A business reports a kind of task or project which is done in a company or organization wherein a case study or an actual situation is examined. Then in the business report format, business theories are applied to be able to come up with a variety of suggestions and ideas for the improvement of what’s being analyzed.
Typically these kinds of documents are given as a project or a task so you can:
When it comes to business report templates, there is generally no correct solution rather there are several of them which come with their own advantages, disadvantages, and costs to the company or organization. Identifying and then weighing out these advantages, disadvantages, and costs is mainly what your report will be all about.
When looking at any kind of business report example, it would be evident that it was written with the audience (or the reader of the said report) in mind. Make sure to identify who will be reading what you’ve made – whether it’s just the higher ranking employees or other members of the organization, so you can write your report with the correct tone and level of professionalism, objectivity, sensitivity, formality, and fairness.
In making a business report format, you have to include data and facts which are related to activities in your business. All the characteristics and essential elements which should be included in the report is what differentiates it from other kinds of reports. Let’s take a look at these distinct elements:
The Specific Issue
Each and every report (even this one) is written based on a single, specific issue or topic. It’s basically written to accomplish a specific need.
The Pre-Specified Audience
In writing this kind of report, you’d have to already have an audience in mind. Even though a lot of other people may end up reading your report, you should already have a pre-specified audience you are considering.
The Specific Layout or Structure
You’d have to follow a specific layout or structure for this kind of report, no matter what type of report you are planning to write. The different types of the report will be discussed later on.
Basis from Past Events
Generally, these kinds of reports are written based on past events. Usually, the reasons for the events are stated as well as the methods for solving the concerns and issues involved in the events.
Unbiased in Nature
Your report would have to be strictly unbiased and should not contain any subjective materials as it could affect how decisions are made and how your report is interpreted.
Information Based on Facts
All the data and information in your report should be based on facts. Never include information which you are not sure of or which you won’t be able to back up when you are asked about it.
Shared Effort
These kinds of reports are very rarely done by a single person. Usually, a group of people or a committee would need to come together to write all the important sections and complete this report.
Organized Presentation
Making sure that your presentation is organized is key so that your audience would be able to understand your report and find all the necessary information needed when it is needed.
An Upward Direction
Your report must flow upward in the organizational structure. The people with higher authority typically delegates the duty of making the reports to the people with lower authority and after the report has been prepared, it is submitted back up to the people with higher authority.
Additional Materials for the Presentation
Reports must be presented in such a way that they are interesting. To be able to do that, you can include additional materials to aid in your presentation.
The Signature and Date
Usually, any kind of report or document is not authorized or official until it has been signed and dated. The reporter should sign the report as well as all the members of the committee.
As you can see, this kind of report would need a lot of distinct elements which should be included in it. Without all these, you may not have made an efficient report and it may not be received well. Now let’s move on to the different types of reports.
Downloadable Templates:
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Typically types of business report templates would depend on the purpose of making these reports but they should all contain the four essential parts: the introduction, summary, discussions and conclusions. A report which contains all these would be complete, comprehensive and efficient. Here are the different types of reports:
Analytical
This type would contain data along with examination, analysis or interpretation from the writer/s of the report or in response to the person/s who had made a request for the report. This type of report is used for important decisions to be made or to be able to come up with a solution to a problem.
Informational
This type would only contain data and information without any comments from the writer/s of the report. More informal in nature, this type should have information, facts and results regarding a particular topic in full detail sans any suggestions or explanation.
Research and Recommendation
This type would contain data as well as the analysis of the report writer/s about the data. It should also contain any or all appropriate action as advised by the writer/s of the report. Typically based on lots of research, this type of report is made by an individual or a group with regards to a particular concern or subject.
These are the 3 most common types of reports which are made, depending on the purpose which they need to be used. Before we move on to learning how to make your own report, let’s discuss the different purposes of these documents.
Making a good business report example is essential in organizations. There are different purposes of making these kinds of reports which you should know about before actually looking into how you would make your business report format. Here are the different purposes:
For Spreading Information
These kinds of reports are generally used for sharing information from an individual to another or from a level or department to another. This is especially useful for larger organizations where contact between employees and higher ranking persons are very rare.
For Interpreting and Explaining an Event
These types of reports should give a good interpretation and explanation of the information in it so that the readers will be able to understand everything about a particular event.
For Decision Making
Reports like these can be used by the management as a tool for making important decisions. The reports contain the vital information managers would need to solve problems.
For Communication with Key Stakeholders
Not only for use inside the organization, can these reports be used to communicate with key stakeholders outside of the organization as well. Stakeholders should be kept informed of what happens in organizations and these kinds of reports are essential for that.
For Developing an Information Base
Organizations should have an extensive information base and making reports would definitely add to that. These reports can be used as reference and can be added to an information base to make it sound and strong.
For Coming up with Recommendations
Reports don’t only contain data and information but also include suggested actions or solutions to an issue or a problem. This is important so that the organization is kept running smoothly and productively.
For Collection of Data
These kinds of reports serve as a document to track down your progress and give you a way of comparing time, details of your project and the history of growth. All these data as well as the information you will come across as you are doing research would be important for the organization.
For Building a Paper Trail
Making these kinds of reports would allow you to start building a paper trail of your past events and past. You can keep soft copies on your computer and hard copies on your physical files so that all your reports are backed up well. Remember that these reports contain a lot of important information and if you’d like to build your paper trail, make sure you file them properly.
For Good Reference
Each year, organizations are tasked to make annual reports for stockholders and government agencies to oversee different corporate businesses. Having reports on hand would ease your annual report making process as you would have actual documents to refer to when making them. An annual report is essential in organizations and using business reports as reference or as a supplement is then extremely important.
For Practicing
Making a habit of writing different kinds of reports would make it easier each time you do it. Organizations rely on reports so practicing how to make one as much as possible is key in learning how to make effective and comprehensive reports. You’d also be able to learn a lot about your organization as you are making your report and you will be able to hone your writing skills in the process too.
As you can see, there are different purposes for writing this kind of report which would ultimately benefit your organization. Now let’s move on to the final section of this article, which would talk about steps and tips in actually writing a report for your organization. You can use these steps and tips as a guide for you to be able to efficiently create a good report which would be understood by your audience and would convey the message which you would like to get across.
You now have a lot of information about business reports so now it’s time to learn about writing your own business report formats or business report templates. Knowing how to make this would allow you to start making your own for your organization when you see that there is a need for it. To get a better idea of how it’s made, you can go online and search for other business report examples and read through them. To guide you further, here are some useful steps and tips:
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