing the number of their sales calls.

7. 

   
   
   Report on a specific situation. As opposed to fixed time periods, specific situations are needed report the situation. The situation here can be as simple as information obtained from a seminar or as complex as reporting on a response to a natural disaster. This report includes sections: introduction, content and conclusions. Use the introduction to identify the event and go through what will be covered in the content of the report. The conclusion is used to state the commitment or action needed in this situation.
   • For example, after a major storm, the governing body will need a situation report.

8. 

   Present the solution to the problem or situation.Comparison report Consider several possible solutions to a given situation. Based on the results, the writer will propose a specific course of action. It usually consists of three parts: introduction, content and conclusion. The introduction outlines the purpose of the report. The middle section describes the situation or problem and possible solutions / options. The conclusion reveals the best solution or alternative.
   • Consider car manufacturer ABC wants to open a factory in Asia. Based on what the company needs, the report could narrow the selection down to three countries. It will then conclude which is the best factory site out of the three countries.
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Part 2 of 2: Writing business report

1. 

   Define your report goals and format. Ask yourself what you want to achieve through the report. Based on your desired goal, select the appropriate report type from the list listed above.
   • Whatever the answer, you need to ensure the brevity of your goal. If the goal is not clear, the report will only confuse readers and possibly compromise its credibility.
   • For example, if you want to get a larger advertising budget for your department. The report should then focus on your current budget and how you can effectively use your larger budget.

2. 

   Identify the audience. Readers can include outsiders (people who don't work in your company) or internals. Consider their existing knowledge or familiarity with their target topic, and think about how they will use the information presented in the report.
   • Remember that no matter who your audience is, there is no more convincing conclusion than the amount of money you can bring to your company or customers.
   • Let's say you want to run a job sharing program in your department and define that the audience here is the chief human resources officer, the chief executive officer, and the general manager. Consider their existing level of interest in this program. The answer will shape the tone of the report. If the company has never considered such a program, this report will be both strategic and informative. In the opposite case, the report should be less informative and more convincing.

3. 

   Determine what to learn. The hardest part is not in the writing part, but in drawing the conclusion and collecting the data needed to support it. It takes many skills, including data collection and market analysis. What you and then the management need to know in order to make an informed decision on what topic is being given?

4. 

   Get the right data for the report. It is important that your data is well researched. Otherwise, the report may lack credibility. The data collection itself depends on the type of report you write. Make sure that the selected data parameters are concise and consistent with the point of the report.
   • Data can be inside information - meaning you can quickly collect it. For example, you can get sales figures from sales department with just one call. In other words, you can get the data and get it into the report quickly.
   • External data can also be stored internally. If certain departments have collected customer analytics data, please ask from them. You don't need to do that investigation yourself. Although it is inconsistent in different business types, often the business reporter does not need to conduct a direct investigation.
   • Let's say you are writing an explanation / proposal report. You then have to study all the benefits that come from your suggestions and incorporate those studies into your report.

5. 

   Organize and write reports. How to choose a layout and write a report depends on your goals. For example, the layout of the compliance report will differ from the layout of the feasibility report. Once you have an idea of ​​how the report should be organized, you can start with your content.
   • Break down related data into separate parts. Business reports can't be messed up with loads of data and information. Organizing data into separate pieces is the key to a successful business report. For example, you can separate sales data from customer analysis data and set separate headings for them.
   • Arrange the report with relevant headings, which can be quickly surfaced as an independent study but at the same time support the fundamental purpose of the report.
   • Since some sections may depend on the analysis or the input of others, it is often possible to work on each part separately while waiting for the results of the analysis.

6. 

   Draw conclusions with specific proposals. The conclusion made should be clear and should be a reasonable result from a careful examination of the data presented in the report. If appropriate, clearly propose the best course of action based on those conclusions.
   • Every goal should contain specific and measurable actions. Write down any changes in the job description, schedule or expense needed to complete the new plan. Each claim should present direct new approaches - those that will help meet the goal / solution outlined in the report.

7. 

   Write a project summary. The project summary should be the first page of your report but should also be the last thing you write. This summary presents the research results and conclusions as well as a very brief overview of what will be presented if the reader chooses to continue reading the full report. It's like a movie trailer or an abstraction of a scholarly article.
   • The Executive Summary is named above because it is almost the only thing a busy board member will read. Present everything important to your boss here, 200-300 words maximum. The remainder may be examined more closely if they want to know more.

8. 

   Use infographic for the data to be used if needed. In some cases, it can be helpful to present quantitative data through a chart or graph. Use colors in your presentation, as they will attract more attention and help distinguish information. Whenever possible, use bullet points, use numbers, or frame data to make them easier to read. This way, you will separate the data from the rest of the report and show what it means.
   • Overall, visual effects are a great factor, making business reporting more interesting as the text and figures themselves can be relatively stiff. But do not go too far, only use when appropriate and necessary.
   • A page that is full of text and contains no tables or figures can be tiring. Please frame the content there. The information box can also effectively summarize your presentation.

9. 

   Cite sources as needed. Depending on the type of research being conducted, you may need to explain your source of information. The purpose of the document page or reference source in the business report is to provide a source of information so that others can learn more or find data if desired.
   • Use the right format for reporting citations, depending on your industry.

10. 

    Read it again twice. Spelling or grammatical errors can cause readers to feel that you are not putting enough effort into the report and question the reliability of research results. In addition, be sure to present information in a clear, concise manner.
    • For example, do not overdo fancy words or use very long sentences.
    • Avoid using slang.
    • If both the report and the reader are closely related to a particular industry, you can use technical jargon or terminology. But be careful, don't overdo them.
    • In general, business reports are written in the passive form and are one of the few cases in which the more passive is better.
    • You can often miss errors when rereading your work by feeling familiar from the moment you write. Consider having someone else in the room, who also wants to report success, read through. Be open to the feedback received. It is better when the error is pointed out by co-workers instead of superiors. Review each comment and rewrite the report.

11. 

    Create a table of contents. Format business reports as formal as possible, creating a table of contents for easy follow-up and quick read. Include all of the important sections, especially the governance summary and conclusion.

12. 

    Make the cover of your business report. The best way to complete a good, thorough investigative report is to cover it appropriately. You can use the binder, cuffs or good paper. The bottom line here is that the business report should be eye-catching, easy-to-see, enough to arouse readers' interest.
    • This also applies to all tables and graphs included in the report.
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