BSBLDR802 Lead the Strategic Plann

BSBLDR802
Lead the Strategic Planning Process for an Organisation
Strategic Business Report

Candidate Details
Assessment – BSBLDR802 Lead the Strategic Planning Process
for an Organisation
Please complete the following activities and hand in to your
trainer for marking. This forms part of your assessment for
BSBLDR802 Lead the Strategic Planning Process for an
Organisation.
Name:
_____________________________________________________
________
Address:_____________________________________________
________________
_____________________________________________________
________
Email:_______________________________________________
______________
Employer:____________________________________________
_________________
Declaration
I declare that no part of this assessment has been copied from

another person’s work with the exception of where I have listed
or referenced documents or work and that no part of this
assessment has been written for me by another person.
Signed:______________________________________________
______________
Date:________________________________________________
____________
If activities have been completed as part of a small group or in
pairs, details of the learners involved should be provided below:
This activity workbook has been completed by the following
persons and we acknowledge that it was a fair team effort where
everyone contributed equally to the work completed. We declare
that no part of this assessment has been copied from another
person’s work with the exception of where we have listed or
referenced documents or work and that no part of this
assessment has been written for us by another person.
Learner
1:___________________________________________________
_________
Signed:______________________________________________
______________
Learner
2:___________________________________________________
_________
Signed:______________________________________________
______________
Learner
3:___________________________________________________
_________
Signed:______________________________________________
______________
Competency record to be completed by assessor
This should be used by the trainer/assessor to document the

learner’s skills, knowledge and performance as relevant to the
overall unit. Indicate in the table below if the learner is deemed
competent or not yet competent for the unit or if reassessment is
required.
Learner’s name
Assessor’s name
Unit of Competence
(Code and Title)
Organisation
Date(s) of assessment
Has the learner completed all required assessments to a
satisfactory standard?
Yes No
(Please circle)
Has sufficient evidence and information been provided by the
learner to prove their competency across the entire unit?
Yes No
(Please circle)
The learner has been assessed as competent in the elements and
performance criteria and the evidence has been presented as:
Authentic
Yes No
(Please circle)
Valid
Yes No
(Please circle)
Reliable
Yes No
(Please circle)
Current
Yes No
(Please circle)

Sufficient
Yes No
(Please circle)
Learner is deemed:
Not yet competent
Competent
If not yet competent, date for re-assessment:
Comments from trainer/assessor:

Learner’s signature
Assessor’s signature
AssESSment – STRATEGIC Business RePORT
BSBLDR802 - Lead the strategic planning process for an
organisation
This unit is about leading the development of high-level
strategic plans that serve the vision and mission of an
organisation. It addresses analysing the environment,
identifying risks and opportunities, planning staffing
requirements, succession planning, and monitoring financial and
non-financial performance indicators.
Leadership needs to engage people with the organisation’s
vision and goals and in developing and implementing the plan.

It applies to senior managers and business owners who generate
ideas and solve complex problems.
Assessment Conditions
Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment, where
evidence gathered demonstrates consistent performance of
typical activities experienced in the management and leadership
field of work and include access to and reflects:
· organisational and industry information and data
· workplace documents including strategic planning
documentation
· interaction with others
How you will be assessed
Scenario:
You are Board member from an international financial
investment and superannuation conglomerate (headquartered in
London, England) and have been sent to Australia, with your
fellow board members to tackle this new “Australian Hardware”
project.
This conglomerate has just purchased ‘Australian Hardware’
and which has now been delisted in the Australian Stock
Exchange.
Australian Hardware was purchased by an international
investment corporation, based in Singapore, in 2011 as part of a
wider merger and acquisition business deal financed by money
from the Middle East region. This corporation bought out all
shares from the Greenwright family and all other Australian
investors at that time.
Due to the great hardware war during 2013 to 2017, in Australia
and involving the Bunnings, Mitre 10, Masters and Home

Hardware brands, the marketplace was both saturated and
decimated by these large industry players.
As a result, Australian Hardware was severely affected and
downsized totally to just its Wollongong store, which still
operates total as a singular stand-alone entity. Its principal
owner at the time really wasn’t interested in Australian
Hardware.
You and your fellow board members have just met for the first
time and are able to access some historic documents, relating to
Australian Hardware, up to the financial year of 2013.
Your responsibility is to develop a business report outlining the
best strategic approach for Australian Hardware for the next 3
to 5 years, by completing the following: -
Tasks To Be Completed:
You will be assessed through:
1. Research the “Australia Hardware Industry” and prepare a
short 250 x word overview document explaining the present
market forces in this industry sector
2. Prepare a short 5 x minute PPT presentation from your
research findings in (1) above
3. Prepare a business report (of a minimum of 5000 words & in
a business report format) using all of the materials from
“Australian Hardware” as your Case Study and answering the
following questions, by way of detailed requirements for your
report: -
a. Initiate the strategic planning
i. Why Change? What is the Value? What will happen if nothing
changes?
ii. Who should be consulted as appropriate decision makers to
determine the planning parameters, including timeframes and
budget. Explain why?
iii. Analyse current strategic planning documents and determine

