Report Formatting and Design

I’ve been eyes deep in reports and briefings for the last few weeks and here are some things I’ve noticed about the ones I’ve found most compelling: 1) ‘How does this work?’ guides are incredibly useful for policymakers. Establishing the foundations before showing what’s new and needed is a great service. 2) I’ve really appreciated people stating their operating assumptions. Trying to work out an organisation’s hidden premises wastes a lot of time - if you have some first order principles it’s really helpful to share them. 3) Being clear who you’re speaking for stops me trying to guess. Is this analysis based on your frontline work, the involvement of people with experience of the issue or your analysis of the literature and international examples? Please tell the reader! I’m always particularly impressed when people are honest about the limitations of their research too. It's great to acknowledge other experts, organisations and resources. 4) Using statistics is wonderful but please be clear what timeframe they relate to and whether they are UK-wide. 5) Disaggregated data is the best data! Highlighting gaps between different groups of people - and how your proposals will close them if they are unfair - helps to focus minds. 6) Beautiful design, data visualisation and proper editing really makes things memorable and therefore impactful. Please don’t scrimp on this bit! 7) And finally please be clear about what readers can and should do. If you can’t imagine the reader putting something on their to-do list as a result of reading your report then you’re probably not clear enough about what you’re asking for. Huge thanks to everyone who is generating evidence, doing analysis and generating policy recommendations. It’s so appreciated and hugely important.

Sustainability Reporting 🌍 Clear, credible, and decision useful sustainability reporting has become a baseline expectation. Yet many organizations still struggle with where to start or how to improve. These two diagrams developed by BSR offer a helpful roadmap to design or refine any reporting process. The first diagram outlines five essential steps: from setting priorities and building a data structure, to developing content, communicating results, and reviewing lessons learned. It emphasizes materiality, audience needs, governance, and alignment with standards, cornerstones of any effective report. Step 1 focuses on setting a clear strategy and goals, conducting a materiality assessment, and benchmarking peer practices. These actions ensure the report is relevant, strategic, and anchored in what truly matters. Step 2 is about building the right structure: identifying key audiences, assessing gaps with existing frameworks, and drafting a high level outline linked to priorities. Governance processes are also set up here to support quality control. Steps 3 and 4 move into content creation and publication. Content should be iterative, aligned with standards like GRI or SASB, and clearly approved internally. Once finalized, communication should be adapted to internal and external audiences, reinforcing transparency and accountability. Step 5 is often overlooked but critical, reviewing the process and iterating. A good report is not just a document, but a learning tool to improve strategy, operations, and future disclosures. The second diagram introduces ten principles for strong reporting, grouped into two categories: report content and report quality. Content should be material, strategic, contextual, and complete, backed by clear KPIs and performance narratives. Quality, on the other hand, requires stakeholder engagement, balanced storytelling, external assurance, consistency, and information connectivity. These elements ensure that reports are not only informative, but trustworthy and comparable. Together, these frameworks provide a comprehensive view of what makes sustainability reporting effective, both in process and in substance. A helpful reference for any team seeking to align with evolving expectations. Source: BSR #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg

