WRITING A TRUE AND POWERFUL REPORT

Internal Audit Conference

Villa Air Resort

19-20 December 2013

HELYUS NAPITUPULU

CONTENTS

What makes a TRUE and POWERFUL report? Structure Convey the ‘Right’ Message Technical Issues Conclusions

THE PURPOSE…

The report exists to provide the reader with useful information

It succeeds if it effectively comunicates the information to the intended audiences

Refer back to 2 rules above – It fails otherwise !!!

…TO WIN…

The report must be Clear

Well structured, clear, concise, suitable for the intended audience

Professional Statistically correct, correctly spelled, produced with a

decent reporting tools/software Well Illustrated

Illustrations that aid understanding, integrated with text

…THE AUDIENCES

3 typical audiences The Casual Reader/BIG BOSS who wants the

main message as painlessly as possible The INTERESTED READER who wants more detail

but doesn’t want to grapple with all the bloody technical details

The GURU who wants the whole story

STRUCTURE

WHAT TO DO?

To address all 3 audiences effectively; Include an abstract for the big boss A main body for the interested non-specialist A technical appendix for the guru

“3 Key Focus Points !”

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Good structure enhances and encourages clarity

Gives signposts Implements the vital principles

tell them what you are going to say say it! tell them what you have said

STRUCTURE: DETAILS

A TRUE and POWERFUL report has the following parts Title Table of Contents Executive summary Introduction, main sections and conclusion References Technical appendix

1. TITLE

Should be informative, dramatic and “Punchy”, can include puns and humor

Good Inkonsistensi yang Signifikan Antara Harga Price Card

dan Sistem (dramatic, punchy)

Not quite yet.. Harga yang Tertera di Sistem Tidak Sama Dengan

Harga di Price Card – Beberapa PLU Lebih Mahal atau Lebih Murah (boring, lengthy)

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS

Shows the structure of the document and lets the reader navigate through the sections

Include for documents more than a few pages long

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Describe the problem and the solution in a few sentences (one-page summary). It will be all the BIG BOSS reads!

Remember the 2 rules Keep it short State the problem and solution

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

How to create1. State the scope or problem being analyzed in

the assignment2. Provide an overview or background of the

situation that the assignment focuses on3. State the method of analysis used, if feasible4. Inform the reader of the issue associated with

the problem and the impact produced from it5. Propose recommendation for the issue noted

4A. INTRODUCTION

State the background of the problem Outline the approach Describe the contents of the rest of the

report Main Sections Conclusion

4B. MAIN SECTIONS

Describe Data Methods Analyses Findings & Impact

Don’t include too much technical detail Divide up into sections or subsections

4C. CONCLUSION

Summarize what have been discovered Repeat the background, findings and impact Propose solution

5. APPENDIX

This is where the technical details go Be as technical as you like Document your analysis so it can be

reproduced by others Include the data set if feasible

6. REFERENCES

Always cite (i.e. give a reference) to other related work or facts/opinions that you quote

Never pass off the work of others as your own!

OUR REPORTS – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

OUR REPORTS – SUMMARY AUDIT FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS (EXCERPT)

OUR REPORTS – EXHIBITS/APPENDIX (EXCERPT)

CONVEY THE RIGHT MESSAGE

WRITING CLEARLY

Structure alone is not enough for clarity – you must also write clear sentences.

Rule of Thumb Always be factual ! Write complete short sentences Avoid jargon and cliché, strive for simplicity One theme per paragraph Give abbreviation when necessary

example: User Access Rights (“UAR”)

AGHHH…!

What he wrote Pada saat kami melakukan pengecekan fisik,

kami menemukan banyak produk yang sudah di Broken Stock tetapi belum dimusnahkan.

What he meant Produk yang sudah diinput sebagai Broken Stock

tidak dimusnahkan

FIGURES, TABLES AND PICTURES

Golden rules Describe the figures, tablets and pictures in text

(integration), make sure it matches description Place after the first mention in the text Make sure they conveys the desired message

clearly – “keep it simple” ! Provide informative captions

FIGURES – EXAMPLE

“Incorrect” “Correct”

PICTURES – EXAMPLE

Giant Jababeka October 3,2013

5:39 PM

Giant Jababeka October 3,2013

5:39 PM

Giant Jababeka October 3,2013

10:13 AM

Note:• Clean and neat selling area.

“Correct”

Selling Area Observation

Giant Jababeka October 3,2013

5:39 PM

Giant Jababeka

“Incorrect”

TABLES – EXAMPLE 1

“Incorrect”

“Correct”

TABLES – EXAMPLE 2

“Incorrect”

“Correct”

TABLES – EXAMPLE 3

“Incorrect”

“Correct”

TECHNICAL ISSUE

TECHNICAL ISSUE

Sectioning Table of Contents Spelling and Grammar

SECTIONING

Proper division of your work into sections and subsections makes the structure clear and the document easy to follow

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Provides “navigation aid” Make sure TOC agrees with main body of text

SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

Use a dictionary if in doubt Spell check!! Proofread!!!

What he meant Produk yang sudah diinput sebagai Broken Stock

tidak dimusnahkan

What he wrote Produk yang sudah diinput sebagai Negative

Stock tidak dimusnahkan

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

Structure is vital Write clearly Good clear simple illustrations Spellcheck and proofread Reference all materials used or

quoted

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION GUYS !!ANY QUESTION?

QUICK QUIZ

Can you spot 6 reporting ‘No-No’?

REAL CASE STUDY

Divide the audience into 2 groups with each group having the following topic: “Blusukan: ‘Hands on approach’ atau

Pencitraan?”

Make executive summary using the available information.

Time Limit: 30 Minutes Starts … NOW !