a methodology that fits the organisation’s needs and past
practice.
iv. Identify stakeholders who will contribute to planning.
Explain why?
v. Develop and document your planning methodology, within a
project plan approach, including resource allocation(s).
vi. What makes our organisation?
vii. Core Competencies/ competitive advantages
b. Conduct an environmental and organisational scan
i. Research local and international trends and best practice in
the organisation’s field of operation.
ii. Identify, collect and analyse demographic and trend data to
profile the organisation’s market.
iii. Collect and analyse industry intelligence on competitors.
iv. Identify key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
(SWOT) to the organisation.
v. Where are we at right now as an organisation internally?
vi. What do we do well, where can we improve, what would we
like to see in the future? (If you had 3 wishes, what would they
be?)
vii. Identify major risk factors that could constrain the
achievement of organisational goals in the short, medium and
long term.
viii. Explain who would be appropriate stakeholders to consult
to identify issues and expectations affecting the organisation’s
operations.
ix. What is going to try and get in our way?
x. How to stop it?
xi. What needs to be addressed and by whom?
c. Lead the establishment of organisational key directions and
goals
i. Explain the business’ Vision, Culture and immediate Goals
ii. Explain how you would engage staff and relevant

stakeholders in establishing the major goals of the organisation.
iii. What leadership would you establish to articulate the vision,
mission and key goals of the organisation.
iv. What leadership approaches/activities would you establish to
set and monitor the organisation’s key result areas.
v. Why should we go there?
vi. What is winning?
d. Lead the development of the plan’s key activities and
performance indicators
i. How would you approach the initiation and management of
processes and delegations to develop detailed activities to
achieve the organisation’s goals?
ii. How would you develop specific performance indicators for
measuring success?
iii. How and with whom would you establish cost and budget for
resourcing levels, so the plan can be enacted.
iv. Explain how you would attempt to gain commitment to the
process and the plan.
v. How would you engage stakeholders and participants to sign
off and commit to the finalised strategic plan?
e. Manage implementation
i. Develop a tactical or operational annual plan (for the 2019
calendar year) to implement the longer-term strategic plan
(2019 to 2024).
ii. How would you prioritise and resource (human, financial and
capital) programs and operational tactics?
iii. How would you analyse processes or practices and plan
changes?
iv. What would you need to do to plan human resource
development and succession strategies to ensure the business
has long-term viability?
v. How would you skill the workforce in order to implement the
plan?
vi. What communication processes would you establish to

inform and support staff and stakeholders during the
implementation of the plan?
f. Manage the evaluation
i. How would you establish and implement a system to monitor
performance against agreed benchmarks?
ii. How would you monitor outcomes of the strategic and
operational plans?
iii. How would you go about any review or to refine activities in
light of changing conditions to ensure that you attain the goals
of the strategic plan?
g. Other
i. List and explain what Commonwealth and State/Territory
legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards, and industry
codes of practice you have to follow.
ii. List and describe all appendices
NOTE: If your team are missing any information for this
scenario, then you are required to research for this information
and/or make an appropriate management assumption(s) at your
team level, a listing of which needs to be attached to this
completed assessment.
STRATEGIC Business RePORT
Page 2 of 2

ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for students
Throughout your training we are committed to your learning by
providing a training and assessment framework that ensures the
knowledge gained through training is translated into practical
on the job improvements.
You are going to be assessed for:
· Your skills and knowledge using written and observation
activities that apply to the workplace.
· Your ability to apply your learning.
· Your ability to recognise common principles and actively use
these on the job.
All of your assessment and training is provided as a positive
learning tool. Your assessor will guide your learning and
provide feedback on your responses to the assessment materials
until you have been deemed competent in this unit.
HOW YOU WILL BE ASSESSED
The process we follow is known as competency-based
assessment. This means that evidence of your current skills and
knowledge will be measured against national standards of best
practice, not against the learning you have undertaken either
recently or in the past. Some of the assessment will be
concerned with how you apply your skills and knowledge in the
workplace, and some in the training room as required by each

unit.
The assessment tasks have been designed to enable you to
demonstrate the required skills and knowledge and produce the
critical evidence to successfully demonstrate competency at the
required standard.
Your assessor will ensure that you are ready for assessment and
will explain the assessment process. Your assessment tasks will
outline the evidence to be collected and how it will be
collected, for example; a written activity, case study, or
demonstration and observation.
The assessor will also have determined if you have any special
needs to be considered during assessment. Changes can be made
to the way assessment is undertaken to account for special
needs and this is called making Reasonable Adjustment.
What happens if your result is ‘Not Yet Competent’ for one or
more assessment tasks?
Our assessment process is designed to answer the question “has
the desired learning outcome been achieved yet?” If the answer
is “Not yet”, then we work with you to see how we can get
there.
In the case that one or more of your assessments has been
marked ‘NYC’, your trainer will provide you with the necessary
feedback and guidance, in order for you to resubmit your
responses.
What if you disagree on the assessment outcome?
You can appeal against a decision made in regard to your
assessment. An appeal should only be made if you have been
assessed as ‘Not Yet Competent’ against a specific unit and you

