Business insights are crucial to e-commerce success. To make informed decisions, store owners need to use accounting insights solutions to track and analyze metrics on a regular basis. Producing business reports is one of the most effective ways to do this.
It’s important you understand what to include in a business report and how to present data in a way that is both informative and easy to understand. In this article, we will explore how to go about writing a business report in a step-by-step manner.
How to Document Data in a Business Report
There are nine steps involved in writing a good business report:
Step 1: Determine the Type of Business Report You’re Going to Write
You should know that “business report” is an umbrella term. It can refer to a wide range of reports, including progress reports, feasibility studies, and investigation reports. Before you start writing, you need to determine the type of report you’re going to write.
Step 2: Figure Out the Purpose of the Report
After you’ve determined the type of report you’re going to write, it’s time to figure out its purpose—that is, what is the report meant to achieve? Once you know the purpose of the report, it will be easier for you to figure out what information needs to be included in it.
Step 3: Decide on a Format
Once you know the purpose of the report, it will be easier for you to decide on a format. For instance, if you’re writing a progress report, it might make sense to use a bullet point format. On the other hand, if you’re writing an investigation report, a more formal and detailed approach might be necessary.
It might be helpful to check with your supervisor or client to see if they have a preferred format for the report.
Step 4: Create a Good Title and Add a Table of Contents
The title of the report should be reflective of its content. A good title will make it easier for the reader to understand what the report is about. For example, if the report is about the progress made on a project, the title could be something like “Progress Report on Project XYZ.”
After the title, you should add a table of contents. You might also want to mention the people who were involved in the project or who contributed to the report–this can be done in an acknowledgements section.
Step 5: Write an Executive Summary
An executive summary is a brief overview that includes the main findings and recommendations of the report. The executive summary should be able to stand on its own, without the need for the reader to refer to the body of the report. As a general rule of thumb, the executive summary should not be more than 10% of the length of the report.
Step 6: Write an Interesting Introduction
After the executive summary, you should write an introduction. The introduction should give the reader a brief overview of what the report is about, and provide context for the report. For instance, if the report is about the progress made on a project, the introduction could provide background information about the project.
Step 7: Include a Literature Review
If you’re writing a report that is based on research, you will need to include a literature review. Here, you will need to discuss the existing body of knowledge on the topic.
Step 8: State Your Methodology and Present Your Findings
After the literature review, you should state your methodology. This is how you went about conducting your research. For instance, if you’re writing a progress report, you might discuss the various methods you used to track the project’s progress.
After stating your methodology, you will present your findings–this is the meat of the report. In this section, you need to discuss what you found and why it is important. You should also discuss any recommendations that you have based on your findings.
Step 9: Write a Conclusion
After presenting the findings, you should write a conclusion summarizing the main points of the report, which should also reiterate any recommendations that you have made. You should follow up this section with a references section–this is where you will list any sources that you used in the report.
Finally, proofread your report for any grammatical or factual errors, and you’re good to go.
If you’re interested in learning more about how data can help you write effective business reports, read our recent article about analytics tools for e-commerce.
