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Having a clear structure ranks among the top tips for effective project reports. A good
report has a proper style and structure. Most businesses prefer the top-down approach
that entails stating the main point or the gist of the point first and then reinforcing or
substantiating the point made. A lesser-used alternative is the bottom-up approach that
entails building up support for a point mentioned at the end.

A properly structured report allows the reader:

ë to read only parts of the report in detail and still understand the purpose.
ë the option to avoid technical details.

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A project report requires good substance to back up the good structure. The report
needs to cover the details of the project comprehensively, including all the big risks and
issues that affect the project and solutions for the same. A good approach is to break up
the issues involved into tasks or targets and detail a clear time and cost analysis toward
resolving the issues.

A good project report:

ë demonstrates the author¶s familiarity, expertise, and competence with the

problem.
ë maximizes reader insight by judiciously drawing attention to intuitive aspects of
the problem on which the results depend.
ë explains rather than describes the problem and possible solutions to minimize
reader effort.

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£arge reports, usually more than four pages' length or containing many subsections,
need to include a table of contents. Incorporation of a table of contents provides a ³top
down´ gist of the report, allowing the reader to orient himself or read selectively from the
report.
Most reports have separate tables of content for graphs and tables. The standard
numbering methodology is marking the ³Introduction´ page as the first page.

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A content-heavy title entails title and subsection heads that convey meanings and
provides the reader with a clear understanding of what follows. For instance, the title
³Proprietary Tempers´ is too general and vague to convey any meaning, whereas the
title ³Meeting the Demand for Proprietary Tempers´ makes it content heavy and clear.

Content heavy titles support the ³top-down´ approach with the title being the main point
and the text that follows the explanation of the point.

The best of headings makes the text that follows superfluous.


 

 



A critical aspect of good project report writing is the use of simple and easy-to-
understand language free from spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Even
minor spelling and punctuation mistakes can change the entire meaning of sentences
and highlight the project promoters in poor light.

Adherence to the standard style guidelines also ranks high in importance. For instance,
the norm in business English is to use an active tense such as ³X did Y´ instead of a
passive tense such as ³Y was done by X´ or ³Y was done.´ Failure to adhere to such
standard style guidelines can create confusion.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-

management/articles/93013.aspx#ixzz14A4tuYhp





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£ists, tables, figures, and graphs are important ingredients of any

project report. Such items highlight key points of emphasis, remove clutter, and make
the report structure easy to read and visually appealing.
ëulleted lists find use to highlight to-do items or specific actions. Figures, graphs, and
tables make for powerful tools to present ideas, make comparisons, or summarize
points in a way that captures and retains interest. Including all such information in
descriptive sentences make the project report too lengthy and cumbersome.

Providing content-heavy labels for graphs, charts figures, and tables provides the
readers with a complete summary without having to look into the textual portion of the
report.

One important good practice is to include the graphs and tables along with the relevant
portion of the text, rather than grouping them as an appendix in the end.

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£engthy project reports require an appendix to place technical details, background
material such as experts from previous studies, lists of supporting programs, raw data,
derivative and analytical expressions, and similar material. Inclusion of such items along
with the main text interrupts the flow and makes it difficult for the reader who wants to
make a quick initial reading and go into the details at a later stage.

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A references section becomes mandatory if the report contains results from books or
articles. The best practice is to cite sources in the main text, such as (Harvey, 1999),
and provide the full citation in the references section. Adherence to standard style
guidelines such as the APA Style, M£A Style, Chicago Style, or Harvard Style lends
additional credibility to the project report.

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A simple tip for effective project reports that most people ignore is proofreading the
project report before submission. Proofreading can capture inadvertent errors that are
simple to correct but costly if not corrected.

One good idea is entrusting the proofreading with a third party. The author, being too
much attached to the work and an expert in the subject, might miss out identifying errors
he or she committed in the first place, or might remain perfectly at ease with words or
terminologies that baffle the intended recipient. If the author proofreads by himself, it
becomes important to undertake the same a considerable time gap after completion of
the work, and to read the report from the client¶s perspective.

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Another factor that many people ignore is ensuring the tidiness and appearance of the
finished work. The best of project reports would fail to impress if it was untidy or lacking
in appearance. Adoption of standard easy-to-read fonts, ensuring a neat and tidy
binding, preparing an attractive cover design, and additional aesthetic attentions are all
small steps that greatly reinforce the project report.







Gordon ë. Hazen. "Writing Effective Project Reports." Retreived from
http://users.iems.northwestern.edu/~hazen/Writing%20Project%20Reports%202004a.p
df on 23 October 2010.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-

management/articles/93013.aspx?p=2#ixzz14A4£c8Zw