Figures help communicate your research findings better. But they must be designed with clarity and integrity to avoid misinterpretation. Here are some key principles: ✅ 1. Figures aren't just for duplicating what's in tables or text—they're a powerful tool for highlighting visually compelling insights. In any manuscript, results can be presented in four places: the main text, tables, figures, or online supplemental materials. 👁️🗨️ 2. Figures Should Stand Alone With many journals now displaying figures independently online, it's important that a reader can understand the figure without having to consult the full manuscript. Include a descriptive title with key elements: person, place, and time. Add clear footnotes to define terms, measures, or abbreviations used. 📏 3. Use Scales Appropriately For percentages, your Y-axis should run from 0 to 100. If the data points are small and you need to truncate the axis, indicate this with two slashes (//) to show that the full range is not depicted. 🎨 4. Design for Black and White Assume your figure may be printed in grayscale. Use color AND patterns (e.g., hatching, stripes, dots) to differentiate data points clearly—ensuring your visualization is effective in both color and monochrome formats. 📉 5. Less Is More Avoid squeezing too much into one figure. If you need to show results for multiple demographic breakdowns, it’s better suited for a table, not a figure. Use figures, for example, when you’re presenting: Overall estimates for multiple outcomes , or Stratified estimates for one or two outcomes by a key demographic (e.g., education). 🧾 6. Always Include a Legend If your figure includes multiple outcomes or variables, include a legend. If it shows just one single outcome, make sure that outcome is clearly stated in the title. 🧭 7. Label Your Axes Clearly Both X and Y axes must be labeled with units, where applicable. This helps orient your audience. 📌 Pro tip: When presenting a figure live, begin by walking your audience through the axes: “This figure shows X. The horizontal axis represents [variable], and the vertical axis represents [variable]...” Give them a moment to get oriented before diving into the interpretation. 🧹 8. Minimize Clutter Avoid gridlines—they make your figure look messy. Only label bars or data points when essential, especially if space is tight. 🖼️ 9. Submit High-Resolution Figures Minimum resolution: 300 DPI (dots per inch). If using Excel: paste your chart into PowerPoint, save the slide as a PDF, then convert that PDF to an image at 300 DPI using tools like IrfanView (https://www.irfanview.com/). ✍️ 10. Use Consistent Footnote Symbols Use a recurring set of symbols in this order: *, †, ‡, § Then repeat with double marks: **, ††, etc. Alternatively, use superscript letters (a–z) or numbers. Keep it clean and consistent. By following these principles, you ensure your results are clear, credible, and impactful—getting the attention they deserve.

10 Reporting Tips I have sent 100s of reports. And overtime I have found what works and what doesn't work. Here are my top 10 tips: 1. Audience Identify Key Stakeholders: Determine the specific individuals or departments who will benefit most from the report. Customize Content: Tailor the report’s content to address the unique needs or interests of different audience segments. Feedback Loop: Regularly solicit feedback from the audience to continuously improve the relevance and effectiveness of the report. 2. Timing Align with Business Cycles: Schedule reports in sync with business cycles, like quarterly financial periods. Anticipate Needs: Proactively adjust the reporting frequency during critical business phases. Automate Reminders: Use scheduling tools to automate the distribution process and ensure timely delivery. 3. Business Data Integrate KPIs: Include key performance indicators relevant to the business operations. Dynamic Data Sources: Use real-time data feeds to enhance the report’s immediacy and relevance. Contextual Analysis: Provide analytical insights, comparing operational data trends over time or against industry benchmarks. 4. Declutter Prioritize Data: Focus on the most critical data points that drive decision-making. Visual Simplicity: Use clean, simple visuals to enhance readability and comprehension. Minimalist Design: Adopt a minimalist design approach to reduce cognitive overload. 5. Reusable Template Design: Develop templates that ensure consistency and ease of adaptation for presentations. Modular Sections: Create the report in modular sections for easy extraction and reuse. Adaptable Formats: Ensure the report can be easily converted into different formats without losing its essence. 6. Format Interactivity in Digital Formats: Utilize interactive elements in digital formats like Excel or web-based reports. Print-Friendly Options: Offer a print-friendly version for those who prefer physical copies. 7. Push vs Pull Automated Alerts: Set up automated alerts for new report availability in pull systems. Customizable Push Options: Allow recipients to customize the frequency and type of reports they receive. Secure Access: Ensure secure, easy access for pull systems, particularly for sensitive financial data. 8. Comments Executive Summaries: Include an executive summary highlighting key insights and decisions. Actionable Recommendations: Offer clear, actionable recommendations based on the report’s findings. 9. Standard Brand Alignment: Ensure the report’s visual elements align with the company’s branding guidelines. 10. Self-Explanatory Infographics: Use infographics to make complex data more understandable. Layered Information: Present information in layers, with summaries leading to detailed analysis. Guided Navigation: Include a table of contents or navigation aids to guide the reader through the report. 👉 What is your best reporting tips?

