It &Non It Reports

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By

TOSIN OREKOYAFELLOW, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MARKETING OF NIGERIA

I.T AIDED & NON-I.T AIDEDREPORT WRITING

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DURING THIS SESSION

BY THE END OF THIS SESSIONPARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO: DEFINE PRECISELY WHAT IS A REPORT?

DESCRIBE SOME OF THE PURPOSES OF A REPORT UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF I.C.T IN EFFECTIVE

REPORTING

UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF I.C.T ON REAL TIME

REPORTING REVIEW SOME TYPES OF READERS AND

EXPECTATIONS

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WHAT IS A REPORT? A report is a statement of the results of an

investigation or of any matter on which definiteinformation is required.(Oxford English Dictionary)

THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES OF REPORTS AND SOME ARE

a) Factual report -it may be to inform -when, say, there's been an accident,or a new programme of work. - to give people an accurate record.

b) Instructional report -may be to explain e.gwhen some change isintroduced, like a revised appraisal system, or a new job evaluation

scheme. Its a step-by-step description - to tell people about the new

procedures.

c) Leading report -it may be to persuade -when you are trying to sell your

ideas. This kind is usually called a 'leading' report, because you are leadingthe reader towards making a decision - the one youwant him or her to

make.

Once the major aim has been defined in this way, subsidiary aims will fall

into place. THE AIMS DETERMINE THE TYPE OF REPORT.

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FEATURES OR CHARACTERISTICS OF REPORTS

Complete and Compact Document : Report is a complete andcompact written document giving updated information about a

specific problem.

Systematic Presentation of Facts : Report is a systematicpresentation of facts, figures, conclusions and recommendations.

Report writers closely study the problem under investigation and

prepare a report after analysing all relevant information regarding

the problem. Report is supported by facts and evidence. There is noscope for imagination in a report which is basically a factual

document.

Prepared in Writing : Reports are usually in writing. Writing reportsare useful for reference purpose. It serves as complete, compact

and self-explanatory document over a long period. Oral reporting ispossible in the case of secret and confidential matters.

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Provides Information and Guidance : Report is a valuable document whichgives information and guidance to the management while framing future

policies. It facilitates planning and decision making. Reports are also usefulfor solving problems faced by a business enterprise.

Self-explanatory Document : Report is a comprehensive document andcovers all aspects of the subject matter of study. It is a self-explanatory and

complete document by itself.

Acts as a Tool of Internal Communication : Report is an effective tool ofcommunication between top executives and subordinate staff working in an

organization. It provides feedback to employees and to executives for

decision making. Reports are generally submitted to higher authorities. It is an

example of upward communication. Similarly, reports are also sent by

company executives to the lower levels of management. This is treated as

downward communication. In addition, reports are also sent to shareholdersand others connected with the company.

Acts as Permanent Record : A report serves as a permanent record relatingto certain business matter. It is useful for future reference and guidance.

Time Consuming and Costly Activity : Report writing is a time consuming,lengthy and costly activity as it involves collection of facts, drawing conclusion

and making recommendations.

FEATURES OR CHARACTERISTICS OF REPORTS

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THE READERIT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW OR ATTEMPT TO ANTICIPATE THE

READER. THIS DETERMINES THE STRUCTURE AND TEMPRAMENT

OF THE REPORT.But who is the reader? What do we really know about them? Often, they are just a

dim and shadowy figure in the mind, but we can usually get a clearer picture by

asking three questions:

a) What does the reader know?

Two common mistakes in report writing are to overestimate a reader's knowledge-and blind them with science, or to underestimate it - and bore them to tears. We

must always try to discover how much the reader knows already, so that we can

communicate at theirlevel of knowledge.

b) What are the reader's attitudes?

However good our ideas, they may get thrown out if we don't take account of these,

the reader's special interests, likes, and dislikes. The truth has many faces, and it isonly sensible to feature the one most likely to appeal to them.

c) What does the reader really want?

The reader is rarely a passive recipient of our report, to be swayed this way and

that by our arguments. We'll need to find out just what their hopes and expectations

are. Then we shall know what we're up against, and can prepare ourcaseaccordingly.

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THE READER AND THE REPORT

IT IS IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THEREPORT TO BE PRODUCED REFLECTS

THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND

EXPECTATIONS OF THE READER. THIS IS TAKEN CARE OF BY

ADEQUATE PLANNING.

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PLANNING THE REPORTCareful planning will help you to write a clear, concise and

effective report, giving adequate time to each of thedevelopmental stages prior to submission.

Consider the report as a whole

Break down the task of writing the report into various parts.

How much time do you have to write the report? How can this be divided up into the various planning stages?

Set yourself deadlines for the various stages.

Draw up an outline structure for your report and set the work

within a sensible time scale for completion by the givendeadline.

Some of the most time-consuming parts of the process are

collecting and selecting your information.

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PLANNING THE REPORT - 2 IT IS IMPORTANT AT THIS STAGE TO REVIEW THE

REPORTING PLATFORM. IF COMPUTERIZED OR NOT.

