The formal report process - Formal reports

Practical models for technical communication - Shannon Kelley 2021

The formal report process
Formal reports

This section outlines steps to create a report. Familiarize yourself with the different sections so you can be effective at each step along the way.

Develop a Plan

To develop a plan, ask yourself three questions:

” How much time do I have?

” Whom do I need to talk to?

” What information do I need first?

Before you dive into the deep work of your report, give yourself time to plan. Consider how much time you have and what you need to accomplish. If you don’t know, confirm the deadline for the report with your manager.

Often, a formal report will involve multiple contributors. Generate a contact list for others involved in the project, and if necessary, determine what part of the report they will be completing. Formulate a basic outline of how you’ll complete the project, even if it may change later. The rest of this section offers more steps that can help you develop a plan that you can customize to the project.

Jessamyn’s outline determines what actions to take and in what order. She makes a list of everyone she needs to talk to and calculates how much time it will take to gather and analyze the information from various departments. She builds in a little extra time to her total—20 percent should do it—because she knows that collaborative work takes longer. With this in mind, Jessamyn sets reasonable deadlines for herself and others.

Like Jessamyn, if you want to stay on target, you need to begin with a question. Sometimes your boss determines the question when requesting the report. Other times, you determine the best course of action, beginning with a question of inquiry. Take a moment to consider the main question that you are trying to answer. This typically leads to other smaller questions, which should be addressed in the analytical section of your report.

Jessamyn’s main question is whether it is feasible to add AVs to the fleet. As she searches for an answer, many other questions arise:

” How much would a fleet of AVs cost?

” How would they operate? Are they safe?

” Would they save the company money on repairs, insurance, or staffing?

” What type of fuel and maintenance would they require?

” Would the community, their customer base, support the idea?

” Would they be likely to increase company revenue?

The challenge is to determine which questions directly relate to the issue. Jessamyn needs to prioritize her questions. One way to do this is to carefully consider the report’s purpose.

Determine Your Purpose and Scope

To determine your purpose and scope, ask yourself the following questions:

” Where should my research focus?

” What is my report intended to do?

” What are the boundaries for my research?

Asking why will lead you to the purpose of the report. You can think of the purpose as similar to a thesis in your academic essays. Your purpose explains why the report exists and what it’s about. Establishing a clear purpose early in the project will help you stay focused and communicate clearly. Often, reports will have a primary purpose and a secondary purpose. For example, if the primary purpose of a comparative analysis is to consider two different building designs for a future business location, a secondary purpose might be to introduce a third design option.

In Jessamyn’s case, her boss wants to know if AVs are a better option for Tomorrow’s Taxi Company. The report’s primary purpose is to determine whether making a change will lead to greater profits. The report’s secondary purpose might be to identify other factors to produce greater profits. Make sure the solution you propose aligns with the purpose of the report. Jessamyn doesn’t want to suggest a solution only about the advantages of vehicle features if the primary purpose of the report is about the company’s profits.

Scope refers to the type and amount of information included in your report. At some point, you will need to decide what belongs in the report and what does not. You can arrive at your project’s scope by asking what type of information the end user needs and does not need. Too little information leads to an uninformed decision. Too much information can be overwhelming, unnecessary, and a waste of time.

Identify Your Audience

To determine your audience, ask yourself these questions:

” Who is the primary user of this report?

” Is there a secondary audience?

” Is there anyone else who needs to know about my research?

Your audience determines the tone and language of the report. Use language that is understandable to the majority of your users. If you are using technical terms that are widely known, you need to define them. Knowing as much as you can about your audience can also help you determine the most effective tone and word choice. Usually, this means using neutral, unbiased language that is accessible based on your audience’s level of technical expertise.

Jessamyn’s boss or a committee may be the primary audience, but the document might also be read by other departments, such as HR or finance. Rarely will someone read a report from start to finish. Your audience is likely to read certain sections that are relevant to them, depending on their relationship to the problem and their decision-making responsibilities within the organization.

Most of Jessamyn’s audience knows little about autonomous cars, though many know about traditional ones. Most terms specific to the auto industry will be easily understood while those specific to the new technology will require explanation.

See Chapter 1 for more on creating a user profile.

State the Issue

To identify the issue, ask yourself these questions:

” What is at stake?

” What problem am I trying to solve?

” Can I explain the issue in a single sentence?

A statement of the issue can keep you focused during your project. For your formal report, create a short, specific issue statement as a guide. This statement should result from the steps that came before, so form it after considering your purpose, scope, and audience. For example, if a technical communicator completes a causal analysis regarding a business’s loss of productivity, they might state the issue as follows: “This report analyzes the factors that led to a 15 percent loss of employee productivity during the past fiscal year.” The solution may advise this number is reversible by providing additional training for supervisors.

Jessamyn’s purpose is to determine the feasibility of autonomous cars. Why? Because the current fleet is becoming expensive, contributing to air pollution, and reducing the company’s revenue. As Jessamyn has done here, aim to keep your statement of the issue direct and short. It will help you stay on track as you begin your research.

Conduct Research

To begin conducting research, ask yourself these questions:

” What sources will reliably give me the information I need?

” Do I have access to an expert to interview?

” Have I included a variety of sources?

The type of research required for a formal report depends on the type of report and your field or profession. Generally, research falls into two categories: primary research and secondary research. Primary research is the type that you collect yourself directly from a source, such as through interviews, surveys, or observations. Secondary research is the use and synthesis of previously collected data—other people’s surveys, studies, opinions, or observations.

Whenever possible, combine primary and secondary research. Secondary research provides a background understanding of your topic. Primary sources add to what is already known and build your credibility. This combination of research allows you to explore the topic from a variety of angles.

