Back in 2013, I wrote a natural hazards report. Then I rewrote it. Then I rewrote it again. After all that, it ended up in the bin rather than on an agenda.
It was a horrible, deflating experience, and it didn’t happen because the analysis was wrong. It happened because of two things I didn’t sort out before I started writing:
- There were differing expectations about what the report should cover.
- I discovered, far too late, that someone in another department was writing a report on the same topic.
Looking back, an early conversation with the person who commissioned the report (who wasn’t my manager), and a quick check around other departments, would have saved weeks of churn.
But you know why I didn’t do those things? Because I didn’t want to bother people, especially the ‘higher ups’. That’s about mindset, and a mere checklist is never going to solve that. If you can relate to my thoughts about ‘who am I to interrupt this busy and important person?’ please treat this checklist as a Permission Slip to give it a whirl!
When I shared this story about my beleaguered report in a LinkedIn post I also asked for suggestions on what else I could include in a checklist to help report writers avoid this kind of painful churn. Thanks so much to Elaine Pang, Sarah Holman, Rana Solomon and Ursula P. for your wonderful contributions, which have enriched this checklist.
Report writing checklist
Step 1. Clarify why the report is needed – review the information you’ve been given
Try to answer these three questions:
- What problem, event, or question is driving the need for this report?
- What is the decision that the audience needs to make? (Not the specific option, but the type of decision – e.g. to get started on a bylaw review, or to approve a budget for a project. This will guide what information they need at this stage in the process.)
- What’s in scope and what is out of scope for this report?
If you can’t come up with solid answers to these questions – take a deep breath and move to Step 2. If you’re sorted, move to Step 3.
Step 2. Talk to the report commissioner
Sit down with whoever has asked for this report to be written and ask them your unanswered questions from Step 1 (even if they’re way above your pay grade and you’re a bit scared to ask for the meeting).
Step 3. Check for overlaps, potential conflicts and parallel work
Think about who else at your organisation has an interest in your topic, may be working on something related, or has the potential to be affected by your recommendations (for example, freshwater policy and stormwater infrastructure). By being upfront, there’s a much greater chance they’ll return the favour, so you don’t end up blindsided by decisions that undermine your work.
Step 4. Identify who must be consulted
List the key stakeholders and subject matter experts whose input you’ll need, who may be within or outside of your organisation. Think about the best stage in your process to check in with them.
Sometimes an early discussion is the best option, but in other cases having a decent draft for someone to review makes more sense, as more efficient use of their time. If in doubt, ask them which approach they would prefer. But in either case, don’t wait until your report it’s just about to go on the agenda and there’s no room to take on board their changes!
Report writing workshop
This checklist will form part of my upcoming, half-day Report Writing workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to provide you with a repeatable, step-by-step process for writing clear reports that fly through the review process and onto the agenda … and which decision-makers tell you are a pleasure to read.
The methodology I’ll be sharing is supported by AI prompts at every stage of the report writing process, from defining the issue to the final proofread. You can work on an actual report while taking part in the workshop. But if you prefer, we’ll use a quick AI-supported process at the start of the session to build a fictional scenario which is closely relevant to your organisation and your role.
Please get in touch if you’d like to know more. Email debra.bradley@writingforcouncils.co.nz or phone 021 215 4698.
