project report writing , writing tips

1. Report writing
Nimra zaman

2. Agenda
KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED IN
THIS PRESENTATION
What is a report?
Why do we report ?
Components of a report
Writing tips

3. WHAT IS A REPORT?
A report is a structured written document in which a specific issue is
examined for the purpose of conveying information, in order to report
findings, to answer a request, to put forward ideas and make
recommendations or offer solutions.
An effective report is one that is written appropriate to its purpose and
audience, accurate, logical; clear and concise; and is well organized into clear
section headings.
These sections enable readers to find and focus on specific pieces of
information.

4. Purpose, audience and types of Reports
Keep in mind what your audience needs to know, this will dictate what type of report you will need to
write and the amount of detail to be contained therein.
Some questions you need to keep in mind include:
• Who is the report written for?
• How is it relevant to them?
• Why has the report been written?
• Why should they read the report?
• What will the audience do with the information?
• What are the topics covered?
• What are the recommendations or outcomes?
It is most important to think about your reader(s) in terms of heir wants, needs and expectations.
The level of knowledge they have on the topic and their individual areas of expertise could impact
greatly on how your report is received.

5. WHY DO WE REPORT
Accountability • We are accountable to donors, the people we support and to our staff
• Reporting reflects to our donors that we are fulfilling our responsibilities &
working towards achieving the results/goals highlighted in the proposal
Regaining focus • Reports focus on our work in an objective way
• They are an opportunity to reflect whether we are on track, on time, on budget
and if any adjustment need to be made
Recording • Information gathered in a report function as recorded memory of our work
Important learning • A report captures the learning and evaluation of success and challenges.
What went well?
Why did it go that way?
What can we do better next time?
• Draw conclusions and increase overall implement quality

6. Cover page
Table of contents
Executive
summary
Content section
Conclusion
Recommendation
STRUCTURE OF REPORT

7. Cover page
Table of contents
Executive
summary
Content section
Conclusion
Recommendation

8. Cover page
Table of contents
Executive summary
Content section
Conclusion
Recommendation

9. Cover page
Table of contents
Executive summary
Content section
Conclusion
Recommendation

10. Cover page
Table of contents
Executive summary
Content section
Conclusion
Recommendation

11. Cover page
Table of contents
Executive summary
Content section
Conclusion
Recommendation

12. Cover page
Table of contents
Executive summary
Content section
Conclusion
Recommendation

13. Project Report
• The project report is an extremely important aspect of the project.
• It should be properly structured and also necessary and appropriate information regarding the project.
• The aim of the project is to produce a good product and a good report
• Design document has to be progressively converted to a project report as and when the various stages of
project are completed.
• Ideally you should produce the bulk of the report as you go along and use the last week or two to bring it
together into a coherent document.

14. How to write a Project Report
• A tidy, well laid out and consistently formatted document makes for easier
reading and is suggestive of a careful and professional attitude towards its
preparation.
• Remember that quantity does not automatically guarantee quality.
• Conciseness, clarity and elegance are invaluable qualities in report writing, just
as they are in programming, and will be rewarded appropriately.

15. Try to ensure that your report contains the following elements
(the exact structure, chapter titles etc. is up to you):
• Title page
• Abstract
• Executive summary
• Acknowledgements
• Content page
• Introduction
• Background
• Body of report
• Evaluation
• Conclusion & future work
• Bibliography
• Appendix

16. Title page This should include the project title and the
name of the author of the report.
You can also list the name of your supervisor if
you wish.

17. Abstract
The abstract is a very brief summary of the
report's contents. It should be about half a page
long.
Somebody unfamiliar with your project should
have a good idea of what it's about having read
the abstract alone and will know whether it will
be of interest to them.

18. Contents
page
• This should list the main chapters and
(sub)sections of your report. Choose self-
explanatory chapter and section titles and use
double spacing for clarity.
• If possible you should include page numbers
indicating where each chapter/section begins.
Try to avoid too many levels of subheading -
three is sufficient.

19. Acknowledgements
• It is usual to thank those individuals who
have provided particularly useful assistance,
technical or otherwise, during your project.

20. Introduction
• This is one of the most important components of the report. It should
begin with a clear statement of what the project is about so that the
nature and scope of the project can be understood by a lay reader.
• It should summarise everything you set out to achieve, provide a clear
summary of the project's background, relevance and main contributions.
• The introduction should set the context for the project and should
provide the reader with a summary of the key things to look out for in
the remainder of the report.
• When detailing the contributions it is helpful to provide pointers to the
section(s) of the report that provide the relevant technical details.
• The introduction itself should be largely non-technical.
• It is useful to state the main objectives of the project as part of the
introduction. However, avoid the temptation to list low-level objectives
one after another in the introduction and then later, in the evaluation
section

21. Background
The background section of the report should set
the project into context and give the proposed
layout for achieving the project goals.
The background section can be included as part of
the introduction but is usually better as a separate
chapter, especially if the project involved
significant amount of ground work.
When referring to other pieces of work, cite the
sources where they are referred to or used, rather
than just listing them at the end.

22. Body of
report
• The central part of the report usually consists of three or
four chapters detailing the technical work undertaken
during the project.
• The structure of these chapters is highly project
dependent.
• They can reflect the chronological development of the
project, e.g. design, implementation, experimentation,
optimisation, evaluation etc. If you have built a new piece
of software you should describe and justify the design of
your program at some high level, possibly using an approved
graphical presentations.
• It should also document any interesting problems with, or
features of, your implementation.