feel you have sufficient grounds to believe that you are entitled
to be assessed as competent. You must be able to adequately
demonstrate that you have the skills and experience to be able
to meet the requirements of units you are appealing the
assessment of.
Your trainer will outline the appeals process, which is available
to the student. You can request a form to make an appeal and
submit it to your trainer, the course coordinator, or the
administration officer. The RTO will examine the appeal and
you will be advised of the outcome within 14 days. Any
additional information you wish to provide may be attached to
the appeal form.
What if I believe I am already competent before training?
If you believe you already have the knowledge and skills to be
able to demonstrate competence in this unit, speak with your
trainer, as you may be able to apply for Recognition of Prior
Learning (RPL).
Assessor Responsibilities
Assessors need to be aware of their responsibilities and carry
them out appropriately. To do this they need to:
· Ensure that participants are assessed fairly based on the
outcome of the language, literacy and numeracy review
completed at enrolment.
· Ensure that all documentation is signed by the student, trainer,
workplace supervisor and assessor when units and certificates
are complete, to ensure that there is no follow-up required from
an administration perspective.
· Ensure that their own qualifications are current.

When required, request the manager or supervisor to determine
that the student is ‘satisfactorily’ demonstrating the
requirements for each unit. ‘Satisfactorily’ means consistently
meeting the standard expected from an experienced operator.
When required, ensure supervisors and students sign off on
third party assessment forms or third party report.
Follow the recommendations from moderation and validation
meetings.
How should I format my assessments?
Your assessments should be typed in a 11 or 12 size font for
ease of reading. You must include a footer on each page with
the student name, unit code and date. Your assessment needs to
be submitted as a hardcopy or electronic copy as requested by
your trainer.
How long should my answers be?
The length of your answers will be guided by the description in
each assessment, for example:
Type of Answer
Answer Guidelines
Short Answer
4 typed lines = 50 words, or
5 lines of handwritten text
Long Answer
8 typed lines = 100 words, or

10 lines of handwritten text = of a foolscap page
Brief Report
500 words = 1-page typed report, or
50 lines of handwritten text = 1foolscap handwritten pages
Mid Report
1,000 words = 2-page typed report
100 lines of handwritten text = 3 foolscap handwritten pages
Long Report
2,000 words = 4-page typed report
200 lines of handwritten text = 6 foolscap handw ritten pages
How should I reference the sources of information I use in my
assessments?
Include a reference list at the end of your work on a separate
page. You should reference the sources you have used in your
assessments in the Harvard Style. For example:
Website Name – Page or Document Name, retrieved insert the
date. Webpage link.
For a book: Author surname, author initial Year of publication,
Title of book, Publisher, City, state
Assessment guide
The following table shows you how to achieve a satisfactory
result against the criteria for each type of assessment task. The
following is a list of general assessment methods that can be
used in assessing a unit of competency. Check your assessment
tasks to identify the ones used in this unit of competency.
Assessment Method
Satisfactory Result

Non-Satisfactory Result
You will receive an overall result of Competent or Not Yet
Competent for the unit. The assessment process is made up of
several assessment methods. You are required to achieve a
satisfactory result in each of these to be deemed competent
overall. Your assessment may include the following assessment
types.
Questions
All questions answered correctly
Incorrect answers for one or more questions
Answers address the question in full; referring to appropriate
sources from your workbook and/or workplace
Answers do not address the question in full. Does not refer to
appropriate or correct sources.
Third Party Report
Supervisor or manager observes work performance and confirms
that you consistently meet the standards expected from an
experienced operator
Could not demonstrate consistency. Could not demonstrate the
ability to achieve the required standard
Written Activity
The assessor will mark the activity against the detailed
guidelines/instructions
Does not follow guidelines/instructions
Attachments if requested are attached
Requested supplementary items are not attached
All requirements of the written activity are addressed/covered.
Response does not address the requirements in full; is missing a
response for one or more areas.
Responses must refer to appropriate sources from your
workbook and/or workplace
One or more of the requirements are answered incorrectly.

Does not refer to or utilise appropriate or correct sources of
information
Observation/Demonstration
All elements, criteria, knowledge and performance evidence and
critical aspects of evidence, are demonstrated at the appropriate
AQF level
Could not demonstrate elements, criteria, knowledge and
performance evidence and/or critical aspects of evidence, at the
appropriate AQF level
Case Study / Report / Presentation
All comprehension questions answered correctly; demonstrating
an application of knowledge of the topic case study.
Lack of demonstrated comprehension of the underpinning
knowledge (remove) required to complete the case study
questions correctly. One or more questions are answered
incorrectly.
Answers address the question in full; referring to appropriate
sources from your workbook and/or workplace
Answers do not address the question in full; do not refer to
appropriate sources.
Assessment Cover Sheet
Student’s name:
Assessors Name:
Date:
Is the Student ready for assessment?
Yes
No
Has the assessment process been explained?
Yes
No
Does the Student understand which evidence is to be collected
and how?

