About informal reporting

1. Informal Reports

2. What is a report?
Three Functions of Professional Writing
◼ Record
◼ Inform
◼ Persuade
Reports Focus upon Record and Inform

3. What Makes It Informal?
Routine or “Regular” Information
◼ Regular Activities
 Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly Reports
 Progress Reports
Common (but not necessarily routine or
regular) Tasks
◼ Expense Reports, Minutes, etc.

4. Formats for Informal Reports
Memos
◼ Short Internal reports
Forms
◼ Templates for reports
◼ Usually for longer more formal reports
Letters
◼ Usually Cover Letters introducing forms
Email
◼ Similar to memos
◼ Be careful about formatting

5. Common Types of Informal Reports
Directives
Trip Reports
Field / Lab Reports
Minutes
Progress or Status Reports

6. Directives
Policy Change
Organization of Directives
◼ Introduce Topic
◼ Explain Reasons
◼ Present Directive

7. Trip Reports
Summary Report
◼ Intro the Trip (Summary)
◼ Discuss Relevant Details
◼ Recommend Future Action
Expense Report
◼ Intro trip
◼ Detail expenses
◼ Support w/ documentation

8. Field and Lab Reports
Format Often Peculiar to Organization
◼ Purpose of report (include discussion of
problems leading to report)
◼ Describe methods
◼ Describe and interpret results
◼ Follow up
Lists / Bullets / Tables / Graphics

9. Minutes
Detail, Detail, Detail
◼ Name of Group
◼ Location, Date, Time of Meeting
 Include start and stop times
◼ Members in attendance
◼ List and discuss agenda and discussions
 Topics, resolutions, voting, motions, etc.
◼ Avoid interpretation and evaluation, just
report

10. 9/4/2023
Progress / Interim / Status
Reports
Oral or Written
Set Forth in Proposal
Managerial Control
Forces Goals Upon work Team

11. Writing Issues
Eases the Burden of Writing Final
Report
Can Be Used to Explain or Handle
Problems
◼ Like What?

12. Components of the
Progress Report
Format (Letter/Memo)
Introduction
Procedural Status
◼ Work Completed
◼ In Progress
◼ Scheduled Work
Schedule Status
Budget Status

13. Introduction
Give appropriate introductory
information in first paragraph
◼ Project Name
◼ Dates
◼ Amount Completed
◼ Previous Communications
◼ Statement of Progress

14. Work Completed
Follow Steps From Proposal
Layout Using List or Bullets
Expand with Details
Be Specific
Good Place for a Graphic

15. Work in Progress
A brief detailed description, usually in a
single paragraph, devoted to what you
are currently doing.

16. Scheduled Work
Use unfinished procedural steps directly
from Proposal
May want to include percentage of work
to be accomplished
Include reference to project completion
(Final Report)

17. Budget Status
Detail (graphic/table) amount of money
spent and amount remaining from
Proposal budget
Be Explicit (2 @ $50)
May want to include % of total
spent/remaining

18. *
Problems in the
Progress Report
Subordinate problems within the
appropriate section
Do not begin/end with problem
Use appropriate styles/org pattern
within sections
Use Graphics wherever possible
Include Logistics
◼ time, names, dates, locations, etc