Chapter 9 - Writing Short Reports
Chapter 9: Writing Short Reports
This chapter will help you with writing a variety of common short report types.
An Overview of Report Components
The makeup of reports is determined by their length and formality. While shorter reports are written more
frequently, longer reports are also very common in business, especially those written to external
audiences. Long reports are often collaborative efforts.
The influence of report formality and length on report form is depicted in Exhibit 9-1. To make full sense
of the diagram, you need some familiarity with the prefatory components of long reports. As the book
explains:
The title fly is simply a page with the title of the report on it. It is included as an extra touch of formality.
The title page has more information. It typically contains the title, identification of the reader and writer,
and the date. The title needs special care, as it will form the reader’s expectations for the rest of the report.
The letter of transmittal is the message that hands the report over to the reader. It describes the report’s
purpose and main findings and includes any other information about the project that the writer wants to
include. This piece of the report has the most personal tone of any of the parts; it typically uses personal
pronouns and a more conversational style than the rest of the report.
The table of contents, of course, is a guide to the structure and specific contents of the report. It can be
appropriate for reports that are as short as five pages, though usually it’s for longer reports. When writing
a short report, one can embed a guide to the contents in the introductory sections of the report itself (for
example, as a preview sentence or a bulleted list).
The executive summary (sometimes given other labels) is the report in miniature. In long reports, it is on
a separate page or pages; in a short report, it can be the opening section of the report itself. Whichever
form it takes, it should be self-explanatory—that is, people shouldn’t have to read the report to make
sense of it. One reason for this guideline is that it is often the only part of the report that many readers will
read. But another is that it helps readers get the key points quickly, enabling them to digest the report
itself more quickly and accurately.
Characteristics of Shorter Reports
Shorter reports are frequently written in business. They generally share the following characteristics.
Little Need for Introductory Information
If shorter reports need introductory information at all, it is small. Short reports are routine and unlikely to
be kept on file for long. Thus, the need for introductory information is slight.
Predominance of the Direct Order
Direct order means that the conclusions and/or recommendations begin the report. Most short reports use
it because readers want answers first in routine situations. Direct order follows this pattern:
 Summary/conclusions/recommendations
 Introduction (if needed)
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Chapter 9 - Writing Short Reports


Body sections
Recap of conclusions/recommendations
Use the direct order when readers expect an answer and when you expect them to respond positively to
your main findings/recommendations.
Use the indirect order when readers need to see the facts before the conclusions/ recommendations.
Indirect order follows this arrangement:
 Introduction
 Body Sections
 Conclusions/recommendations
 Summary
More Personal Writing Style
Shorter reports use more personal writing (I’s, we’s, you’s). They do so because short reports are prepared
and written to people who know one another, involve personal investigations, and deal with routine
matters.
Less Need for a Structured Coherence Plan
Long, formal reports usually need a formal, structured coherence plan (summarizing, forward-looking,
backward-bending parts) (see Bonus Chapter D). Short reports need coherence, but not an elaborate
structured plan.
Forms of Shorter Reports
This section discusses types of reports based on the nature of the medium (report, letter, or email).
The Short Report
This report (5th step in Exhibit 9-1) consists of title page and text. It has mid-level formality.
Most use the direct order, headings (but usually to the first or second division only), graphics, and
appended parts.
Letter Reports
Letter reports—reports in letter form—present information to readers outside an organization. Although
exceptions exist, letter reports are usually written personally and in the indirect order.
If they are written directly, they use a subject line and end with goodwill closings.
See the Case Illustration in the text as an example.
Email Reports
Email, of course, is widely used in business, and thus so are email reports. Typically, email reports are
informal, use headings, and sometimes have graphics. See the Case Illustration in the text as an example.
Types of Short Reports
Many types of short reports exist. Several of the most common are discussed as follows.
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Chapter 9 - Writing Short Reports
Routine Operational Reports
As the text says, these are the workhorse of business. Virtually every organization relies on them to get
the information where it needs to go, and on time.
They can be yearly, quarterly, weekly, or even daily. Most are written on a relatively regular schedule
since they provide information on routine operations.
Their form can vary widely from company to company. The text mentions one innovative format—the 515 report.
Whatever the form, the top priority is to get the information across as directly and clearly as possible.
Those who regularly write routine reports should consider creating forms or templates for these.
Progress Reports
Progress reports can be viewed as a type of routine operational report. They review progress made on an
activity. They may also include problems encountered and future projections of progress.
But since you want to convey the point that you are making progress, use a positive tone whenever
possible.
Most progress reports are informal, narrative reports.
Problem-Solving Reports
While all significant forms of business communication can be said to solve business problems of one kind
or another, we focus here on reports that are specifically focused on helping decision makers figure out a
course of action to take.
These are often assigned (or requested by a client company), but they can also be unsolicited (as when an
employee needs to bring a problem to his or her supervisor’s attention).
One common type of problem-solving report is the feasibility study. For these reports, writers study
several courses of action and then propose the most feasible, desirable one.
It is possible that some problem-solving reports won’t go so far as to recommend a solution. Sometimes
executives just want you to give them a thorough investigation of a problem. But even in these cases,
your report will be helping them solve a problem.
The direct order is usually best, especially for an assigned problem-solving report, but if you will be
proposing something that readers may not be immediately ready for, the indirect order (with an opening
like the “common ground” opening described in Chapter 6) would probably be wiser.
Audit Reports
Audit reports are written to hold organizations accountable to standards that they are required to meet.
While audit reports can assess an organization’s finances, operations (for example, do they comply with
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Chapter 9 - Writing Short Reports
safety or environmental-protection standards?), or compliance with a contract (is the new assembly line
being built to specifications?), the most common type is that written by an accounting firm to verify the
truthfulness of a company’s financial reports.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has exponentially increased the number of audit reports that companies
must prepare and submit to various regulatory parties.
Audit reports can be short or long in form. In accounting, short forms are a statement of the auditor’s
opinion. Long forms vary greatly, defying any typical form.
Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes are an example of reports in business that do not recommend or even conclude
anything—they simply describe what happened. Trip reports and incident reports also fall into this
category, and you and your students may think of others.
Minutes provide a written record of a group’s activities and decisions during a meeting.
Announcements, reports, significant discussions, and decisions are usually included in summary form.
Minutes should be recorded in objective language, and only resolutions should be recorded word for
word. The writer has to use his or her judgment when recording and preparing the minutes since there is
a danger of furthering some participants’ political interests and not others.
Minutes should be formatted for easy readability; sometimes items are numbered to correspond to the
numbering on a formal agenda.
Sample Short Report, Direct Order
Letter reports either use direct or indirect order. Those in the direct order begin with the main finding or
recommendation. Sometimes this main point is preceded by brief introductory information. Another
option is to use a subject line to announce the topic of the report. Indirect-order letters tend not to use a
subject line, and they open with brief background information, such as who authorized the report and the
topic.
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