Page 33 - Mini-Module 11

Introduction

1. Terms of Reference
Clarify the purpose. Why have you written it? 'This is a report to ...' You
should fill in the missing space. It could be to inform sponsoring body
about new opportunities, to make recommendations about changes in
the next year’s timetable, or a host of other things.
You should then outline the scope of the report. Explain why you
limited your investigation to a certain time period or to a particular
group of teachers. Also explain briefly what is not covered in order to
preempt any suggestions that you failed to examine a particular aspect
of the problem. You are laying out your boundaries.
You also need to indicate for whom it is written. Some people may read
it and it is not prepared for them: they will need to know who the
intended recipient is.

2. Relevant Situation Details
Set the scene for what is about to follow. Give a few brief details of
your department which will help the reader understand the context.
You have to be careful to include only information which is important.
Do not forget, for every additional sentence, there may be a
commensurate decrease in understanding. If you are dealing with a
problem in a small area of work, you may write a few lines about how
that work fits into the whole business. You may also wish to give a few
historical background details. This is generally acceptable so long as you
do not distract from the key purpose of the report. As a rule of thumb,
ask yourself what questions the reader is most likely to raise as he goes
through the report. Answer these and forget the others. Suppose, for
example, you are writing a report recommending the installation of
some new personal computers. As you think things through from the
reader's point of view, you decide you would like to know what the
current level of usage is, how long the present machines have been in
operation and the sorts of jobs they are used for. These are the
questions you should answer so that the reader has the relevant
information about the situation.

3. Statement of Problem
You need to identify the real problem rather than the symptoms. If, for
example, you go into a part of the school and notice that there is so
much crap on the floor and the reception is very untidy, you might well
say there is a litter problem. In fact, it is more likely a symptom of a
problem. Without all the details it is impossible to say precisely what
the problem is (it may be something to do with attitudes or morale, for
instance), but you have to search for the real problem if you are to cure
it. Treating symptoms has only a short‐term effect. So you must now
state what that real problem is, assuming that your report deals with
such an issue. And you should demonstrate that you have identified the
root problem and are not making recommendations about the
treatment of symptoms.

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