how to write a good project report

Report writingis one of the most critical stages of many endeavours in the business world as well as the academic world. All the efforts that one has undertaken are finally translated into a report. It is going to be the face of the project and people are going to judge the project based on the reports given to them. Reports also form a very important tool for decision making. The report could be anything ranging from a one-day project to a Ph.D. thesis which is researched for years. The final report could make or break the entire project. Hence it is very important to write a good report.
A "good report" is a very subjective term. What do we define as ‘good"? A good report should be one, which effectively conveys what the writer wants to say or what the outcome of the project is. A report is as much a communication tool as much it is a decision making tool. This becomes very relevant if the report is going out of the organisation as it could also serve as a public relations vehicle for them.
Let us look at some hints, which will help us in writing effective reports.
Main Parts of a Report:A report can be largely divided into the following parts:-
1. Cover
2. Title page
3. Summary of the report
4. Table of contents
5. Introduction to the report
6. Main body of the report
7. Conclusions
8. Recommendations
9. Annexure ,appendices and references
Let us look at each of the in detail and see how to present them so that we have an effective report.
Cover
The cover is the first encounter with the reporter and has to be eye-catching. The cover also serves to further the corporate image of the organisation.
In case of reports prepared by students the cover page and the title page is usually the same.



Title page:The title should be precise and convey the main objective of the study or the project. This page could also include subtitles, which gives more information about the project
Summary:
This is the most important part of the report. The summary should contain the gist of the report. The entire information carried in the report must be conveyed in its essence. This is going to be the section, based on which a reader will decide whether to read the whole report or not.
The summary must convey the results. One must the readers what they want to know (i.e. the results) immediately. Ideally, the first paragraph must itself satisfy their curiosity.
The summary must be precise and one must use as much non-technical language as possible. This is especially relevant in case of organisations, as the users of the reports in other departments may base their decisions on the summary. For e.g. A finance manager may take a decision on the technical feasibility report based on the summary as he may not be well versed with the technicalities and it could be difficult for him.
Table of contents:
This section gives the broad contents of the report and the flow of information in the report. The arrangement of topics and the flow of information should be as logical as possible and ideas should naturally follow each other.
Introduction:This sector should give the background information on the report. It should give an explanation as to why the particular study or project undertaken. It should also give the prevailing facts at that point of time.
This section should also give the scope of the report and how much is the depth of coverage and which areas are stressed upon. In case of the areas that have been given more emphasis, reasons should be provided.
Finally, the introduction must lead the writer to the main report and prepare him for the information he is about to receive.


Main Body of the Report:This discusses the project in depth. This will include the steps taken for the research, the actual research carried out and the data collected and used for the study.
In case of data, the following should be noted: In case the data is less and manageable then the data can be included in the main boy of the report. However if the data is large and unwieldy, it can be included as appendices. Similarly, any reference material, which is to be quoted, or any concept is to be explained, it can be attached as appendices if it is too large.
Conclusion:This section must give the results of the report. This should be very objective and a matter of fact kind of a section. This section must contain only the conclusions and not the recommendation as the user might like to decide for himself based on the conclusions of the report.
Recommendation:
This section is to be included if specific recommendations are asked for.The author can give out his opinion and must suggest the specific course of action to be taken to act on this report.
References and Appendices:These are put up at the end of the report if they are required.
Other Important Factors:
Apart from the main structure of the report, the other factors important for a report are:
Tone:This depends on the purpose of the report. If the report is to be given outside the organisation then one should adopt a formal tone. If it is to be used within the organisation it should be semi-formal or informal depending on the hierarchy and the working style of the organisation.
In case of reports prepared by students, the tone will be normally formal as it is to be given to their guides or given outside to organisations.

Style:The style of the report should be as friendly as possible. Short paragraphs and sentences must be used. Each paragraph must talk of just one idea so that the reader is not confused and does not have too much on his mind.
Small topic headings should be given even if the paragraph is clear. This will help the reader decide whether he wants to read it or skip it.
Also the spacing of the paragraphs and the fonts used should be such that it is easy on the eye of the reader.
Coherence:The flow of ideas has to be smooth and logical. This makes the report easy to read and sustains the reader’s interest. The enormity of ideas should be introduced progressively so that there is a gradual build up of ideas for the reader.
Grammar:The grammar of the report should be taken care of. Incomplete sentences should be avoided. Vagueness should be avoided and one must be precise wherever possible. For e.g. if it is said that the gestation period for a project is a short time, then one must clearly specify what one means by "short time" whether it is one month, six months or one year etc.
Usage of cliched phrases must be avoided if possible. Though the language sounds beautiful one should make sure that it fits in the context of the sentence.
These are just a way of looking at reports. Like all good things, effective report writing comes by consciously practicing on writing techniques and using them in the reports. At the risk of contradicting myself, I would like to use the clichéd phrase "Practice makes a man perfect".

hisham can be contacted at hk4848@gmail.com or call 9846019536 india