Learn Business Report Writing

Link for Video Lecture: Business Report Writing

What is a Report?

It is the account of an event or events that have already occurred, including details and evidence. A business report writing is presenting the analysis or investigation of an issue. In the report, you can recommend actions or ask for proposals in business report writing. It is an integral part of industries, academics, and businesses.

Types of Reports

There are different types of reports such as reports for donors against a donation, complaint reports, survey reports, annual reports, and yearly reports for institutes and news reports. On the other hand, business report writing may differ in volume, formality, templates, vocabulary, styles of graphics, and tables.

Guidelines for Business Report Writing

1. Determine the objectives – Most importantly the objectives should be concise, specific, and achievable.
2. Know the audience – It should be according to the audience or business sector.
3. Research – Analyze the documents and relevant material of the past.
4. Anecdotes – In the report, add the people who were in the survey or interview.
5. Market feedback – What do others say about it?
6. Decide your perspective- Discuss with others to provide your opinion
7. Make concept maps – Consider key information, and see the trends, themes, and topics.
8. Make an outline structure – You can see reports of other popular companies.
9. Cyclic writing – Don’t move according to headings but add information.
10. Editing – Numbers, dates, tables, data, and facts should be correct. So remove contradiction, edit line by line, and learn whether the objectives set at the start are met or not
11. Above all circulate the draft in standard business report format.

Decide on the Structure / Business Report Format

The business report format is almost the same but some details may differ from report to report. On the other hand, the sequence of these sections and their elimination depends on the type of report or your requirements. The difference depends on

• The type of the report – Whether it is a research report, business report, investigation report, or laboratory report
• How formal the report has to be?
• Length of the report

On the other hand, in the appendix, you can include information that is

• Too long to include in the body of the report
• Supplements or complements the information in the report such as tables, spreadsheets, and brochures.

How to write a report?

You can be a worthy employee and a valuable asset for your company if you know business report writing. Moreover, you can join our content writing course to learn business report writing. Follow these steps to write a report,

1. Decide on terms of reference
2. Conducting Research
3. Writing an outline
4. Data analysis and record finding
5. Recommendation
6. Editing and distribution

Decide on Terms of Reference

In business report writing, many formal reports include a section called “terms of reference”. This section of the report provides the following information,

• Why the report is necessary?
• What the report is about?
• What is the purpose of the report?
• When it was written?

This section provides information about the above questions. Therefore, this section of the report is very important for the writer and reader. The first paragraph of the report shows the relevancy and one can come to know about it quickly.

Conducting Research for Business Report Writing

You conduct research on data relevant to your topic. You can collect data or it is possible that you may have access to the data. It is an important part of report writing to write and format it in a way that is understandable by your readers. So you can add graphs, charts, or pictures to make it easy and understandable. Moreover, you can provide references where you find the data.

Writing an Outline / Business Report Format

In this step, you write an outline of the report in standard business report format. You can use numbers or bullet lists for this purpose. The outline of the report may look like this;

1. Title Page
2. Table of Contents
3. Executive Summary
4. Introduction
5. Terms of reference
6. Summary of procedure
7. Findings
8. Analysis
9. Conclusion
10. Reference or bibliography

Writing First Draft in Standard Business Report Format

It is an important stage to write the first draft. It does not mean to write a perfect report for the first time. Actually, you need to put all the events and information on the page. The basic purpose of this draft is to organize analysis and data in the form of a document that can be edited later.

You come to know about the information, gaps, and drawbacks in the document. You should make the notes and finish the draft to have a report.

Title Page

The title page of the report contains the title of the report, the name of the organization, and the date of submission.

Table of Contents

The table of contents shows all the topics covered in this report. A reader can jump to a particular section with the help of a table of contents. Some reports require an executive summary or list of contents. Although these two sections come near the beginning of the report but they cannot be done without finishing the report with proper structure and recommendations. An executive summary is about 100 words long and it tells the reader what the report is about and what the recommendations are.

Executive Summary

It is an overview of the subject matter, methods of analysis and findings, the problem and solution along with key recommendations. The senior management reads the executive summary of your report. So this part shows the level of your work.

An Introduction

It states the introduction and problems of the organization. This report will suggest a remedy for the problem so state your problem effectively.

Terms of Reference

You can find out the purpose of the report by reading the instructions and given information. You need to find the answers to some questions given below to draft the terms of reference.

• What is required and why it is required?
• To whom it is to be presented
• What is it about?
• When it is required?

Summary of Procedure

In this step, you plan your research and investigation to write the report. You need to ask the answers to the following questions.

• What kind of information do i need?
• What background reading, articles, or information is required?
• Do I need to go to the library?
• Do I need to observe or interview people?
• How to record data?

Answers to the above questions will draft the procedure section of your report. It helps to show the steps you have taken during your investigation process.

Findings

You need to read the material, observe and talk to people to find information. The information should be relevant and appropriate. Read instructions to know whether you are on track or not.

Conclusion

You need to analyze your findings and provide answers to the following questions to draw conclusions.

• Findings based on the studies or investigation
• What is important about my findings?
• What are the suggestions in view of my findings?

Your conclusion may describe how to collect the information, what is meant, and why this situation occurred. Please avoid adding any new information to the report.

References

This is a list of references for the sources you have used to complete the report.

Appendices

Minutes of meetings, research tools (survey forms, interviews), and tables or graphs, should be referred to the main body of the report.

The sections, of a report, usually have headings and subheadings, which are usually numbered, formatted, concise, and informative.

Data Analysis and Record Finding

“Findings” is the main section of every report. This section shows valuable information about the issue. It is worth reading if the result is not ideal. All the data and findings must handle accurately and in a manner to reach a conclusion.

Recommendations

What action or steps should be taken? In this step, you provide the solution to the problem and future strategies. The following things may help in recommendation;

• Firstly, reread your findings and conclusions
• What the person or company should do? Who asked for the report? What actions should they carry?
• In short, your recommendations should be practical and logical based on your conclusions.
• Similarly, there should be enough details for the reader that what should be done and who should do it.
• Your recommendations should be written as a list, and ordered from most to least important.

Editing and Distribution of The Report

The final step of the report is to finalize and distribute it to the audience. So you should reread it or ask someone else to proofread it to avoid mistakes. The distribution of reports can be done by the printing or sending emails. You need to check the following things;

• Read the instructions and guidelines carefully. What is asked for? Read the assignment questions.
• The required sections are present in the report and in the correct order.
• Your information is authentic without any gaps.
• Your arguments are logical. Similarly, your information supports your conclusions and recommendations.
• Have you explained all terms, abbreviations, and symbols?
• All the tables, diagrams, and illustrations are numbered and labeled.
• Is the formatting of the heading and numbering in the whole report correct?
• Your report is readable and effective so that a reader can go through it well.
• The writer should eliminate spelling, grammar, and typo mistakes.