THE COMPUTER APPLICATION AND FILE FORMAT

THE PAGE, PAGE SIZE (i.e the approved)

TIMING

FILING AND PATHS INCLUDING CIRCULATION AND

APPROVALS

IN-HOUSE REPORTING STRUCTURE/FORMAT

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Preparing the draft THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PROCESS FOR REPORT

WRITING. THE DRAFT IS A ROUGH FREEHAND VERSION OF

THE REPORT ITSELF.

IT REFLECTS THE PLANNED STRUCTURE OF THE

REPORT AND SHOULD CONTAIN NOTES ANDHIGHLIGHTS OF AREAS LIKELY TO BE

FORGORTTEN, OMITTED OR PRONE TO ERRORS

ILLUSTRATIONS ARE BEST TRIED ON DRAFTS TO

SHOW RELEVANCE BEFORE THE MAIN REPORT.

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SUGGESTED PROCEDURE FOR DEVELOPING THE REPORT

ON COMPUTER, USING A WORDPROCESSOR FOR PREPARING A

REPORT INVOLVES

1.OPENING THE APPLICATION (MS-WORD, WORDPERFECT ETC)

2.USING A TEMPLATE

3.USING A BLANK DOCUMENT

4.SETTING THE LAYOUT

I. PAGE SETUPII. MARGINS INCLUDING GUTTER FOR BINDING

III. DOCUMENT SETTINGS INCLUDING AUTORECOVER (see below)

5.SAVING THE BLANK (SET) PAGE (FOR LOCATION & FILENAME)

6.TYPING THE TEXT7.INSERTING OBJECTS TABLES, GRAPHS

8.EDITTING

9.FORMATING

10.SAVING AND PRINTING

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SETTING THE WORKING OPTIONSOPENING THE OPTIONS

THESE OPTIONS ARE SET AS FOLLOWS:1. CLICK ON TOOLS

2. CLICK ON OPTIONS3. ON THE DIALOGUE BOX CHOOSE EACH PANEL ANDEFFECT THE NEEDED SETTINGS.

IMPORTANT SETTINGS ON THE OPTIONS DIALOGUE BOX CHOOSEA. SAVE PANEL

CHECK THE FOLLOWING

ALLOW FAST SAVES

This prevents the loss of the workdone in case ofinterruptions SAVE AUTORECOVER EVERY ----- -This specifies the interval at which the

file is saved by the application MAKE LOCAL COPY OF FILE SAVED ON NETWORK

B. SPELLING AND GRAMMAR This allows the setting of preferences forSpelling and Grammar checking

C. SECURITYThis provides a choice of the type of password required on thedocument.NOTE SHOULD BE TAKEN OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PASSWORD AND THEDIFFERENT LEVELS.

SETTINGS MADE HERE APPLY TO THAT DOCUMENT ONLY.

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STRUCTURING THE REPORT SOME REPORTS REQUIRE A LETTER OF

TRANSMITTAL - This is a separate document that accompaniesyour report. It is usually brief. By sending a transmittal letter you letyour recipient know that you are sending a report, and will also givehim/her an idea about what is being sent and what were your basic

requirements for this report.

THE TITLE PAGE

TYPICALLY CONTAINS A) the report title;

B) the name of the person, company, or organization for whom thereport has been prepared;

C) the name of the author and the company or university whichoriginated the report;

D) report completion date.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSSome reports require that thosewho helped to put it together be acknowledged for their contribution.

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THE ABSTRACTSOME SPECIAL REPORTS REQUIRE THATAN ABSTRACT BE INCLUDED - The Abstract communicates the scope of your paper and

the topics discussed to your reader, and, in doing so, it facilitates research. When doing asummary of your report, go over its main parts (Introduction, Body, etc.), and summarize eachone of them in single sentences

THE TABLE OF CONTENTS - The table of contents is areflection of the report writing structure. Sections and subsections should be numbered

and titled properly and logically to help the reader find his way through your report. A) list all headings and subheadings (excluding the title page, table of contents, and

other preliminary materials), giving page numbers for the first page of each section;

B) reproduce the headings and numbering exactly from the body of the report;

C) include the full titles of the appendices.

THE INTRODUCTION - should be a brief but thorough discussionof the problems context. A typical introduction is about 1 to 2 pages long. It includes:

STRUCTURING THE REPORT

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STRUCTURING THE REPORT - 3THE INTRODUCTIONI. purpose or objective of a particular report;

II. background information (for example, a brief history of the organization, context of the topic orthe problem);

III. literature review (what research has already been made in this field)

IV. scope, that is, the size or extent of study, amount of data collected, time frames, focus of datacollection or discussion (for example, a department or whole organization);

V. methodology, that is, the kind of data used (for example, who was interviewed, what types ofmaterials were referred to);

VI. assumptions and limitations, (for example, given the above material, any assumptions thatwere made and any limitations placed on the materials included in the report);

VII. a plan, which briefly overviews the argument, framework or logical structure of the report.

THE BODY - The Body of the report writing is the main part that includes all thefacts and materials essential for the understanding of the problem. It usually has three sections:

A) Theories, models, and hypotheses. This section is optional. By providing it, you introducethe theoretical basis for your project;

B) Materials and methods. This is a part where you describe (and illustrate) the materials used,and give a step-by-step report on how you were completing your task;

C) Results. This section summarizes your efforts and gives information about what youdiscovered, invented, or confirmed through your research.

