When managers receive effective reports, you can see the satisfaction on their faces. On the first page they have a concise summary of the whole report: the purpose, the methodology, the major facts, the conclusions these facts lead to, and the action recommended: all this one page.
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Of course, they will read the full report according to their leisure, necessity and in interest: but within two minutes they have the heart of the report because of the one page summary.
An effective report has seven parts in the following order:
| Parts | Function |
| Introduction | Summary of Steps 1-5 right on top |
| Methodology | Credential, manner of collecting data |
| Body | Facts unearthed or documented |
| Conclusion | Meaning of those facts |
| Recommendations | Alternatives and action recommended |
| Appendix | Tables, less relevant information |
If you want to put life into you organization, then submit effective reports and don’t forget the one-page summary on top.