Preparing Short Analytical Reports
Created at:
Author: Ryan Smith
Read the scenario, and answer the question.
You are the office manager at a large design company. Recently an ergonomic expert visited your office and recommended new, more ergonomic chairs for nine employees. You need to write a recommendation report to your manager regarding the expert's advice. You don't expect your manager to disagree with the expert's recommendations, and the material is nonsensitive.
What strategy should you use?
- Indirect
- Formal
- Direct
View Exaplanation
When your recommendations are agreeable and the topics are nonsensitive, use a direct strategy approach.
When writing a recommendation report using a direct strategy, how can you describe the problem or need that your recommendation addresses?
- Use an internal proposal
- Use specific examples
View Exaplanation
Use specific examples when describing your problem or the need your recommendation addresses.
Read the scenario, and answer the question.
You are writing a feasibility report about the possibility of merging two office locations.
What should you make sure to include in your report?
- An alternative solution
- An internal proposal
- The benefits of your proposal
View Exaplanation
Make sure you describe the benefits of the proposed consolidation in your report.
When should a yardstick report be used?
- When considering the practicality of following a course of action
- When recommending an action
- When justifying an expense
- When trying to measure multiple alternatives
View Exaplanation
Yardstick reports examine problems with two or more solutions. To determine the best solution, the writer establishes criteria by which to compare the alternatives, but does not offer their opinion on which alternative should be pursued. A recommendation report offers the best choice to pursue. A feasibility report considered the practicality of following a course of action. Reports that justify or recommend actions, such as buying equipment, changing a procedure, hiring an employee, consolidating departments, or investing funds, are called justification/recommendation reports.
Which of the following is the biggest advantage of using a yardstick report?
- The report begins with recommendations, saving the reader time
- Alternatives are measured consistently using the same criteria
- You can include an indirect organizational plan in it
- You can begin outlining a specific course of action in it
View Exaplanation
The real advantage to yardstick reports is that alternatives can be measured consistently using the same criteria. Writers using a yardstick approach typically begin by describing the problem or need. Yardstick reports do not offer recommendations at the beginning of the report, and they often follow a direct format, compare/contrast approach to problem analysis.