Yes
No
Have the Student’s rights and the appeal system been fully
explained?
Yes
No
Have you discussed any special needs to be considered during
assessment?
Yes
No
The following documents must be completed and attached
( Written Activity Checklist
The student will complete the written activity provided to them
by the assessor.
The Written Activity Checklist will be completed by the
assessor.
S
NYS
( Questioning Checklist
The student will answer a range of questions either verbally or
written.
The Questioning Checklist will be completed by the assessor.
S
NYS
I agree to undertake assessment in the knowledge that
information gathered will only be used for professional
development purposes and can only be accessed by the RTO:
Overall Outcome
(Competent

(Not yet Competent
Student Signature:
Date:
Assessor Signature:
Date:
Result and Feedback
Feedback to Student:
Overall Outcome
(Competent
(Not yet Competent
Assessor Signature:
Date:
WRITTEN ACTIVITY
Your task is to research the following topics then outline your
findings in a report. You will need to use your workplace as a
basis for answering the following questions, you may use a
suitable workplace you are familiar with if you are not currently
working. Use the questions below as a guide to your research:
1. How would you outline the contractual requirements and
implications for businesses?
2. Explain the financial management requirements and processes
of the business
3. How would you go about researching industr y trends and
practices that are relevant to the organisations strategic
directions?

4. Identify and explain the different types of resources required
to undertake projects
5. Describe one of the processes involved in identifying
strategic goal setting and activities
6. Explain the SWOT risk management process
7. Identify at least three of the processes involved in developing
a strategic and operational plan
Written Activity Checklist
For this assessment, the student must complete the written
activity.
The written activity is a stand-alone activity that will allow the
student to display the required knowledge and skills that are
essential when deciding overall competency.
Student’s name:
Assessor’s name:
Has the student satisfactorily completed the written activity?
Yes
No
Did the Student provide evidence of their ability toresearch the
following topics andoutline the findings in a report:
How would you outline the contractual requirements and
implications for businesses?
(
(
Explain the financial management requirements and processes
of the business

(
(
How would you go about researching industry trends and
practices that are relevant to the organisations strategic
directions?
(
(
Identify and explain the different types of resources required to
undertake projects
(
(
Describe one of the processes involved in identifying strategic
goal setting and activities
(
(
Explain the SWOT risk management process
(
(
Identify at least three of the processes involved in developing a
strategic and operational plan
(
(
Result
( Satisfactory
( Not Yet Satisfactory
Assessor’s Signature:
Date:
QUESTIONING
The following questions may be answered verbally with your
assessor or you may write down your answers. Please discuss

this with your assessor before you commence. Short Answers
are required which is approximately 4 typed lines = 50 words,
or 5 lines of handwritten text.
Your assessor will take down dot points as a minimum if you
choose to answer them verbally.
Answer the following questions either verbally with your
assessor or in writing.
1. List four items that could be determined, via consultation
with decision makers, to be included in the parameters of a
strategic plan.
2. What are four different strategic planning documents you
could analyse to determine a methodology for devising a
strategic plan, in keeping with the organisation’s needs and past
practice?
3. What are the characteristics of stakeholders you need to
consider when identifying the stakeholders who will contribute
to the plan’s development? List at least four
4. Identify the basic steps in the planning process when
developing and documenting the planning methodology within a
project plan.
5. List three sources of information that could be accessed to
when conducting research of local and international best
practice and the trends in the organisation’s field of operation
6. What profiling information, about the organisation’s market,
can be determined by analysing the demographic and trend data
identified and collected?
7. List three sources that competitor intelligence can be

gathered from
8. Identify six of the major risk elements which could
potentially constrain the achievement of organisational goals in
the short, medium and long term
9. What information will you need to consult with stakeholders
about when conducting the environmental and organisational
scan?
10. List three of the methods which could be used to engage the
staff and relevant stakeholders in the establishing of the major
organisation goals
11. Explain the importance of establishing leadership to
articulate the vision, mission and key goals of the organisation
12. What are organisational key result areas you will need to
provide leadership to establish?
13. Explain a process that could be followed to develop the
detailed activities required to achieve the organisation’s goals
14. What areas might you develop performance indicators to
measure the success of? List at least four
15. What does it mean to budget and cost the resource levels for
the enactment of the plan?
16. How can you gain the commitment of staff to the strategic
planning process?
17. Who must be engaged in the plan sign off and committed to
the finalised strategic plan?
18. Identify and discuss the types of annual plans that can be

used to facilitate the implementation of longer-term strategic
plans
19. Explain the types of resources that will need to be
considered when prioritising and resourcing the programs and
operational tactics
20. What should you do to plan for changes to the processes of
practices?
21. Discuss how to plan for the following to ensure the long-
term business viability:
a. Human resource development
b. Succession strategies
22. What methods could be used to skill the workforce so they
are able to implement the plan?
23. Outline the various communication processes that could be
established and used to inform and support the staff and
stakeholders throughout the implementation of the plan
24. What are the steps you will need to complete when
establishing the processes to be implemented to monitor
performance against agreed benchmarks and performance?
25. List three of the tools you can apply to monitor the
outcomes of strategic and operational plans
26. What are four examples of changing conductions that may
require you to undertake a review or refinement of the
activities, to ensure the attainment of strategic plan goals?
Questioning Checklist

The assessor needs to indicate whether they have conducted the
questioning as written questions or as verbal questions by
ticking the box below.
( Written Questioning
( Verbal Questioning
The assessor must provide evidence with the assessment tool.
For written questions, the assessor must provide the student’s
original written responses. For verbal questioning, the assessor
must provide dot points as a minimum on the student’s
responses.
For details on how to conduct and contextualise this form of
assessment, please refer to the questioning checklist explanation
in the assessor guide.
Student’s name:
Assessor’s name:
If questions are answered verbally, the assessor must write
detailed answers in the sections provided below. The space
below does not indicate the size of the answer anticipated. Keep
typing and the space will expand. If answers are recorded
separate to this document, they must be attached to the
assessment documents.
Satisfactory response
Yes
No
1
List four items that could be determined, via consultation with
decision makers, to be included in the parameters of a strategic
plan.
(
(