Jessamyn thinks her company needs to conduct surveys in the community to see if their customer base will support the idea of AVs. This is an example of primary research. A survey would help add validity to Jessamyn’s recommendation by bringing in a local voice. Ideally, she examines surveys done by other credible sources and considers them along with the data she collects on her own.

To accompany the community survey responses, Jessamyn needs to gather and organize specific data on the current fleet, so she interviews a program analyst at the Department of Motor Vehicles (primary research). She also gathers financial reports and estimates from other departments, as well as current accident statistics and studies on driverless vehicles, as these are readily available from reliable sources (secondary research).

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Research is generally organized into two main categories that appeal to different parts of our brains. Most reports require a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative research aims to measure or prove something with numerical evidence. Think quantity. Numbers. Qualitative research aims to describe or give depth to a topic through data that does not include numbers. Think quality. Observable fact. Depending on the issue and the recommendation, one form of research might be better suited for your report. Or you might choose to include both types of research (figure 11.3).

Figure 11.3. Types of Research. Most reports require a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative research aims to measure or prove something. Qualitative research aims to describe or give depth to a topic.

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Jessamyn knows that much of her research will be quantitative and focus on facts and numbers, such as direct cost and accident statistics. Yet there are qualitative elements that are essential to consider. Jessamyn consider qualitative elements like customer satisfaction, expert opinions, and ethical issues of AVs, all of which could impact revenue.

Objectivity and Subjectivity

Researchers need to practice objectivity and recognize when they, or the sources they consult, have moved into subjective interpretation. Objectivity means to arrive at an understanding of a topic based on external evidence or verifiable facts. Subjectivity, on the other hand, means to consider a topic based on personal perceptions and interpretations.

In Jessamyn’s case, an objective statement would be “AVs reduce air pollution,” which she can back up with fact. A subjective statement would be, “AVs will scare away customers.” While that might be a reasonable conclusion, there’s no data on that yet. It’s easy to cross over from objectivity to subjectivity without realizing it, which is why it is so important to analyze the information you find.

Analyze the Information

To analyze the data, ask yourself: What is this information telling me? What does it mean?

Here are some additional questions to help you consider the information you’ve gathered:

” Is it thorough enough and consistent with the criteria I’ve established?

” Does it help answer the focus question?

” Is it enough to draw a conclusion and make recommendations?

” Have I presented the information ethically and without bias?

Once you have considered these questions, you can also consider the levels of evidence (figure 11.4). Levels of evidence (sometimes called a hierarchy of evidence) are assigned to studies based on the quality of their methodology. In other words, studies are evaluated by how rigorous and precise their research methods are. These categories are used in evidence-based medicine, but it can also help you analyze data you’re collecting for any kind of evidence-based report.

Figure 11.4. Levels of Evidence. Peer-reviewed academic journals are the highest level of evidence because they are produced by scholars in the field and reviewed and evaluated by other scholars prior to publication.

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The most reliable evidence includes scholarly sources that are peer reviewed. Trade journals and even government documents are generally produced by experts in the field, but they don’t go through the same rigorous review process. Popular sources like magazines and newspapers (print or online) are not as reliable because they tend to be more opinion based.

When considering what information is essential to your report, remember your scope. Information that merely adds to the length or variety of the report is unnecessary. After spending so much time collecting data for this report, Jessamyn struggles to decide what is relevant and what is not. This struggle is not a sign of failure. At this stage, Jessamyn may need to take a draft of the report to a trusted colleague who can look at it with fresh eyes and provide feedback.

Draw Ethical Conclusions

To draw ethical conclusions, ask yourself these questions:

” Have I remained objective?

” Does the research drive my conclusions?

” Are claims that I made supported with quality evidence?

After analyzing your data, it is time to consider what the information tells you about the strengths and weaknesses of the idea or the cause of the concern. Let your research drive the conclusions. It’s important to look at the information without bias and to be fair and honest in the treatment of the material, even if it does not align with your preferences or your boss’s preferences.

Despite her initial hesitation, Jessamyn recognizes the value of AVs and supports the idea of using them to replace the current fleet. However, the evidence doesn’t demonstrate their clear advantage. The technology is new and expensive, and the regulations regarding the vehicles are fluid. Essentially, the vehicles are still in the pilot phase. Her job is not to talk her boss into her preference or stack the evidence in favor of it. Instead, she must view and present the information rationally and ethically for the best interest of the company.

Decide on Recommendations

To make a recommendation for a solution, ask yourself these questions:

” Did I provide enough information for decision-making?

” Is the recommendation consistent with the issue?

” What is the best option based on the research?

Most varieties of formal reports include a recommendation. Base your suggested course of action on what you’ve concluded from your analysis. Again, remember your purpose. Form your recommendation on the best option or most reasonable cause. Sometimes you will not be able to make a recommendation due to limited information. Sometimes the study does not yield a definite solution. Your recommendation might be conditional or tentative, depending on other factors.

For your recommendations to be convincing, you need to show the connection between your findings and your suggested actions. Don’t make recommendations based on gut feelings or impressions. Instead, show how your suggestions directly result from your analysis of the data. The users who study your document need you to convince them that your recommendations are reasonable, so highlight the connection between data and recommendations. Be overt, and don’t assume that the connection is clear. Often, a graphic representation of the data from your research can underscore your recommendations.

Based on her research, Jessamyn knows now is not the right time to add high-tech AVs to the fleet, but she sees the potential in a few years’ time. The information suggests that the industry will eventually head in this direction and that the company will need to be ready when the time comes. She decides to recommend that the company begin a slow transition process, but only if the technology continues to improve.