The following are the common reports in the business environment (this list is not exhaustive).

• Progress reports;
• Recommendation justification report
• Trip reports; and
• Meeting reports.
• Incident report
• Performance report

1.2.1 PROGRESS REPORTS

A progress report refers to any routine progress report: monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual. This type of a report is different from a situation report (sitrep) in that a sitrep merely states what has happened and what was done about it during the reporting period. A progress report, in contrast, relates activities to objectives or results.

A good progress report is not merely a descriptive activity report, but must analyse the results of those reported activities. The analysis should answer the question, “How far have the objectives been reached.

In the progress report, you explain any or all of the following: How much of the work is complete What part of the work is currently in progress What work remains to be done What problems or unexpected things, if any, have arisen How the work or task  is going in general

Report type	Purpose	Possible recipients	Frequency
Progress report	·         Reassure recipients that you are making progress, that the work is going smoothly, and that it will be complete by the expected date. ·         Provide their recipients with a brief look at some of the findings. ·         Give their recipients a chance to evaluate your work and to request changes. ·         Give you a chance to discuss problems in a task or work and thus to forewarn recipients. ·         Force you to establish a work schedule so that you’ll complete the work on time.	·         Supervisor ·         Manager ·         Team leader ·         Director	Frequency range from ·         Daily ·         Weekly ·         Monthly ·         Quarterly

Format of a progress report

A progress report must include the following headings

1. Background
2. Activities completed
   Final against plan (data)
   · Learning to be shared
3. Activities in process
   Status against plan (data)
   · Issues/concerns

. Recommendations/implications/conclusions

4. General progress of activities (appraisal)

 

TIPS FOR REPORT WRITING Make sure you use the right format. Remember, the memo format is for internal progress reports; the business-letter format is for progress reports written from one external organization to another. (Whether you use a cover memo or cover letter is your choice.) Write a good introduction-in it, state that this is a progress report, and provide an overview of the contents of the progress report. Use headings to mark off the different parts of your progress report, particularly the different parts of your summary of work done. Use lists as appropriate. Provide specifics-avoid relying on vague, overly general statements about the work you’ve done. Be sure and address the progress report to the real or realistic audience-not your instructor. Assume there will non specialist reading your progress report. But don’t avoid discussion of technical aspects of the project—just bring them down to a level that non specialists can understand.

1.2.2 BUSINESS TRIP REPORT

Business trip reports are a widely used element of organizational communication. They are usually sent to a supervisor or to a group of associates to describe a business trip.

A field trip should have;

1. Accurate memorandum heading. This must include:
   • To whom the memo is addressed,
   • the memo’s author,
   • the subject of the memo and
   • The date it is written.
2. Short introduction-a paragraph will do-stating the purpose of your memo. Describe the reasons for the trip, and explain what you hoped to achieve from it. Include whatever background information your readers need to understand the context of your trip and the reason you are writing the memo. For instance, mention where you travelled. If you went to a seminar, mention who the keynote speakers were; if you went to a business meeting, specify which company you met with and the subject of the meeting.
3. Summarize your trip. If it was a fact-finding trip, describe what your findings were. If it was a seminar, review the highlights. Do not provide a tedious minute-by-minute record of your trip; nobody wants to hear the boring details. For example, do not include extensive notes on every talk or meeting

NOTE There’s no need to describe the five-course meals you had, or how beautiful the view from your hotel room was.

1. State any information about the trip that is relevant to your line of work or research. Include here any recommendations you want to share with your readers.

REMEMBER A field trip report should emphasize the results of that trip. ·         Did you achieve your purpose? ·         To what extent? ·         Why? ·         What unexpected observations did you make? ·         What consequences do those observations have? ·         Have you observed indicators of any results of previous projected activities? ·         Should any project objectives be modified from what you observed? Did you identify any new problems? ·         Did you come to any new conclusions, alone or in discussion with some of the persons you met or meetings you attended?

 

Report type	Purpose	Possible recipients	Frequency
Business trip report	The purpose of writing a business trip report is to give an overview of what was transpired during the trip.	·         Supervisor ·         Manager ·         Team leader ·         Director	After every business trip

 

 

 

FORMAT OF A BUSINESS TRIP REPORT

These reports follow a basic memorandum format with a header, statement of purpose, discussion and recommendations.

