<h1>Writing a Management Report</h1>

As a manager there is a good chance that you will be asked to write a performance review report for your relevant department(s). I have listed a few tips that should help you to structure and present a report in a professional way so that your report will be taken seriously and, if you are lucky, it will actually be read by your manager!

There are several benefits to writing management reports: -

• Over time a collection of reports will prove as a great portfolio and growth measurement tool;
• It's a great opportunity to show your manager what you have achieved.

Report Preparation

The following considerations should be made prior to, and during, report writing: -

1. Who is the report is for?
1. How much do they already know about what you are writing about?
2. Why do they want this information?
3. Who else may possibly read it?
4. What do they want to use the report for? (Consider any economic or political influences)
2. Appeal to the stakeholders best interest, for example: -
1. Profit
2. Revenue
3. Productivity/Achievement
4. Sales growth
3. Appropriate formatting should be applied
4. Spelling and grammar should be checked
5. Keep the report professional & factual as possible
6. Keep the report as concise as you can

The Report Structure

Here is an example of what should be included in a management report: -

Front Cover

Title, author and date

Contents Page

Summary of contents

Summary/abstract

Contains a summary of the report. Briefly comment on how you feel about the performance of the department to date. A Small paragraph, enough to let the reader know the content and relevance of the report.

Expectations vs Reality

Include a comparison of your initial expectations and the most recent time frame (if it is a 3 month report then you would consider your objectives from 3 months ago and weight them against your current state)

Unit Performance

Provide a brief outline of the department/unit performance over the time period and provide reasoning for unexpected growth or decline/excellent or poor performance, etc. Provide charts and graphs if appropriate to illustrate your points.

Projection of Performance

Project performance for the next 3 months (or time period agreed by line manager) – provide reason why you believe this to be the correct projection. Provide charts and graphs if appropriate.

Current Objectives

With reference to the last three months and achievement to date, what are your current objectives and the course of action toward achieving these objectives.

Ideas and Concept Proposals

Give indications of what changes you would like to put in place and include proposals and structured ideas/concepts, based on factual data and information. Provide a SWOT analysis of any decisions that are to be made. Provide charts and graphs if appropriate.

Conclusion

Provide a summary of the main report and link into recommendations. No new information or data should be included in this section.

Recommendations

Recommendations based on previous analysis of objectives and concept proposals contained with report. Your recommendations should be clear and concise; a summary that can be read quickly and understood.

Acknowledgements

Reference to other published work and credence to personal assistance. Location of where data and information was obtained from.

Line Manager Comments

Allow your line manager to make comment and feedback on contents of report and recommendations you have made.

Important considerations

Providing factual information and data to make your recommendations look concrete is vital, it must be obvious where this data was obtained and that it is from a reputable source.

I hope this provides you with a starting point for writing a management report!

Thanks for reading,

Chris

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