To: Nancy Myers

From: Robert Andrew “Andy” Schlosser

CHAPTER 17
SHORT, INFORMAL REPORTS

Report Definition. Reports are documents that record things like problems and solutions, contextually
relevant information, work and procedures, current status, and recommendations for future actions.

Online Reports. Online reports have strong logistical and financial advantages over paper reports in that
they can be stored and shared far more efficiently.

Types of Reports. Reports can be about incidents, trips, tests, research, and proposals.

Criteria for Writing Reports

 Organization
o Identification Lines. The first thing the reader should see is the date, the names of the
sender and receiver, and the topic.
o Headings and Talking Headings. Headings are so useful in making documents organized
that word processors have dedicated functions for them. Talking headings are simply
more specific and informative than normal headings.
o Introduction. Introductions provide an overview of the report, not just in case the
intended recipient cannot access it for whatever reason, but also to provide context
when it’s reread in the future. It can help to divide it into subdivisions like personnel,
dates, and purpose.
o Discussion. Discussions are the main topic of any given report. It requires detailed
explanations of all issues in what is being reported on.
o Conclusion/Recommendations. These two share a lot of overlap, but they both involve
summing up the discussion and stating recommended action going forward.
 Development. Ask the reporter’s questions (who, what, when, where, why, and maybe how),
and use the answers to clarify and detail specific issues that the report is about.
 Audience. Determining your audience determines how much definitions must be included as
well as the tone of the writing.
 Style. This is less about injecting personality into your writing and more about highlighting and
conciseness. Moreover, tables are for spreading data in an accessible fashion.

Incident Reports

 Purpose and Examples. Incident reports detail things that have gone wrong, such as equipment
malfunctions, injuries, or criminal activity.
 Criteria. Introduce the report by stating who was involved, what role you the writer played, and
why you’re involved. Next, the discussion should consist of witness names and testimonies,
 equipment models and damages, emergency services contacted, graphics depicting the incident,
and how the problem was solved. Finally, the conclusion should have the cause and mitigation
strategies.

Investigative Reports

 Purpose and Examples. Investigation reports detail why things have gone wrong, such as
computer glitches, thefts, and structural failures.
 Criteria. First, the introduction should have the topical incident and rationale for covering it, as
well as the location, personnel involved, and the authorization. Second, use subheadings to
document the review of observations, interviewees, difficulties, techniques, and procedures.
Conclude it by stating what was accomplished, learned, and discovered; as well as who or what
is at fault. Be sure to add a recommended course of action.

Trip Reports

 Purpose and Examples. Trip reports detail things that happen on travel periods like expenses
and activities, and are useful in explaining what happens in a conference, traveling to a client’s
headquarters, and jobs that require frequent travel.
 Criteria. Start with the introduction, which includes the purpose of the trip, anybody you
traveled with, and who authorized it. Next, document the agenda, findings, contacts, and/or
problems that occurred on the trip. Finally, conclude with a discussion about your
accomplishments and recommend whether to do the trip again or make some changes.

Progress Reports

 Purpose and Examples. Progress reports detail where a project is at a certain point in time, and
can be frequent, regular occurrences; such as picking a catering company for a hospitality
project, tracking renovations, and updating superiors on what improvements are to be made to
the company’s products.
 Criteria. The introduction should include the objectives, personnel, and previous activity. Next,
chronologically list what has been accomplished, inform of any problems to explain delays, and
share what is supposed to happen next. Finally, sum everything up, share the expected date of
completion, and recommend changes to help improve work conditions.

Lab Reports

 Purpose and Examples. Lab reports document scientific findings like pathology studies, why a
GPS is malfunctioning, or hard drive errors. You must share how and why you performed the
tests, the results, and any required actions to take.
 Criteria. Begin with an introduction telling the motivation, objective, and authorization of the
report. Follow that with the equipment or approaches used and what steps you took to perform
the test. Conclude with your findings, the implications, and any actions that may need to be
taken, if any.
Feasibility/Recommendation reports

 Purpose and Examples. Feasibility reports determine whether a plan is viable. This is useful for
situations like a company trying to determine which piece of equipment to buy, whether to
expand and where, and how best to go about designing a website.
 Criteria. Introduce the report with an explanation of the purpose, motive, and authorization.
Follow that with a list of criteria for a solid basis of comparison and the analysis of the findings
or options. Conclude with the significance of your findings and recommend which course of
action to take.

The Writing Process at Work

 Prewriting – In order to write something coherent, you need to know what you are writing
about. An effective way to do this is to brainstorm ideas that are directly related to the main
topic and if you’re trying to convey an objective, list concrete steps towards it.
 Writing – Once you have your ideas, you will need to elaborate on them. This is where the
actual work of putting words on paper comes in.
 Rewriting – Once you have a finished draft, it’s necessary to proofread and edit it as necessary
to refine your work and make it presentable in a workplace setting.