Amey-Thakur Report writing
A report is read by people looking for a conclusion, usually in the first minute. Reports organised as a journey through the work, with the finding at the end, are read backwards or not at all.
Method
- Lead with the conclusion. What you found and what should happen, in the first paragraph, with everything after as support.
- Write a summary that stands alone. Many readers will read only this, so it must contain the finding, the basis, and the recommendation (see exec-one-pager).
- Separate findings from interpretation from recommendation. These are three different claims with different confidence, and merging them hides which is which.
- Show the evidence proportionally. Enough for a reader to judge, with full detail in appendices rather than in the body.
- State the limitations plainly. What the analysis cannot support, what data was missing, and what assumptions were made, since a report without limits reads as overclaiming (see statistical-inference).
- Make recommendations specific and owned. Who should do what, by when, rather than a general direction (see agent-decision-log).
- Structure for scanning. Informative headings, short paragraphs, and visuals that carry findings, because reports are skimmed before they are read.
Boundaries
A report communicates analysis and cannot improve weak analysis. Reports for regulated purposes have mandated structures and content. Length should follow the material rather than a perceived expectation of substance.