Excel Custom Formatting Guide 📊 Custom formatting is the pillar of every beautifully designed dashboard. Without it, you're presenting a wall of text that nobody wants to read. Raw numbers like 1500000 and 0.236 make your audience work too hard to understand what you're showing them. You needn't understand a thing. Here's how powerful custom formatting is and what you can do with it. ➡️ MAKE NUMBERS EASIER TO READ Adding commas, decimals, or scaling to thousands/millions makes your spreadsheets immediately more professional. Instead of showing 500000, you display 500,000 so people can actually process the information quickly. Use #,##0 for basic comma formatting that works across any number size. ➡️ HIGHLIGHT MEANING INSTANTLY Show negative numbers in red, zeros as dashes, and positive values with color codes for quick analysis. Your brain processes visual cues faster than reading every single number. Red negative numbers jump off the page and signal problems immediately. ➡️ SIMPLIFY DASHBOARDS AND REPORTS Show large numbers as 1.24M or 3.2K without changing the underlying values. This keeps your dashboards clean while preserving the precise data for calculations. Executive teams prefer 1.5B over 1500000000 when reviewing quarterly results. ➡️ CONTROL DATE & TIME CLARITY Format dates to match your audience expectations like Jun-25 or Monday, June 30. Consistent date formatting eliminates confusion across different regions and preferences. ➡️ KEEP DATA CONSISTENT ACROSS YOUR FILE Apply the same visual rules across entire sheets without writing extra formulas. One formatting rule can instantly standardize how thousands of cells appear. ➡️ THE SYNTAX Excel uses POSITIVE VALUES ; NEGATIVE VALUES ; 0 VALUES separated by semicolons. This lets you control exactly how different number types appear. ➡️ PRACTICAL EXAMPLES Format percentages so 0.23 displays as 23% automatically. Turn 1500000000 into 1.5B for executive summaries. Make dates appear as mm/dd/yyyy or whatever format your team needs. Show #,##0[Red] to highlight losses or expenses in red text. === Mastering custom formatting is a pillar for every person in finance and accounting. If you can't present data clearly, your analysis loses impact no matter how brilliant it is. What's your favorite Excel formatting trick?

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱. But messy reports and poor organisation can bury its value. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁): 1️⃣ 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 Add clear notes to tables and measures. Your future self—and your team—will thank you. 2️⃣ 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 Use the Collie Methodology: Dimension Tables on top. Fact Tables below. Clean relationships = better insights. 3️⃣ 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗜𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 Segment large models into smaller, actionable ones. Hide tables and columns you don’t need. 4️⃣ 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼 Ctrl+G to the rescue! Organized visuals = easier navigation and polished delivery. 5️⃣ 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 Proofread every detail. Better yet, ask a colleague for a second pair of eyes. Power BI is more than visuals—it's storytelling with data. Nail these steps, and your reports will speak volumes. What’s one tip you swear by? Drop it in the comments below! 👇 Abishek Gupta#DataAnalytics #PowerBI #DataVisualization #DataStorytelling #BusinessIntelligence #DataDriven #ReportDesign #TechTips #AnalyticsTips #BIReports #Productivity #Insights #TechSkills #Efficiency #ProfessionalGrowth

💡 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 3: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁 — 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 73 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, 8 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. If your audience doesn’t see value in 10 seconds, they’ve already moved on. That’s why I live by the 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 3 when designing MIS reports, dashboards, or executive summaries. Because 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 isn’t a luxury — it’s a 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. ✅ 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 3 𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄: 1️⃣ 3 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 – Not everything. Just 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 that decision-makers need to know right now. 2️⃣ 3 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 – Eg. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘹? 3️⃣ 3 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 – Clarity is 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. A report should never just inform — it must 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 🧠 I’ve seen this work wonders in C-suite presentations and weekly MIS decks. The impact? More decisions. Less confusion. Zero info overload. 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗽: 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 — Top ⅓ for insights, middle ⅓ for diagnostic data, bottom ⅓ for actions. 🎯 Because at the end of the day, a report that’s not understood is as good as unread. 🔁 Now your turn: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣? #DataDrivenDecisionMaking #MISReporting #ExcelDashboards #ReportingStrategy #RuleOf3

Bad reports kill good data. It’s easy to focus solely on the numbers when sending a spreadsheet to a client, colleague, or boss. But presentation matters. A well-structured report isn’t about being flashy, it’s about making data clear and easy to digest. At the minimum, all reports should have. • Frozen rows and columns for easy navigation • Header rows that stand out (dark background, white text) • Distinct total columns with a subtle shade difference (light gray) • Consistent number formatting that’s easy on the eyes As an added plus, In Sheets you can delete extra rows/columns outside of the range you are showing. You put in the work to get the numbers right, don’t waste that with poor presentation. Give your data the spotlight it deserves.