Operations & Systems
A report nobody acts on is just a spreadsheet
Many owners either have no regular report and learn how the month went from the bank balance, or have many pages that nobody reads. This session helps you design a short report with a purpose: a small number of figures, defined clearly, produced on a fixed day, reviewed with the people who can change them.
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If you cannot say what you would do differently, you do not need the number.
Reports tend to grow by addition. Somebody asks for a figure once, it goes into the report, and nobody removes it. After a year there are twenty figures and nobody can say which ones matter.
A useful report is small, regular and tied to decisions. Sales this week against last week. Orders waiting to be delivered. Money owed to you and how old it is. Complaints open. Each of these has an obvious next step if it moves in the wrong direction.
This session shows how to build that report from scratch using the information you already have, and how to run a short review so the report leads to action.
What the session works through
36 topics across 7 areas. Seven parts of a report that gets used.
Who Is the Report For?A different reader needs a different report.5
- The owner, for steering the business week to week
- The team lead, for managing the work
- A lender, partner or family member, for confidence
- Your accountant, for the records
- Which of these you are actually designing for now
Choosing the FiguresFewer, tied to a decision.6
- Sales or work completed
- Orders or jobs pending, and how old they are
- Money received and money owed to you
- Money owed by you and due soon
- Quality: returns, complaints, rework
- One figure about people or capacity, such as hours or absences
For each figure, write one sentence: if this moves the wrong way, I will...
Defining Every NumberMost arguments about a report are arguments about definitions.5
- What counts as a sale: order, delivery, invoice or payment?
- What counts as late, and from which date
- Whether figures include tax or not
- Which period: calendar week, rolling seven days or month
- A one-line note on each definition at the bottom of the report
Sources and HonestyA neat report from messy data is still messy.5
- Where each figure comes from: books, software, notebook or a person
- Who updates it and by when
- Checking one figure each period against another record
- Marking figures that are estimates
- Not rounding in a way that hides a problem
Comparisons That Mean SomethingA number alone says little.5
For illustration only, with made-up numbers: sales of 40 units against 50 the week before looks bad. A note that the earlier week included a bulk order of 15 units changes the reading.
- This week against last week and against the same period last year
- Against a target you set, and who set it
- Seasonal patterns your business already knows
- One-off events noted next to the figure
- A line or two in words: what changed, and why
The Review MeetingTen to twenty minutes, same time each period.5
- Read the figures first, then discuss only what moved
- Ask what happened before asking who was responsible
- End with two or three actions, each with a name and a date
- Start the next meeting by checking those actions
- Keep it short enough that it actually happens
Making the Report Easy to ProduceIf it takes half a day, it will stop.5
- A fixed template, copied each period
- Figures entered as they happen, not at the end
- One place where the numbers live
- A short checklist for who sends what to whom
- A review every quarter to remove figures nobody used
Bring to the session
- The last report you produced, if any
- Your sales, orders and payment records for the last month
- A list of decisions you make every week
- Names of the people who give you information
- Questions you wish you could answer quickly
What the session does not do
- Replace your accountant or statutory returns
- Set a standard set of figures for every business
- Give financial or investment advice
- Sell software
How the session runs
A practitioner shows a sample one-page report built on made-up figures and explains why each line is there. Participants then choose their own five to eight figures, write a definition and a source for each, and sketch a one-page layout. The session ends with a mock ten-minute review meeting in pairs, so participants practise reading a report and agreeing on actions.
What your students leave with
- A draft one-page report for your own business, weekly or monthly
- Five to eight figures chosen because each one drives a decision
- A written definition for each figure, so everyone counts it the same way
- A named person, a source and a day for each number
- A short review meeting format that ends with actions
- A habit of noting what changed and why, not just the number
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Five figures you trust and act on beat fifty you never open.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.