Management Tool (1) - Report Template
Does it often seem that reports are badly written?
Do you think people seem to have trouble putting together a logical argument?
Do you find that reports are poorly structured?
Do the conclusions drawn bear no resemblance to the argument put forward?
Do the conclusions contain information and argument not covered in the body of the report?
Do the recommendations seem to come out of thin air instead of relating to the conclusions?
If you have answered "Yes" to any of these, you may find this report template handy.
The intention of this template is just to help drive some logical thinking about what goes in a report and where. Consideration of what goes in the report will help in structuring and planning the work.
What is the first thing one does when starting a piece of work for which a written report is required? Write the report! Well, perhaps not the whole report but at least write the Objectives. Even the Scope and Methodology can be included at this stage.
This template can be adapted quite easily to assist also in setting out the Terms of Reference for a piece of work.
The template is provided free of charge to assist in writing reports. You can change it however you like. If you would like to give me credit when you use it that would be good.
This article is just my view of the topic at title. Like a lot of people, I’ve done some training in management techniques but there is no substitute for experience. In my case, a bit of trial and error, learning from my mistakes, watching other managers and a little common sense. I hope you found it of interest and assistance.
Peter Cromarty
Peter Cromarty is a former air traffic controller and pilot. He spent 27 years as a safety regulator of ATM/CNS, airspace and aerodromes.
View his Linked In profile.
