3: Reports and Other Written Communications From Offices of Inspector General

This chapter describes an often-overlooked activity of offices of inspector general (OIGs): report writing. This activity is essential for an OIG’s effectiveness because while OIGs, through their investigations and audits, can identify important issues that require correction, if these problems are not communicated to key stakeholders in such a way as to explain their importance, OIG findings likely will not be acted upon. This chapter reviews various types of reports that OIGs produce and highlights how report‑writing can support such values as independence, accuracy, transparency, thoroughness, timeliness, engagement, impact, and due professional care. The chapter provides guidance about an ideal writing process that includes planning, formatting, drafting, and reviewing, not to mention deciding whether a report should be made public. The chapter concludes with a review of specific challenges and recommendations the authors have identified. Using several examples from the state of Florida, this chapter makes a persuasive case that every OIG should pay careful attention to this function.