Chapter 22: Informal Reports

Informal reports differ from long formal reports because they are prepared quickly and they contain no background information and they require no supplements (like a title page, table of contents, glossary, works cited or index). Informal reports are meant to help people make decisions, but these decisions can vary largely. They also often take the form of a memorandum (memo), and they are usually distributed as email attachments, PDF files, or hard copies.


Informal reports often come in two types: informational and analytical. Informational reports offer information and answer basic questions of progress, activities, and meetings or discussions. They provide updates that keep an organization running from day to day. Analytical reports offer information and conclusions based upon that information. Analysis can be defined as evaluating information, accurately interpreting it, drawing conclusions on it, and making some sort of persuasive recommendation on it. These types of reports tell a reader whether a project is feasible, how to proceed, revision suggests of others, and a justification of a particular position.


Another type of informal report is a progress report that monitors progress and/or problems on a given project. They can either be written for the company, for its customers, or for the general public. In fact, many contracts within companies stipulate that progress reports are presented at given time intervals.


Periodic activity reports are like progress reports because they can be a summary of activities over a period of time, but they are different because they only summarize general activities, not project specific ones.


Trip reports focus only on business-related travel over a period of time. These are necessary because an employer need to know if the money spent on the trip was worth its outcome-- it also showcases what the employee learned on the trip.


Meeting minutes are another variation of an informal report. Minutes are the records of meetings, and they are usually distributed via email to all the members and those who are interested in the particular meeting that took place. Typically, one person is responsible for recording the minutes.


A feasibility report lets its readers make a decision about whether to an idea, plan or course of action is realistic and practical. Typically managers and decision makers will receive the feasibility reports in an office, and the report normally provides answers to questions like these (Lannon, pg. 527):

• What is the problem or situation, and how should we deal with it?
• Is this course of action likely to succeed?
• Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks or risks?
• What are the pros and cons, and the alternatives?
• Should anything be done at all? Should we wait? Is the timing right?

Recommendation reports are those that state an affirmative position instead of examining why the approach will work. They are made for decision makers, but they tend to skip the feasibility analysis. It's important to gather the right information, however, before you make any recommendations.


Justification reports are those that justify your position following one of your recommendation. These reports are meant for people who recognized a problem and created a solution on their own-- they are persuasive, by nature, and they encourage your reader to take action.


A peer review report is the last type of informal report, and it provides a means for peers to give each other constructive criticism and feedback on their work. You should begin with the positives, and always provide some sort of constructive criticism, which must be supported with examples and advice to improve your work. When working with peers, too, it's best to close positively and diplomatically, no matter how much criticism you provided.


Group Discussion Question: Does a justification report always need to follow a recommendation report?