The following headings must be available in a trip report

1. Background
2. Date of trip/destination

• Purpose of the trip

1. Background
2. Details
   · Who
   · What
   · Findings/results
   · Implications
3. Conclusions/recommendations

• Attachments

CLASS ACTIVITY Comment on the following sample business trip report Sample Trip Report To: From: Subject:  Vanguard Communications/Incoming Calls Management Institute Seminar On (date) I attended a seminar in (location) which was sponsored by Incoming Calls Management Institute.  The name of the seminar was “Understanding and Applying Today’s Call Center Technologies.”  The seminar leader was (Lori Bocklund/Dave Bengtson/Don Van Doren), a consultant with Vanguard Communications Corporation. We talked about strategic alignment – how important it is that our call center technology enable our call center strategy, which supports our business strategy.  We looked at the customer contact challenges presented today.  We must use multiple media and build relationships with customers – not just service their needs over the telephone. We learned the “why, what, how, who, when” of a broad array of call center technologies, from basic functions to advanced tools.  We started with a discussion about infrastructure – application architectures, and network architectures.  We talked about some of the emerging architectures that move intelligence outside of the switch, and leverage Internet Protocol (IP) for voice switching. We talked about capabilities for routing and reporting, at both basic and advanced levels. We also looked at advanced management tools such as workforce management systems, simulation tools, and quality and logging systems.  We talked about self service via voice response and the web, and the powerful business case it can have with the right application opportunities.  We discussed things like conditional and skills based routing, networking sites, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.  The advanced technologies will help us move from using the call center as a tactical resource, to positioning it as a strategic element in customer relationship management.  And they’ll help us to lower our costs of doing business, while delivering better service to our customers. We looked at the specific capabilities of each technology, as well as the business challenges it addresses.  For each one, we discussed the major vendors and how their offerings varied.  Our materials packet included a handout listing vendors by category, along with their corporate URLs.  There is also a valuable resource list with on-line learning centers, magazines, conferences, organizations, and other sources to turn to.  Updates to this will be available to us ongoing at www.vanguard.net. The instructor explained how the various technologies work together, and how different configurations could address similar issues.  We also talked about the benefits to the company, the call center supervisor or manager, the CSR, and of course, the customer. We had group exercises to apply what we were learning, and a lot of good discussion among the class members.  In addition to the materials already mentioned, the course packet included a number of other useful takeaways, including a glossary, a “what fits where” table to help identify when to use different technologies, Call Center and Voice Response Best Practices and Trends, and a planning and implementation toolkit. I think this course (was/was not) worth attending because (your reasons).  I (would/would not) recommend that others from our (company/organization) attend.  I learned a lot about the many call center technologies and have new ideas about why they make sense in our business and what we should do next.  I would like to meet with you to discuss how we can use some of the helpful tools to get started on our strategic call center direction here at (your company).

1.2.3 INCIDENT REPORT

Whether you work in a public area or a place of business, when something unusual occurs most businesses and insurance companies require an incident report to be filed. An incident report is simply a written statement of the events and how they occurred. It isn’t hard to write an incident report, but there are a few things you should know that will help you to write a good one.

Examples of events where an incident report can be written  include but are not limited to the following: ·         Injury to individual or caused to others; ·         Aggressive behaviour directed at others; ·         Self abusive behaviour; ·         Endangering or threatening others; ·         Serious illness and/or hospitalization; ·         Imminent death or death; ·         Property destruction; ·         Serious disruptive situation while in the community; ·         Illegal or unusual problematic behaviour; ·         Being victimized by another individual who receives services; ·         Any incident involving the police, fire department, ambulance etc. ·         Any time someone has physically intervened with an individual when such intervention is not in accordance with an approved behavioral treatment plan; ·         Any time an individual is involved in an automobile accident while receiving services; ·         Being a victim of a crime reported to a law enforcement agency; ·         Being incarcerated (in jail or prison for at least one overnight stay); ·         Significant accomplishments or other positive changes which should be noted by others.

NB

Incident Reports are legal documents which may be viewed by the individual, his/her guardian, designee or legal representative and may be utilized by courts.

 

 

 

Purpose

1. The purpose of incident/ hazard reporting is to ascertain the root causes of the incident/hazard which will

• prevent any incident that may result from the hazard,
• correct the problem to prevent a recurrence
• Obtain data which will allow trends to be measured and programs implemented to reduce risk.

1. To document the exact details of the occurrence while they are fresh in the minds of those who witnessed the event.
2. Formulating plans or profiles, to develop support strategies and when making decisions.