23. Evaluation
• Be warned that many projects fall down through poor evaluation.
Simply building a system and documenting its design and functionality is
not enough to gain top marks. It is extremely important that you
evaluate what you have done both in absolute terms and in comparison
with existing techniques, software, hardware etc.
• At some point you should also evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of
what you have done.
• Avoid statements like "The project has been a complete success and we
have solved all the problems asssociated with ...! It is important to
understand that there is no such thing as a perfect project.
• Even the very best pieces of work have their limitations and you are
expected to provide a proper critical appraisal of what you have done.

24. Conclusions
and Future
Work
• The project's conclusions should list the things which have
been learnt as a result of the work you have done.
For example, "The use of overloading in C++ provides a very
elegant mechanism for transparent parallelisation of
sequential programs". Avoid tedious personal reflections like "I
learned a lot about C++ programming..." It is common to finish
the report by listing ways in which the project can be taken
further.
• This might, for example, be a plan for doing the project
better if you had a chance to do it again, turning the project
deliverables into a more polished end product.

25. Bibliography
• This consists of a list of all the books, articles,
manuals etc. used in the project and referred to in
the report.
• You should provide enough information to allow the
reader to find the source. In the case of a text book
you should quote the name of the publisher as well
as the author(s).
• A weakness of many reports is inadequate citation of
a source of information. It's easy to get this right so
there are no excuses.
• Each entry in the bibliography should list the
author(s) and title of the piece of work and should
give full details of where it can be found.

26. Appendix
• The appendices contain information
which is peripheral to the main body of
the report.
• Information typically included are things
or any material which would break up the
theme of the text if it appeared in situ.
• You should try to bind all your material in
a single volume and create the black
book.

27. QUICK TIPS FOR
REPORT WRITING
Use the checklist in next slides to ensure your report is
complete and have all relevant sections.

31. WRITING TIPS

32. Clear writing skills are essential to get your message
across, secure funding and build a relationship with
your donor

33. Jens
Martensson
People scan, they don’t read

34. What?
Who?
Where?
When?
How?

35. Grammar Basics

38. Creating logic and flow
1. Be Clear
2. Be Concise
3. Be Complete
4. Be Correct
5. Be Concrete
6. Be Convincing
7. Be Courteous

39. Be clear
• Your writing must be understood at the first reading.
• A business document is clear when it means exactly what the writer
intends.
• Avoid technical jargon, unfamiliar words or formal language.

40. Eliminate ambiguity, i.e. avoid using a word with a double meaning
or misplacing a phrase within a sentence.

41. Avoid colloquialisms, clichés and hackneyed expressions.
Examples: Clichés

42. Be concise
• Avoid wordy expressions.

43. • Avoid unnecessary repetition.
• Include only relevant information.
• Come to the point quickly and without “waffle”.
• Omit unnecessary background information.
• Use short, familiar words instead of long words.

44. Keep sentences short and simple – 17 words or less. However, vary the sentence length or structure to
avoid monotony and create interest.
Revise your first draft, looking for ways to reduce the number of words or to cut out unnecessary
information.

45. Be complete • Check that all the information the reader will need is
included:
• Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

46. Be
correct
• Check your work for accuracy of punctuation, grammar and spelling
(especially the names of people and places).
• Do not rely on the computer “spell check” function to pick up all spelling errors.
It won’t detect the mistake if it has been written as another acceptable word
(e.g. “no/on”, “to/too”, “then/than”, “quite/quiet”, “lose/loose”), or if a word
has been omitted and the sentence still makes sense.
• Check for accuracy of information: e.g. times, dates, figures and telephone
numbers.
• Check for consistency of layout.

47. Be concrete
• Give specific details.
• Try to substitute exact facts or figures for vague
generalities.
• Use concrete examples to clearly illustrate the point you
are making.

48. Be
convincing
• Use language that is believable.
• Avoid exaggeration and superlatives.
• Suggest possibilities or probabilities rather than
making forceful assertions.

49. • Whenever possible, use active voice to let the subject perform the
action.
• Provide supporting arguments for your point of view – e.g. provide
examples, statistics or a quote from a respected authority.

50. BE COURTEOUS
• Display good manners and a caring attitude in your writing.
• Whenever possible, phrase your writing positively with a
pleasant tone.

51. • Write tactfully with the reader firmly in mind. A tactful writer does not offend, is
not sexist or insulting, and is never condescending
• Passive voice should be used when communicating bad news. This avoids negative
overtones and personal criticism
• . Use language that is rational and unemotional.

52. IN THIS WE WILL LEARN;
FIVE WAYS TO GET YOUR READER ON BOARD
Be Specific
Be consistent
Use Simple Language
Keep It Short
Follow A Simple Structure

54. you are working for a major international donor and have just
received the first report from the support to people on their
WASH project

55. The humanitarian need for new refugee
families informed our response activities
during this phase and were provided for
When you refer to a report you should
always provide a date- because the
situation can change. Name the school(or
the location of the school) and provide a
percentage or number when you talk
about the majority of children
Depending on the scale of programme, it
would be better to specify the two
neighborhoods
Our WASH programme team assessed water
points in two neighborhoods of the capital
during the first week of march
See how the following sentence can be improved

56. Jens
Martensson

57. Jens
Martensson
Drop long words, use short sentences instead

58. Jens
Martensson
Use Active Sentences

59. Jens
Martensson
Avoid
Jargon

60. Jens
Martensson

62. JARGON NO JARGON

63. JARGON NO JARGON

64. Jens
Martensson
Keep It
Short

65. Jens
Martensson
Rewrite nouns into verbs
Conduct analysis
Carry out an improvement
Perform problem definition
and resolution
Analyze
Improve
Define and resolve
problem

66. Jens
Martensson
Wipe out
unnecessar
y words
and
padding

67. Jens
Martensson
Avoid
Judgement

68. Do you have
any questions?
Send it to me ! I hope you learned
something new.