Writing a Work Report May Seem Daunting, but It Might Not Be as Hard as You Think. Generally Speaking, the Purpose of a Work Report Is to Illustrate Your Progress on a Work Project or to Present Your Conclusions and Recommendations on Workplace Issues. To Easily Write an Effective Work Report, You Should First Consider Your Purpose, Audience, Research, and Message. Then, Draft the Report Using a Typical Format for Business Reports. Finally, You Can Make Changes So That the Report Conveys Information Effectively.
Plan to Write a Work Report
- Determine the purpose and topic of the report. In some cases, you will be asked to write a report. The requirements may define the purpose or subject matter of the report. If you’re not sure, think about what message you want to convey to your audience. You can also ask your boss or superior for details.
- Choose a tone and words that suit your audience. Consider what your audience already knows and their level of familiarity with technical terminology. The language and terminology used in work reports can usually be a little more professional and not as straightforward as a public-facing report.
- If available, you can assemble research and supporting information. Include the information you used to draw your conclusion or recommendation.
- If you are writing a progress report, review your progress. A good progress report will give you a simple overview of what you’ve accomplished, what’s next, and whether the project is on track. It’s a good idea to think about what questions others might ask about your project and answer them in your report.
- Summarize the information your report must include. Summarizing your ideas in a loose outline will help you write your report. When summarizing, come up with some subtitles for the report to help you organize what you want to write. Your outline doesn’t have to be succinct or complete; it’s for your use only.
Draft Work Report
- Use a cover or title page. The title page must contain the title of the report, followed by the date on which you submitted the report on a separate line. The third line lists the names of all authors. Then, write the name of your organization on the fourth line.
- Write an executive summary detailing key information. It should include your conclusions, reasons, and recommendations. This allows the viewer to understand the key points of the report without having to read the entire report. You do not have to write a detailed description, but the reader must understand the content of the report. The executive summary should be between half a page and one page in length.
- Make a table of contents outlining what is included in the report. List the section titles in the table of contents, along with the page number on which the section begins. This way readers can easily browse your report and find the information they need.
- Write an introduction summarizing the circumstances surrounding the report. Tell the reader why you wrote this job report. Summarize the background of the report and explain your purpose. Outline the question you want to answer and solve. Describe the scope of the report and a roadmap for its content.
- Explain the results you describe or the conclusions you propose. Summarize the research or evaluation you have completed that is relevant to this project. Then, discuss and explain your findings and how they relate to the topic of your report.
- Make follow-up suggestions. Your suggestions should describe what will happen in the future. Explain what problem your solution will solve and how they relate to your conclusion. After writing your description, make a numbered list of suggestions, each beginning with a verb. Rank your suggestions in order of importance.
- Describe in detail the reasoning and methods you used to arrive at your conclusion. Explain how you approached the topic, problem, or difficulty. Report your findings and explain how you used them to formulate recommendations. Divide your argument into different parts and give each part a title that tells the reader what it contains.
- List all references you used while writing your report. References may include journal articles, news reports, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, statistical results, and other relevant information. List them at the end of the report and label the page “References.”
- Put research, questionnaires, emails, etc. into appendices. Some work reports do not require appendices. However, if you want the reader to know what sources you have consulted, or if you want to provide some additional information to help the reader better understand the topic or your findings, then you can make use of an appendix. Give each appendix a letter number.
- Summarize your findings and progress with a brief conclusion. You don’t have to include a conclusion in your report, but write one that gives a good summary of your efforts. The conclusion should be kept to 3 to 4 sentences or less and summarize the information you presented in the report.
Enable Reports to Convey Information Effectively
- Use clear titles to help readers navigate the report. Develop a title that gets to the point. Readers should know the content of the report at a glance.
- Use simple, direct language to express your ideas. Work reports don’t need to be big or exciting. You just tell the reader your point of view. Express your ideas in as simple language as possible.
- Use concise text and try to keep your report short. Writing too much unnecessary content wastes both your and your readers’ time. Cut out unnecessary nonsense and get straight to the point.
- Express your thoughts in an objective language without any emotion. Write only facts and let readers draw conclusions based on an objective look at the issue. While you can offer advice on how to handle a problem, don’t try to appeal to your readers’ emotions to convince them. Allow readers to form their own opinions and judgments based on their objective view of the facts.
- In most reports, avoid using slang and the word “I.” If you are the only person involved in the project, it may be appropriate to say “I” in the progress report. Otherwise, don’t use the word “I” or any slang terms in your work reports.
- Check the report to make sure there are no errors. Grammar and spelling errors can undermine the professionalism of a work report. Please be sure to read the report carefully to make sure there are no spelling errors, inappropriate phrasing, or language. It is a good idea to proofread your report at least twice.
Tips
- After writing your first work report, you can use it as a template for future reports.
- Your workplace may have a template for work reports. Ask your boss if you could use a template for your reports.
- If possible, it is a good idea to refer to previous work reports from your business or organization to determine the format of your report. Check office files or ask for copies of previous reports from coworkers or supervisors.