 

FORMAT OF AN INCIDENT REPORT

The following are some of the main contents of an incident report;

1.    Aims & Objectives – Tell the reader what you were trying to do in the investigation/incident (e.g. “The investigation was designed to get to the root causes of the fire in the Loading Dock”) and what you hoped to achieve by doing it (e.g., “We intend, by addressing those root causes, to prevent similar and related incidents happening in the future”). 2.     Incident Description – Describe precisely what happened, beginning with the initial incident statement and resisting the temptation to launch straight in with underlying or root causes or inappropriate detail. They come later. At this stage you should be objective (e.g. Incident Statement – “Train ran off rail. Damage to property and potential injury.”). The Incident Description expands on that adding the rest of the detail which is known to be true. Make sure you cover the Who, What, When and Where in your description, and add any significant and immediately striking factors which are known to be true. But this is not the place to go into your methods of investigation or your findings. They come next. 3.    Methods of Investigation – Begin this section by describing your investigation team: who it was made up of, their qualifications, their positions and anything else relevant about them. Next, detail any site visits you made. Attach any photographs, diagrams or drawings you may have — but remember: many people aren’t skilled at reading engineering drawings or technical diagrams, and they may need some explanation. 4.    Findings – This section is – as you’d expect – where you set out your findings. There are plenty of perfectly good ways of keeping your findings in some sort of logical order. The main thing is not to jump around all over the place like a cheap detective story; that just confuses. We find that ordering our findings in accordance with the TOP-SET® headings is extremely helpful:   T ime / O rganisation / P eople / S imilar events / E nvironment / T echnology 5.    Recommendations. In this fuller version, you will want to address not only the root causes but also all the individual contributory causes you found along the way; they have to be dealt with also. In any case, once again, we suggest you tie in your recommendations to your findings and classify them under the TOP-SET® headings / sub-headings, for clarity’s sake.

Writing incident reports

In writing an Incident Report, all aspects of the incident must be carefully considered, especially the data.  Incident data must be carefully constructed and used. Collecting data for an Incident Report often involves significant research including interviews of those involved and eyewitnesses, ascertaining damage, liability assessments, looking at reports others have written, and much more. When writing an incident report, the author must consider whether the data is

• appropriate to the incident
• accurate
• carefully interpreted and without bias
• Appropriately presented in words as well as in graphic format (graphs, tables, diagrams, etc.)

1.2.4 MEETING REPORTS

All meetings, of course, should have a purpose, and the purpose must be related to achieving the objectives of the project. Reports on those meetings, therefore, should concentrate on the purpose and indicate the result of the meeting in terms of progress towards meeting those objectives.

Format of a meeting report

Below is a report format that can be used for writing a meeting report.

1. Purpose/agenda of the meeting
2. Date, place, time of the meeting
3. Background of the meeting
4. People present
5. People absent( reasons if important)
6. Issues discussed.
10. Pending issues.
11. Action items.

NOTE Points to remember when writing a meeting report: ·         Do your homework about the agenda of the meeting. ·         Write the report as soon as possible, immediately after the meeting, in order to include all important aspects of the meeting in the report. ·         Ensure clear and simple presentation and language. ·         Use a laptop or a pen and paper depending on your comfort level. ·         Avoid writing down everything. ·         Be attentive during the meeting. ·         Utilize the agenda as an outline for the report. ·         Avoid making the report lengthy by adding all the details. ·         Keep it precise and articulate. ·         Avoid giving opinions or comments as asides. ·         Report the decisions and findings. ·         Use bullet points ·         Use each point to signify a different finding, decision or objection as the case may be. ·         Nested bullets could be used to include subtopics to a main topic. ·         Highlight issues that are pending and have been postponed to the next meeting. ·         Mention the action items (tasks to be undertaken, as a result of the meeting) decided at the end of the meeting and names of the people, if any, who will be in charge of them. ·         A god meeting report has zero typographical or spelling errors. ·         Make sure you check the spelling as well as the grammar of the report before sending it out.

 

1.2.5 RECOMMENDATION /JUSTIFICATION REPORT

Justification reports are written to defend changes in policy or procedure. They are often written without any request from the reader. The report focuses on answering the question “why should we?” Do this by providing supporting evidence and convincing arguments to back the changes your report proposes.

Steps when writing Recommendation justification report

• Use a basic memo heading (To/From/Date/Subject) and fill it in. Make it clear who should read the report, who wrote it, and what the content subject is.
• Write an opening paragraph that describes the problem or purpose of your report. Explain in a few sentences what your recommendations are, and explain the benefits they will bring.
• Write an introduction to your report that details the purpose and significance of your report in more detail. Include relevant background information that will help the reader understand the motives and reasoning behind your recommendations.
• Use the main body of your report to explain how you suggest implementing your recommendations. Provide specific details about the new procedures or solutions. Explain who will be involved, what they will do, what it will cost, and how long it will take to carry out. State the research or the methods you followed to arrive at your conclusions. Include the disadvantages and problems the new procedures might create. Be precise, organize your material logically, and be fair; this will add force to your arguments.
• Finish your justification report with a brief summary of your conclusions and recommendations. Do not introduce new information at this stage; instead review the main arguments in support of your recommendations. Write a brief closing paragraph for your memo.

1.2.6 PERFORMANCE REPORT

These reports evaluate productivity and recommend courses of action to improve employee productivity. Most organisations have their own performance evaluation systems and formats. Sometimes these reports are linked to bonus or other reward systems.