2
What are four different strategic planning documents you could
analyse to determine a methodology for devising a strategic
plan, in keeping with the organisation’s needs and past
practice?
(
(
3
What are the characteristics of stakeholders you need to
consider when identifying the stakeholders who will contribute
to the plan’s development? List at least four
(
(
4
Identify the basic steps in the planning process when developing
and documenting the planning methodology within a project
plan.
(
(
5
List three sources of information that could be accessed to when
conducting research of local and international best practice and

the trends in the organisation’s field of operation
(
(
6
What profiling information, about the organisation’s market,
can be determined by analysing the demographic and trend data
identified and collected?
(
(
7
List three sources that competitor intelligence can be gathered
from.
(
(
8
Identify six of the major risk elements which could potentially
constrain the achievement of organisational goals in the short,
medium and long term
(
(

9
What information will you need to consult with stakeholders
about when conducting the environmental and organisational
scan?
(
(
10
List three of the methods which could be used to engage the
staff and relevant stakeholders in the establishing of the major
organisation goals
(
(
11
Explain the importance of establishing leadership to articulate
the vision, mission and key goals of the organisation
(
(
12
What are organisational key result areas you will need to
provide leadership to establish?
(
(

13
Explain a process that could be followed to develop the detailed
activities required to achieve the organisation’s goals
(
(
14
What areas might you develop performance indicators to
measure the success of? List at least four
(
(
15
What does it mean to budget and cost the resource levels for the
enactment of the plan?
(
(
16
How can you gain the commitment of staff to the strategic
planning process?
(
(

17
Who must be engaged in the plan sign off and committed to the
finalised strategic plan?
(
(
18
Identify and discuss the types of annual plans that can be used
to facilitate the implementation of longer-term strategic plans
(
(
19
Explain the types of resources that will need to be considered
when prioritising and resourcing the programs and operational
tactics
(
(
20
What should you do to plan for changes to the processes of
practices?
(
(

21
Discuss how to plan for the following to ensure the long-term
business viability:
a. Human resource development
b. Succession strategies
(
(
22
What methods could be used to skill the workforce so they are
able to implement the plan?
(
(
23
Outline the various communication processes that could be
established and used to inform and support the staff and
stakeholders throughout the implementation of the plan
(
(
24

What are the steps you will need to complete when establishing
the processes to be implemented to monitor performance against
agreed benchmarks and performance?
(
(
25
List three of the tools you can apply to monitor the outcomes of
strategic and operational plans
(
(
26
What are four examples of changing conductions that may
require you to undertake a review or refinement of the
activities, to ensure the attainment of strategic plan goals?
(
(
Result
( Satisfactory
( Not Yet Satisfactory

Assessor’s Signature:
Date:
BSBLDR802
LEAD THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS FOR AN
ORGANISATION
Learners Workbook
A GUIDE TO BUSINESS REPORT WRITING
Compiled by:
Bob Brummell
(August 2018)

of 7
GUIDE TO BUSINESS REPORT WRITING
Purpose of Business Reports
A business report conveys information to assist in busi ness
decision-making. The business report is
the medium in which to present this information. Some reports
might present the actual solution
to solve a business problem; other reports might record past
business information that is used
toward future business planning. More traditional reports, such
as Business Plans, serve to
communicate the Business Concept, business management
model, commercial objectives,
operational procedures and the perceived viability of the
enterprise. Many people consider business
reports as dry, uninteresting documents which take a great deal
of time and effort to prepare. The
reality is that they are an essential part of doing business and
one's ability to be proficient in this
area is critical to the ability to pursue commercial success
(McCarthy 1979; Ronstadt 1984;
Thompson 2003c).
Although much of the research and analysis that supports the
business report is derived from a
systematic process, the actual preparation of the report is more
reliant on art than on a proven
business template. Although for most business reports templates

are readily available, they are only
a guide and the reports needs to be developed to best fit their
intended application. For the reader
to have a clear understanding of why a report is written, a
written purpose theme must exist through
the report. This theme could be represented as either a statement
or a question. In generating a
business report, the following steps should be considered:
1. Determine the scope (purpose) of the report,
2. Consider the target audience (readers),
3. Gather and organise the supporting information (research),
4. Analyse, and weigh the supporting information,
5. Determine the solution, findings and/or recommendations,
and
6. Determine the report format.
1. Determine the Scope of the Report
A frequent mistake of many business reports is that the author
makes the scope (purpose) of a
report too general or vague. As most business reports are
required to support specific organisational
objectives, strategies and decision making it is critical that a
chain of continuity in argument and
evidence can be demonstrated between the purpose of the
report, the research, and ultimately the
solutions, findings or recommendations. The stronger this
continuity the greater the weight the
report will have in supporting the decision making process.
When you choose a focus for a report,