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The Report

Introduction Purpose and Scope;Limitations, Assumptions, and

Methods

Background/History of the Problem

Body Presents and interprets data Conclusions and Recommendations

References or Works Cited

Appendixes Interview transcripts, questionnaires, question tallies,printouts, and previous reports

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CONCLUDING THE REPORT The Conclusion is the last part of your report writing. Sum up the main

points and refer to any underlying theme. If any questions or issues

remain unresolved, mention them in the conclusion. Write in a brief,concise manner, for your readers are already familiar with everything youtalk about.

Recommendations It is always advisable to include a set ofrecommendations at the end of the report. Give directions/propositionson how the problem youve investigated can be solved. List them clearly,

and rely on the materials that youve used. References and Bibliography have to be carefully checked and arranged

to pre-empt plagiarisation. Internet references should use the web pageswhere authorship is openly cited.

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CIRCULATION/DISTRIBUTION OF REPORTS AN UNCIRCULATED/SUBMITTED REPORT HAS LITTLE VALUE.

IN A COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM THE OPTION IS BETWEEN

WORKING ON A LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN)OR WORKINGTHROUGH THE WEB PLATFORM.

ON A LAN, REPORTS ARE ROUTED THROUGH APPROVED

CHANNELS TO THE READER(S) WITH A COPY SAVED ON THE

USERS END, AND THE SERVER

WITH THE WEB, MOBILE REPORTING IS POSSIBLE THROUGH A

NUMBER OF WEB BASED RESOURCES ALLOWING THE REPORT

WRITER TO FORWARD REPORTS SEAMLESSLY FOLLOWING

THE SET ROUTINES

THE MOBILE CLIENT IS USUALLY A LAPTOP, A PDA OR A

PROPERLY CONFIGURED MOBILE PHONE.

SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS DO NOT WORK EFFECTIVELY

FOR PROPER REPORTING WITHOUT SPECIAL CONFIGURATION.

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REPORT DISTRIBUTION RESOURCES

LAN/WEB BASED RESOURCES

THESE INCLUDE THE MICROSOFT EXCHANGESERVER WITH MICROSOFT OUTLOOK. EXCHANGE

SERVER ALLOWS DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS TO BE

SHARED ON MS-OFFICE BASED APPLICATIONS.

REPORTS CAN BE SUBMITTED, REVIEWED, SHAREDAND RESPONDED TO ON THE SAME NETWORK

WITHIN THE LAN OF ON THE INTERNET THROUGH E-

MAILING.

REPORTS ARE ORDINARILY DISTRIBUTED TO EACHMAIL ADDRESS ON THE NETWORK WITHOUT ANY

FORM OF ORDER, INDEXING OR ARRANGEMENT

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SHAREPOINT SERVER IS ANOTHER RESOURCE AVAILABLE ON

MICROSOFT BASED NETWORKS.

SharePoint provides central management, governance, and securitycontrols for implementation of DOCUMENT SHARING requirements. TheSharePoint platform enables bulk management, scaling, and provisioningof servers, as is often required by large organisations or cloud hostingproviders.The web tools are designed to be usable by non-technicalusers.

REPORT DISTRIBUTION RESOURCES

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EMAILS DOCUMENT FOLDERSe.g Hotmail, Google

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(DMS) is another important

tool for managing the large volume of reports, e-mails,documents generated by each user on a network.

A DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DMS) is used to trackand store electronic documents and/or images of paperdocuments. It is usually also capable of keeping track of the

different versions modified by different users (history tracking). Itdoes this by INDEXING every document generated, circulated and

saved on a network system.

The DMS is a very efficient archiving tool allowing for scheduledand secure archiving of ALL reports/documents generated on a

network. DOCUMENT CONTROLS It is important to put in place

deliberate policies for managing all documents. This is calleddocument control.

REPORT DISTRIBUTION RESOURCES

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DOCUMENT CONTROLDue to the importance of documents to all public and private businesstransactions, LEGISLATION are typically put in place by governments for

document controls.The basic requirement for document control require that you establish anddocument a procedure for:

Reviewing and approving documents prior to release

Reviews and approvals

Ensuring changes and revisions are clearly identified Ensuring that relevant versions of applicable documents are available at

their points of use

Ensuring that documents remain legible and identifiable

Ensuring that external documents like customer supplied documents orsupplier manuals are identified and controlled

Preventing unintended use of obsolete documents

IT IS ONLY WHEN REPORTS HAVE BEEN CIRCULATED THAT THEYACHIEVE THEIR PURPOSES AND ARE RESPONDED TO.

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REFERENCES

REPORT WRITING by Multimedia Publishing Limited 1975 WRITING REPORTS by Higher Education Academy, UK.

http://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-report-meaning-features

What to Expect With Virtualization - BY Drew Robb ,Paul Rubens,

Amy Newman, Larry Barrett, and David Strom, Jupiter-media Corp.