 

Let us look at the steps in writing performance reports. Follow the tips given below to ensure writing performance reports that are well drafted.

1. General Performance Evaluation

Every organization has a list of policies and regulations for employees to follow. While learning how to write a performance reports, it is important that you keep these policies in mind. These will provide you with the key performance indicators that an organization takes into account and help you grade an employee’s performance effectively. In addition, the policies of an organization helps define different indicators like punctuality, time management, discipline, and professionalism.

Communication is one of the key elements that define the ability of the organisation to achieve its mission statement and vision.

Communication is the giving, receiving or exchange of information, opinions or ideas by writing, speech or visual means so that the material communicated is completely understood.

From this definition we see that communication is a two-way process – it is not only giving information, opinions or ideas but also receiving such communication from others.  There must be complete understanding by both parties involved in the communication process.  We must always make sure that our communication is suited to the person receiving it and that it can and will be understood by them.

Communication occurs in the workplace within the boundaries of business ethics.  It makes good business sense to communicate in an ethical manner.  Business ethics are the principles and norms that serve as a guide for good and bad conduct in business. Your company might have a specific, written code of conduct that acts as the ethical guidelines for employees.

The three main types of communication include;

• Verbal communication
• Written communication
• Non-verbal communication

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION Written communication would include everyday interaction in document format to one person, a group or an organisation in paper-based or electronic formats. ·      Letters ·      E-mail ·      Meeting documents ·      Reports ·      Forms, etc.

 

1.1.1 DEFINITION OF BUSINESS REPORTS

A business report is a formal document in which a summary is given of fact, progress, investigation or enquiries. Reports are used internally to give feedback on the progress of any task that may have been delegated. They have a standard format but are more detailed.

A report can be written on;

·         The results of a marketing campaign, ·         the progress in any department, ·         quality control on a new product or ·         Even on an assessment of staff members.

1.1.2 REASONS FOR REPORT WRITING

Generally reports are written for the following reasons;

• to enable us to keep records;
• to inform all interested South Africans;
• to tell about failures and successes;
• for ourselves, to keep on knowing what we are doing;
• to communicate to others e.g. our managers, funders/shareholders etc
• so other people can be encouraged to do their own projects/job/tasks;
• so other people can learn what we did;

Reports deliver ·         Facts ·         Assessment of a situation ·         Recommendations ·         Communicate information

 

Specific Outcomes

Relate the purpose, content, form, frequency and recipients of a range of reports.

Assessment Criteria

This specific outcome shall cover:

• The regular reports are identified for a selected organisation.  (SO 1, AC 1)
• The information needs of the organisation are linked to the purpose of each identified report.  (SO 1, AC 2)
• A template is drawn up for each report in the company specific format including the mandatory content headings.  (SO 1, AC 3)
• A table is created listing each report, its purpose, the regular recipients and frequency of distribution. (SO 1, AC 4)
• The created templates are used to write the reports and any necessary modifications are made and noted, to ensure compliance with business requirements.   (SO 3, AC 2)

For ease of reference, an icon will indicate different activities.  The following icons indicate different activities in the manual.

Assessment Criteria

Notes (Blank)

Stop and Think!

Note

Note!

Reflection

References

Summaries

Example

Definition

Learning Activities

Course Material

Outcomes

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

PURPOSE

At the end of this training session you will be able to present information in report format

LEARNING ASSUMPTIONS

There is open access to this unit standard. The credit calculation is based on the assumption that those starting to learn towards this unit standard have no previous assessment experience. It is assumed, though, that the candidate-assessors have evaluative expertise within the area of learning in which they intend to assess (see Definition of Terms for a definition of “evaluative expertise”).

HOW YOU WILL LEARN

The programme methodology includes facilitator presentations, readings, individual activities, group discussions, and skill application exercises.

HOW YOU WILL BE ASSESSED

This programme has been aligned to registered unit standards.  You will be assessed against the outcomes of the unit standards by completing a knowledge assignment that covers the essential embedded knowledge stipulated in the unit standards.  When you are assessed as competent against the unit standards, you will receive a certificate of competence and be awarded 6 credits towards a National Qualification.

 

This workbook belongs to you.  It is designed to serve as a guide for the duration of your training programme and as a resource for after the time.    It contains readings, activities, and application aids that will assist you in developing the knowledge and skills stipulated in the specific outcomes and assessment criteria.  Follow along in the guide as the facilitator takes you through the material, and feel free to make notes and diagrams that will help you to clarify or retain information.  Jot down things that work well or ideas that come from the group.  Also, note any points you would like to explore further.  Participate actively in the skill practice activities, as they will give you an opportunity to gain insights from other people’s experiences and to practice the skills.  Do not forget to share your own experiences so that others can learn from you too.