Writing Formal Reports Chapter 18 Writing Formal Reports Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Types of Formal Reports Informational report: presents results Analytical report: presents results and draws conclusions Recommendation report: presents results, draws conclusions, and makes recommendations may also be called feasibility report, assessment report, evaluation report, or other titles Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Analytical Reports Address Questions: What is the best way to do Function X? What is the most effective way to track manuscripts being edited by different people? What causes Situation X? Why is there a high turnover in the IT Systems Department? What are the results of Situation X? If we create a Web site for our company, how much can we expect business to increase? Could we do Function X? Do we have the infrastructure to compete with Company A in bidding on these government contracts? Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Recommendation Reports Address Questions: What should we do about Problem X? What should we do about the large number of calls to Technical Support? Should we do Function X? Although we cannot afford to reimburse tuition for all college courses our employees wish to take, can we reimburse them for classes directly related to their work and what would be the consequential return on investment? Should we use Technology A or Technology B to do Function X? Should we buy several high-output copiers or a larger number of low- output copiers? We currently use Method A to do Function X. Should we be using Method B? We sort our bar-coded mail by hand; should we buy an automatic sorter? NOTE: Heavy emphasis on comparison/contrast Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Feasibility Reports Answer Three Kinds of Questions Documents a study that evaluates at least two alternative courses of action. Questions of possibility Questions of economic wisdom Questions of perception Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Using a Problem-Solving Model for Preparing Formal Reports Analyze your audience. Analyze your purpose. Identify questions that need to be answered. Carry out appropriate research. Draw conclusions from the research. Formulate recommendations based on conclusions. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Steps in Preparing a Recommendation Report Identify the problem or opportunity. Establish criteria for comparing alternative responses to the problem/opportunity. Determine the options. Study each option according to the criteria. Draw conclusions about each option. Formulate recommendations based on the conclusions. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Bias Can Creep In at Three Stages Determining which criteria to examine Deciding the range of values for each criterion Assigning values to criteria Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Ways to Present Your Conclusions Rank all the options. Classify all the options in two categories: acceptable and unacceptable. Present a compound conclusion. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Steps in Writing Formal Reports Writing the body of the report Writing the front matter Writing the back matter Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports Typical Body Elements Introduction (may include background) Methods Results Conclusions Recommendations Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Questions to Consider in Writing Your Introduction What is the subject of the report? What is the purpose of the report? What is the background of the report? What are your sources of information? What is the scope of the report? What are the most significant findings? What are your recommendations? What is the organization of the report? What key terms are you using in the report? Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Questions to Consider in Writing the Body of Your Report Methods. What did you do? Results. What did you see? Conclusions. What does it mean? Recommendations. What should we do? Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Body of Asg 7: Organize Information by Comparison and Contrast Remember Ch. 7? Establish criteria for the comparison and contrast. Evaluate each item according to the criteria you have established. Organize the discussion. Consider using graphics to complement the text. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Factors to Consider in Writing Recommendations Content Tone Form Location Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Elements of the Front Matter Letter/memo of transmittal Cover (not always required) Title page Abstract Table of contents List of illustrations (not always required) Executive summary (not always required) Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports Front Matter: Memo Date: November 6, 2007 To: Andrew Aken, Instructor From: Your name Subject: Findings and Recommendation on New Computer System   Attached is the recommendation report requested by Blank Company’s name. The purpose of this report was to examine the possibility of the IT Department purchasing 15 new computer systems to be installed in the IT lab. (This is the purpose of the study.) To produce findings, I established the criteria for the new computer systems and researched available systems according to the criteria. After considerable research, I then narrowed the options down to include two systems: DELL XXX model and Gateway XXX model. This report includes the findings on only these two models. (This is the method of the study.) Based on the information I gathered and reviewed, it was found that the DELL XXX model costs $2,000 more than the Gateway XXX model (Criteria 1). However, the DELL XXX model has proven reliability (Criteria 2) and DELL has an excellent customer-service reputation (Criteria 3). Therefore, I recommend buying 15 new DELL XXX computer systems for the IT Department. (This is the recommendation.) If this recommendation is accepted, the IT Department will then complete a purchase order to submit to the Purchasing Department. Thank you. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Front Matter: Title Page RECOMMENDATION REPORT ON COMPUTER SYSTEMS   Prepared for: Andrew Aken Instructor, College of Applied Sciences and Arts School of Information Systems and Applied Technologies Prepared by: Your name, your title. (You can determine your own title.) November 6, 2007 Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports Types of Abstracts Brief technical summary usually no more than 200 words Helps readers who are familiar with the subject matter decide whether to read the full document Can contain technical terminology and advanced concepts in the field A descriptive abstract describes the kinds of information contained in the document. An informative abstract presents the major findings. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Front Matter: Abstract   “RECOMMENDATION REPORT ON COMPUTER SYSTEMS” Prepared by: Your name, Your title Please include your abstract on this page. You should edit it a bit to include the new recommendation portion of your report. Although page numbering started on the previous page, the Title Page, you should start displaying the page number on this page. This would be ii. Keywords: If this is to be stored electronically, you can choose the keywords that might register “hits” of important terms in your report. You can list them vertically across the page with a comma following each one. Printing, laser printers, HP LaserJet 1200se ii  Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Front Matter: Table of Contents Two main functions: Help readers find information Help them understand the scope and organization of the document Use headings from document Table of Contents does NOT contain an entry for itself. Front matter is numbered using lowercase Roman numberals, (i, ii, etc.) centered at bottom of page ToC not numbered, abstract begins with ii. Body is numbered with Arabic numberals. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Front Matter: Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………………..ii   Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………….1 Comparison/Results or Findings……………………………………………………………………….# Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………..………..# Recommendation……………………………………………………………………………….……….# Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………………..……..# You should set a right tab with leaders on the right margin in order to create the table of contents. See instructions in Asg 20. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Guidelines for Writing an Executive Summary Use specific evidence in describing the background. Be specific in describing the research. Describe the methods briefly. Describe the findings according to your readers’ needs. Ask an outside reader to review your draft. Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports

Elements of the Back Matter Glossary and list of symbols (optional) References Appendices (optional) Chapter 18. Writing Formal Reports