A business report contains research findings, statistical data, or other relevant information. It is a formal to-point document to convey concise yet clear information. A business report template is used to communicate within an organization.
Types Of Business Reports
Several types of business reports are used for various purposes. You cannot use the same report for sales and employee performance.
- Informational reports
You use this type of business report for purely objective data (i.e. facts without potential outcomes and any reasoning). An example of this is a report stating the number of employees, their department of work, their duties, and responsibilities.
- Analytical Report
This report is used to analyze critical company data to make informed decisions. This report includes numbers, their comparison with earlier years, and the reasons for a fall. This report also contains the measures that the company can adopt to solve the issue.
- Research Report
Use research reports when there is something big coming up. It could be a new product, a merger, or a change in the way your organization works. A detailed report is required for a big change/s that studies its effects. For instance, if your company plans to launch a new product, the research report will include elements like an advertising campaign, marketing strategy, and target audience.
- Explanatory Report
You can use explanatory reports when you want to explain your project to your team. This type of report lists the findings, showcases facts, and determines the research conclusion. You must write it in concise, simple, and clear words.
- Progress Report
You use a progress report to notify company updates, including how were the past week, the sales for the quarter, and the change in conversations since last month.
Importance of Business Reports
- Mode Of Communication
Reports are created for how to communicate in businesses, and this act as a communication medium in a company. For every essential communication, a report is created. Anyone who wants access to information can go through the report wherein they could get the data they need.
- Decision making
From laying off employees to targeting audiences, every decision made is taken based on detailed reports with stats and facts. In a company, reports are generated in two ways: (1) employees create reports and send them to management, and (2) management generates reports to circulate tasks and information among team members.
- Crisis management
In case chaos, crisis, and panic are created, every team member has an opinion, and they transfer it verbally (which forms workplace gossip). In this situation, business reports bring everyone on the same page and analyze the problem factually.
- Effective management
Reports enable the delegation of duties. Every team member has tasks to do with assigned deadlines. This helps to achieve effective and sound management at the company. The information is written documents, decisions taken on analysis, and the company functioning is improved using business reports.
Free Business Report Template Word
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Business Report Template PDF
Business Report Best Practices
Follow these best practices to create your business report:
- Create a plan of action
Identify the purpose of the business report before you start it – this will enable you to create a concise and clear report.
- Check for an in-house format
Ask your supervisor for a format. If there is no specific format, use a standard global format.
- Add a title
Specify the title of your report as indicated in the brief. If not specified in brief, you should write your title. Add your names and the names of the team members involved in creating the report.
- Add a Summary/ Abstract
Write an abstract that can give a detailed and clear idea of the entire thing to those who do not read the full report. It should contain key findings, your title, conclusions, and issue. You should summarize things you wrote to fit the abstract.
- Write an introduction
Specify the purpose of report writing on this page along with the main argument of the idea. Also, include a background of the topic on the introduction page.
- Present your findings
Present your findings in this main section of the report. It should indicate that you have conducted a thorough research.
- Give a conclusion or recommendation
End your report with a conclusion. Give recommendations for improvement or change in a policy.
Business Report FAQs
What do all business reports have in common?
Every business report must be different, but they have one thing in common: tracking business activities and data gathering.
What is the most crucial part of a business report?
The description, discussion, or body of the report is the most crucial part of a business report. It should be systematically presented with suitable subheadings and headings. It consists of facts along with comments.
Who reads a business report?
This kind of report is being read by investors and shareholders, and is also of interest to potential employees, lenders, and business students.
Should a business report be accurate?
A business report should be accurate. All facts contained in the report must be true.