one of the first steps is to narrow the scope to a report length.
The scope of the report is defined by
determining the factors which will be studied.
2. Consider the Target Audience
Always consider the business reports alignment with the
intended audience. Business reports
usually have a number of different audience groups to reach so
a report will often have a hierarchical
structure to support different levels of detail.
Page 3 of 7
Many people may be involved in a decision-making process and
they will have different levels of
information requirements to support their decisions making
process. In designing the report format
and style the following target audience characteristics should be
considered:
• Their need for the report
• Education level (i.e. their ability to understand and rationalise
the document),
• Position in the organisation (i.e. authority for information
contained in the document),
• Knowledge of the report's topic (i.e. purpose),
• Responsibility or authority to make decisions based on the

report, and
• Personal demographics (i.e. age, biases, alliances, attitudes).
To avoid making false assumptions about the target audience
the author should compile a list of all
the intended readers and develop a profile of them. Audiences
are basically of three kinds:
• Primary Audience - People who have to make decisions on the
basis of the business report
• Secondary Audience - People who are affected by the actions
the primary audiences would
take in response to the position of the business report
• Immediate Audience - People responsible for examining the
business report, weighing its
viability and distributing the report to a broader audience
In determining if a number of versions of reports are required
with varying levels of evidence, the
author should consider the following audience decision making
needs:
• How much background (supporting factual data, analytical
findings, solutions, and
recommendations) will the audience need?
• Do they need to define any terms being used within the report
(if so ensure they are included
in an Explanation of Terms or Glossary)?
• What language (technical complexity) level will be most

appropriate for the target audience?
• How many and what kind of visual aids should be used for the
target audience?
• What will the target audiences expect from the business
report?
• Does the reader prefer everything given in detail or merely a
brief presentation that touches
upon the highlights?
3. Gather and Organise the Supporting Information
Now that the report's author has a clear understanding of the
purpose and scope of the business
report and who the target audience is, he is now ready to gather
and organise the research and data
collection. Business research and analysis provide information
to facilitate operational planning,
production planning, supply chain management, quality systems
and investment strategy
development. The research issues that are most decisive in this
area include customer activity and
behaviour, market and economic conditions, competitive
considerations and business strategies in
response to the market place (Richardson 1989; Gofton 1997;
Thompson 2003a).
Market research always involves some form of data collection.
This can occur from a primary data level, whereby the
researcher collects data first hand from
consumers, or from secondary data through investigative

research. Primary research data refers to
data obtained from the original source regardless of whether
that data was generated in a
laboratory or out in the field. Secondary research data is
considered the type that would present
information that is obtained largely from historical information
sources or data which has been
gathered from other studies or business processes.
Page 4 of 7
Unlike academic research, which is more conceptual, business
market research is highly purposeful
in providing reliable and valid data on consumer behaviour in a
specific product category or area
within a specific target market (McCarthy 1979; Ronstadt 1984;
Thompson 2003c).
To enable a business report audience to make business decisions
based on the research data, it is
important to explain the procedures or methods that were used
in the research process. This
supports the data’s credibility and in turn allows the decision
makers to weigh the significance of
the market information. The data that is collected is critical to
any primary business market research
findings. It is important to present the data in various tables,
charts, and graphs to facilitate effective
communication with the intended reader. These findings, or
extract of the business market data,
can go directly into the body of your Business Feasibility Study
or Business Plan, or included as

appendices (Richardson 1989; Thompson 2003c; Thompson
2003a).
As you are gathering the information it is critical to generate a
methodology on how to record and
organise (quality control) the information. Immense volumes of
information are difficult to analyse
if they are not organised.
4. Analyse and Weigh the Supporting Information
The purpose of the analysis is to make reasoned sense of the
information that has been gathered.
The findings of the analysis need to be balanced, justifiable and
where possible quantifiable. The
process of business planning and market analysis usually starts
with the entrepreneur determining
what questions need to be answered in order to make better
decisions.
From these questions, broad research criteria are established,
which in turn lead into specific
research questions. The research is then designed to provide the
data to answer the research
questions which then support the business decisions. The
research questions take into
consideration target markets and the type of information
required. A research plan is developed
which incorporates perceived target markets, methodologies,
cost and research schedule (Aaker
2003; Thompson 2003a; Schaper & Volery 2004)
Findings are often compared and contrasted in an effort to

present the Business Concept or new
business ideas in a background that enhances their alignment to
the target audience. Detailed facts
and figures need to be interpreted by explaining what they
mean, what significance they have to
the purpose of the report and how significant they are to the
audience’s decision making process.
It is an accepted practice that the main content section of a
business report presents this
information in a summarised format, then referring the reader to
attachments to the report for the
detailed data and analyses. The continuity of relationship
between the data collected, their
credibility and the resulting analysis will directly relate to the
weight of evidence that can be
determined by the target audience in their commercial decision
making process.
5. Determine the
Solution
, Findings and/or Recommendations
Business research and analysis provide entrepreneurs and
mangers with the necessary information
and market context to support effective business decision
making to achieve these objectives. When
an entrepreneur clearly understands their target market they are
able to mould the business, so it
directly engages with this sector of the market and subsequently

