A better way to report writing

We are constantly making reports, though we do not always see them in that light. For instance, if we tell friends about a play recently seen at the theatre then that is a report. The same thing happens if we tell the family about happenings at work. These are spoken reports. They are highly important and quick. They can be very informative but, unless recorded, they do not constitute permanent records. We are also involved as part of our day‐to‐day experience in written reports. Again we do not always see them that way; but if we write a letter to a friend and explain what we have been doing recently, that is a report. So in considering how we write up a formal report at work we are not developing something entirely new, but are developing skills common to everyday experience. What might be new is tackling the job by way of a system. What has to be aimed for is a structured document, where the facts are set out clearly so that arguments flow naturally to the conclusions reached.