Writing for Business

Institute of Leadership & Management

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781138454064
• eBook ISBN: 9781136017698
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

Super series are a set of workbooks to accompany the flexible learning programme specifically designed and developed by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) to support their Level 3 Certificate in First Line Management. The learning content is also closely aligned to the Level 3 S/NVQ in Management. The series consists of 35 workbooks. Each book will map on to a course unit (35 books/units).

Session E

The report writing process

1 Introduction

If it’s going to achieve its specific objectives, and meet the objectives of its users, a report or a project must be:

relevant;

thorough;

reliable;

credible;

readable.

A lot may ride on the result – the quality of important decisions, the fate of your pet projects, your own reputation.

As we discussed in Session D, with routine reports the task is fairly simple. Models of what’s required already exist, and the collection, analysis and presentation of facts is also routine. You will present the report in a routine format.

With special reports, ILM Certificate in First Line Management projects and other longer written documents, the task is different:

the issues will often be complex;

the facts and figures won’t be presented on a plate: you’ll have to go out and find them;

you won’t necessarily know what the end result will be;

you may not have standard formats to work to;

the length and detail of the report will depend on the subject, and what you find when you start examining it.

All in all, you will need to make a big investment of time, energy and brainpower.

You need to get it right, and the key to doing so is careful planning and thorough preparation.

You may be used to writing documents, such as letters and memos, for other people. How different can report writing be?

Let’s see first how it can all go wrong!

2 What’s special about presenting reports?

There are several big differences between writing a short document like a memo and writing a proper report.

Jamail was asked by the committee to write a report on the progress made in installing wheelchair/pushchair access at the County Council’s many premises.

He was very busy and was very slow to get started. When he realized how close his deadline was, he hastily phoned some local councillors and community activists. The report he submitted was mainly based on their comments. Beryl Wallace told him ‘I hear that the old swimming pool in B_________still hasn’t got a proper ramp, and as for the Youth House, people are always moaning about it’ These ‘facts’ went into the report.

Jamail’s ‘final’ report was very short – just under two pages. The main body of his report went as follows:

The Council Equal Opportunities committee passed a resolution some time ago calling for wheelchair/pushchair access to Council premises to be improved. The intention was to see ramps installed at entrances and similar improvements. The cost of these was expected to be considerable.

In the event most of the improvements have not been carried out. This is no doubt due to lack of funds, but also to blame, no doubt, is the lack of enthusiasm on the part of Council staff. Attitudes towards disabled people are still very poor. This matter has simply not been given the right degree of implementation, or more would have been done. The old swimming pool at B________is a case in point. It should have been given a ramp, and this has not happened.

Also numerous complaints have been received about the Youth House.

The Assembly Rooms in my own Ward have been improved greatly, but the same cannot be said of elsewhere. Of the other main Council premises there is little good reported.

Yet there is no doubt that improvements are desperately needed and that such improvements would greatly benefit the ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Series preface
• Unit specification
• Workbook introduction
• Session A Why and when to write
• Session B Writing for results
• Session C Planning and laying out your writing
• Session D Reports – what and why?
• Session E The report writing process
• Performance checks
• Reflect and review