achieves considerable commercial
success. From a business planning perspective, the business
analysis, solutions, findings and
recommendations provide a critique of information that will
support communication concerning
the viability of the proposed business in order to facilitate
capital raising (McCarthy 1979; Porter
1980; Aaker 2003; Thompson 2003a; Thompson 2003b).
Based on the analysis, authors will be ready to offer a solution
(or solutions) to the business problem
they have been studying. There needs to exist a relationship
between the research, analysis and
subsequent outcomes that arises from the evidence.
Page 5 of 7
This chain of reasoning will support the development of
appropriate business strategies which
involves the matching of the strengths of the business with
available opportunities. To do this

effectively, the entrepreneur needs to collate, analyse and
understand information about the
business environment. From this information and often through
the fuzzy process of rationalising
the Business Concept (or business problem) against the market
research findings, business
strategies are born. This process is enhanced if the entrepreneur
(author) already has a clear
understanding of the mission, goals and objectives of the start-
up business. The development of
business strategies must be based on commercial fact rather
than entrepreneurial fiction
(Thompson 2003a; Wickham 2004).
Determine the Report Format
Before actually writing, organise your information into an
outline form. You can formulate an outline
for your report by choosing the major and supporting ideas,
developing the details, and eliminating
the unnecessary ideas you’ve gathered. This outline becomes
the basic structure of your report. A
report could be presented as a memo report, a standardised form
report, or a formal report. The
report you will be assigned in this course will be a memo report

intended for an audience within
your organisation.
Your business report will have the following five steps:
1. Provide identifying information (usually inclusive of To,
From, Date, Subject, Area)
2. Define the project or problem (purpose of the report)
3. Give the background
4. Give the supporting data
5. State your conclusions and recommendation
Create a working framework outline by jotting down these five
steps and filling in the information
from the gathered material that would best fit into each
category.
Based on the outline begin writing your report. Write a rough

draft. Don’t be overly concerned about
proof reading and editing at this point. Just get the key thoughts
down.
Be systematic if possible. Start at the beginning and work your
way through the report structure.
However, many reports are often technical, seeking specific
formats for recommendations or
outcomes. So, adopt an approach which best fits the individual
report style. Expert writers often use
this technique. They know that they can write the opening
paragraph(s) or page(s) at a later time.
Remember, don’t think about editing when writing the first
draft. Editing often proves a stumbling
block in creativity.
Write first, review and edit later.
In writing the report, you might want to use headings for each
of these sections of the report.
Headings and subheadings are used as organisational tools in
writing to identify major parts of a

report. Headings serve as guideposts for a reader, dividing the
information into segments that make
it easy for a reader to understand. When writing headings be
sure they are descriptive, parallel, and
sequential in transition.
Elements of Effective Business Report Writing
Now that you have an overall outline and rough draft of your
report, you are ready to start polishing
the document. Remember most business reports trying to
convince an audience of a given
commercial or managerial position.
YOU MUST SELL THE QUALITY OF THE CONTENT OF
THE REPORT THROUGH THE QUALITY OF THE
REPORT'S PRESENTATION.
Page 6 of 7
In presenting information, an effective business report should

be accurate and objective.
ACCURATE - Accuracy in a business report includes accuracy
of information and accuracy of writing.
Since the information in a business report is used to make
decisions, inaccurate information can
lead to inaccurate decisions. Therefore, make sure your facts are
right! The accuracy of any report
depends upon the correctness of the data that was gathered to
prepare it. Use reliable sources and
be accurate in reporting all information. The accuracy of
writing depends on accuracy in writing
mechanics (spelling, punctuation, and grammar) and accuracy in
writing style. To avoid writing style
errors, use precise words and terms that are not likely to be
misinterpreted by the reader.
OBJECTIVE - In writing, objectivity means presenting material
free from personal feelings or
prejudice. You can achieve objectivity through the following
technique:
• Make a distinction between facts and opinions

• Limit the use of unsupported judgments and inferences,
• Report all pertinent information - Present both positive and
negative aspects,
• Use bias-free language - Avoid emotional terms, such as
guaranteed, tremendous, etc,
• Use impersonal style - Avoid interjecting a personal note,
which might weaken a report by
making it seem merely a statement of one person’s opinion and
belief, and
• Uses of Graphics in Business Reports – graphics for
comparisons or projections are extremely
effective.
The Importance of Graphics
In addition to the writing portion of your report, you might want
to consider including pictures or
graphics. Graphics today form a part of every business report.

There is also often an alignment between graphics and any
supporting visual presentation
(PowerPoint) offered in support of any business proposal or
argument. However, since the goal in
a business report is to convey information clearly to the reader,
a graphic can often be clearer than
text.
If you wanted to show a financial or operational trend for a
commercial period, a line or bar graphic
would be the most effective format. Some of the more common
graphics that you might want to
consider would include:
• Tables
• Pie Charts
• Line Charts
• Bar Charts
• Organisational Charts, and

• Others (pictograms, maps, photographs, time lines, flow
charts, etc.).
Locating Graphics to the Written Text
Remember, the ART to successful business reporting is being
able to communicate and sell the
report, and accordingly graphics must be located within the
centre of the report and relative to key
findings or statements. Work the graphic into the flow of your
text.
Place the graphic within the text immediately after the
paragraph in which the graphic is first
mentioned. Refer to each graphic by its figure number, which
must correspond to the section of the
report (Chapter) and the sequence of the figures i.e. “Figure 6.1
Projected Revenues”.

of 7
Importance of Evidentiary Alignment
When the author of a business report seeks the support of
another party or merely wishes to
follow a strong commercial process with regard to their decision
making, the weight of evidence
derived from the market and business research is paramount.
The weight that a report carries
with its audience is directly related to the author’s ability to
articulate the relationship between
the supporting evidence and statement of facts made in the
report. An evidentiary approach in
the business research arena involves the establishment of
continuity of evidence between the
research collection, storage, analysis and subsequent findings.
The evidentiary approach means
a provable chain of relationship (evidence) between the research
facts and subsequent business
recommendations. By being able to establish this chain of
relationship, a Business Feasibility Study
or Business Plan will instil strong confidence in its investors
and stakeholders (Zikmund 1994;
Thompson 2003c; Thompson 2003b).

