1.1

All reports have a purpose, so state the objective clearly right up front. Express the topic clearly and describe the problem. Explain why the issue is important enough to merit a report. Is the report presenting information that requires a decision to be made, or is it requesting approval of the recommendations?

1.2

Choose a clear, complete, and concise title for the report and title page.

2.1

In the same way that you should consider your audience in making a presentation (see Section G Presentation Skills, subsection 6), you should consider the reader. Project reports are likely to be transmitted to others such as:

1. An external client
2. Senior management
3. For project records

Consequently, nearly all project reports will require a formal style.

2.2

Project reports are most likely to be written by other members of the project team. Further, as the project manager, you are likely to be one of the main recipients of a report into a problem‐solving investigation. Consequently, if you have particular requirements, make sure they are incorporated into the project management procedures.

2.3

Any report will consume man hours. Further, none of the recipients of a project report are likely to have much time to read it. Consequently, the report should be concise, well argued, supported by sound analysis, and have recommendations for action.

2.4

The main purpose of a project report is to enable the recipient to make a decision so that the project can move forward effectively. Alternatives need to be discussed, but the conclusions need to be clear and the recommendations unambiguous.

3.1

Don't forget to include the background material, such as correspondence, minutes, other file notes, and so on.

3.2

Collect the facts and ideas about the subject by reading, observation, and discussion with the project team members.

3.3

Brainstorm the material and data to be used and collate it into similar groupings or natural divisions of the subject. Eliminate material that is not relevant.

3.4

Investigations into technical problems must include enough detail to enable another company specialist to check the findings.

3.5

Check all the information you gather for accuracy.

4.1

Progress reports will have a very clear and consistent structure that has been agreed with the client. See Part IV, Section M concerning progress reporting.

4.2

A typical format is listed below. However, items b and c are sometimes interchanged. This is recommended for a proposal executive summary – you want the client to read it first without having to look for it. They know the contents; they defined them in the enquiry. However, for a normal report, it seems illogical. There is no reason why executives cannot read the contents page and then the summary.

1. Title page with the project name and number, the date of the report, and the title or subject
2. The contents list
3. The executive summary
4. The introduction
5. The main body of the report
6. Conclusions and recommendations
7. References, sources of data and appendices.

5.1

For a proposal the executive summary should be between 1.5 to 2.5 (3 absolute maximum) pages long. It will start with why the company should be awarded the project.

5.2

A normal report should be 1.5 (or less) to 2 (maximum) pages long. It will have a section briefly outlining the purpose of the report. It will then summarize the main findings and recommendations.

6.1

The introduction will outline the purpose of the report in slightly more detail. It will state the approach used in the investigation, together with any other resources used. It is distinguished from the executive summary by not having any findings or conclusions.

7.1

Describe the procedures used in the investigation to gather the facts, so that someone else could repeat the process if necessary.

7.2

Analyse the situation. State your assumptions and the limitations inbuilt into the investigation.

7.3

Make an outline, linking the various groupings in a logical order. Show how subordinate problems are interrelated. Progress reports will have the information in a sequential order.

7.4

Choose section headings for each main grouping or subject division.

7.5

Discuss advantages and disadvantages of alternatives objectively. State the criteria used to evaluate the alternatives. In a project, this discussion and analysis is bound to involve cost and schedule implications, leading to a natural conclusion.

7.6

Justify the main recommendations.

8.1

Write a very brief statement of what you want to say or achieve with your report, and use this as a reference point when you are writing the main elements of the report.

8.2

Some guidelines to help make the text more effective

1. Use a standard font, readable font size, and a line spacing of 1.15. Make it look good.
2. Write in plain English, using familiar words. Write using short sentences.
3. Do not use abbreviations without first spelling them out in full. Do not use buzzwords. Define all special terms and/or terms used in a special way.
4. Be extremely cautious of using ‘cut and pasted’ boiler plate from other sources. This can cause serious errors. I know of one case where the contractor submitted a proposal to client X, and all the way through one section, it said client Y!
5. Headings should be used to highlight important areas and to help the reader find what they want.
6. Eliminate padding. Practice your précis writing.
7. Avoid vague phrases, and be specific.
8. Look at issues in a positive way, rather than being negative.
9. Work at being consistent in your use of headings, capitalization, and numbering.
10. If you use numbered paragraphs, do not use more than three numbers with two decimal points. Alternate numbers and letters for subsections.

8.3

With today's technology, there is no excuse for spelling mistakes. Use a thesaurus. Use the appropriate English spelling using Z's. Organization is not an Americanism; it is the correct English spelling.

8.4

Use numbers for quantities below 10 and spell them out in full for larger numbers. For sums of money, use numbers and then spell them out so that any mistake is highlighted.

8.5

Consider what use you can make of diagrams or illustrations in order to reduce the amount of descriptive text. Make sure every diagram or illustration has a title, is numbered, and referred to in the text.

8.6

Be sure to reference sources of information and other people's material. This enables the reader to follow up the background material should they so wish. Academic reports usually list the references on a page(s) at the end of the report. I prefer to read them as I read the report and place them at the bottom of the page. This avoids having to flip backwards and forwards, interrupting the reader's flow. If there is a lot of detail, keep it for an appendix.

8.7

Check your sources and facts.

9.1

The material in these sections will be in more detail than that presented in the executive summary. Emphasize the significance of the subject matter.

9.2

You may not need both a conclusions and a recommendations section. The conclusions should flow naturally from the body of the report and should be supported by the evidence and data. There should not be any new material in this section.

9.3

In a project report, there will almost certainly be a requirement to finish with some advice on the action to be taken in the recommendations.

9.4

State the cost and schedule implications of the chosen recommendation.

10.1

If there are a lot of data, rather than clutter up the body of the report or interrupt the flow of the material, place it in an appendix. It may be useful, however, to summarize some of the key information so as to prevent people having to refer to the appendix in order to understand the arguments being put forward.

10.2

If the report contains numerous references to project documents, it may be helpful to compile a separate list as an appendix.

11.1

Recheck the contents page and page numbering

11.2

If you have the luxury of some time, leave the report for half a day and then reread it to see if it achieves what it was meant to do. Criticise it objectively as if it were someone else's work. Is the style readable, and does it flow?

11.3

Is the relationship between the diagrams and the text clear and as explicit as possible?

11.4

End with a punch line, if you have a good one.

Having mastered everything in this book, you will have nothing to do and your projects will be boring! (see Introduction)