Frameworks for ... Selected Business Management Reports - ebook

Businesses and projects rely on well-structured reports to ensure accurate communication about goals and objectives, requirements, designs, measuring and recording progress, etc. Unfortunately, many engineering reports and management reports are not as clear as it should be. In order to alleviate this problem - particularly for engineers and managers in the early stages of their careers – this ebook contains suggested frameworks for a selection of commonly used business management reports. (Two other ebooks by the same authors contain frameworks for project management reports and system engineering reports.)

This ebook is intended as a report writing reference guide, from which ideas can be sourced about the typical structure and contents of commonly used business management reports. The ebook does not provide blueprints for all reports that a manager might ever have to write, but it provides guidelines which should be tailored and adapted by common sense and experience, in order to suit specific circumstances.

The philosophy underlying this book is: contents follow structure - i.e. first carefully think about, and decide upon a report structure, and then systematically fill in the contents. When a report structure is defined first, the gathering of information becomes focused, and unnecessary material is either not collected at all, or it can be filtered out systematically.

Besides briefly addressing the main generic elements of a report and report quality assurance, frameworks for the following types of reports are provided in this ebook:

• Mission Statement 
  
• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis Report 
  
• Market Research Report 
  
• Business Plan 
  
• Business Re-Engineering Report 
  
• Negotiation Preparation Notes 
  
• Trade-Off Study Report 
  
• Cash Flow Budget 
  
• Accounting Ratios Analysis Report 
  

Each of these reports is briefly discussed in terms of its typical purpose and scope, followed by a suggested framework for the report.

Dr. Johan Gouws holds the following qualifications: B.Eng. and M.Eng. (Electrical and Electronic), MBA, and Ph.D. 
Some areas of expertise include: Feasibility and re-engineering studies, system engineering, project management, modeling, simulation, and has been an expert witness in legal matters involving technical and management issues.

Mrs. Leonie Gouws holds the following qualifications: B.Eng. (Mechanical) and M.Eng. (Engineering Management). 
Some areas of expertise include: Maintenance management for operational systems, computerized management information systems (SAP PM), technical writing and project documentation, and logistics engineering for new and existing systems.