Report Layout - Standard
Text - 12-point Calibri, regular, black
Full justification
Spacing:
• Single line spacing
• 0 point before & after
A4 page size
Margins:
• Top 1.5 cm
• Bottom 1.5 cm
• Left 2cms
• Right 2 cm

Headings:
• Heading 1 – 16point bold, capitals
• Heading 2 – 14 point bold, italics
Dot points or numbering – Spaced at 3 point before & after
Language – English (Australian)
Page Number “Page x of y” – located on bottom right of page &
with no borders
Report Structure:
• Title page
• Executive summary/abstract
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Body

• Conclusion
• References
• Appendices
Learner’s name
Assessor’s name
Unit of Competence
(Code and Title)
Organisation
Date(s) of assessment
Has the learner completed all required assessments to a
satisfactory standard?
Yes No
(Please circle)

Has sufficient evidence and informa tion been provided by the
learner to prove their competency across the entire unit?
Yes No
(Please circle)
The learner has been assessed as competent in the elements and
performance criteria and the evidence has been presented as:
Authentic
Yes No
(Please circle)
Valid
Yes No
(Please circle)
Reliable
Yes No
(Please circle)
Current
Yes No
(Please circle)
Sufficient
Yes No
(Please circle)

Cover Page
Contents
Introduction3
Organisational scan3
Goal setting3

Key performance indicators4
Legislative requirements4
Implementation4
Evaluation4
Conclusion5

Introduction
i. Why Change? What is the Value? What will happen if nothing
changes?
ii. Who should be consulted as appropriate decision makers to
determine the planning parameters, including timeframes and
budget. Explain why?
iii. Analyse current strategic planning documents and determine
a methodology that fits the organisation’s needs and past
practice.
iv. Identify stakeholders who will contribute to planning.
Explain why?
v. Develop and document your planning methodology, within a
project plan approach, including resource allocation(s).
vi. What makes our organisation?
vii. Core Competencies/ competitive advantages
Organisational scan
i. Research local and international trends and best practice in
the organisation’s field of operation.
ii. Identify, collect and analyse demographic and trend data to
profile the organisation’s market.
iii. Collect and analyse industry intelligence on competitors.
iv. Identify key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
(SWOT) to the organisation.

v. Where are we at right now as an organisation internally?
vi. What do we do well, where can we improve, what would we
like to see in the future? (If you had 3 wishes, what would they
be?)
vii. Identify major risk factors that could constrain the
achievement of organisational goals in the short, medium and
long term.
viii. Explain who would be appropriate stakeholders to consult
to identify issues and expectations affecting the organisation’s
operations.
ix. What is going to try and get in our way?
x. How to stop it?
xi. What needs to be addressed and by whom?
Goal setting
i. Explain the business’ Vision, Culture and immediate Goals
ii. Explain how you would engage staff and relevant
stakeholders in establishing the major goals of the organisation.
iii. What leadership would you establish to articulate the vision,
mission and key goals of the organisation.
iv. What leadership approaches/activities would you establish to
set and monitor the organisation’s key result areas.
v. Why should we go there?
vi. What is winning?
Key performance indicators
i. How would you approach the initiation and manageme nt of

processes and delegations to develop detailed activities to
achieve the organisation’s goals?
ii. How would you develop specific performance indicators for
measuring success?
iii. How and with whom would you establish cost and budget for
resourcing levels, so the plan can be enacted.
iv. Explain how you would attempt to gain commitment to the
process and the plan.
v. How would you engage stakeholders and participants to sign
off and commit to the finalised strategic plan?
Legislative requirements
i. List and explain what Commonwealth and State/Territory
legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards, and industry
codes of practice you have to follow.
Implementation
i. Develop a tactical or operational annual plan (for the 2019
calendar year) to implement the longer-term strategic plan
(2019 to 2024).
ii. How would you prioritise and resource (human, financial and
capital) programs and operational tactics?
iii. How would you analyse processes or practices and plan
changes?
iv. What would you need to do to plan human resource
development and succession strategies to ensure the business
has long-term viability?

v. How would you skill the workforce in order to implement the
plan?
vi. What communication processes would you establish to
inform and support staff and stakeholders during the
implementation of the plan?
Evaluation
i. How would you establish and implement a system to monitor
performance against agreed benchmarks?
ii. How would you monitor outcomes of the strategic and
operational plans?
iii. How would you go about any review or to refine activities in
light of changing conditions to ensure that you attain the goals
of the strategic plan?
Conclusion

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