How to Design Proper Reports

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect the perspectives of IIBA.



As part of the requirements for an initiative, you’ve been asked to write a business requirement for a report. But what exactly is a report, whose responsibility is it to add reports to the backlog, and in what detail should the requirement be unpacked?

To provide some clarity around report writing, this article will:

• Define reports
• Suggest their common features
• Recommend how to identify reporting requirements
• Provide techniques for writing report requirements
• Describe approaches that business analysis professionals and business data analysts adopt when reporting requirements

What Is a Report?

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines a report as “a spoken or written description of something containing information that somebody needs to have.”¹ According to Webopedia, it is a "formatted and organized presentation of data,” and “most database management systems include a report writer that enables you to design and generate reports.”²

Whatever definition you choose, you, your team, and stakeholders should have a shared understanding of the definition of “report” to agree on what’s needed and how it will be delivered. Almost any form of output from a system can be considered a report (for example: a spreadsheet, a notification, an audit trail).

What All Reports Have in Common

All reports contain a selection of information formatted for the consumption of one or more parties who gain value from it. Content should meet these criteria:

1. It fulfills a need
2. It’s processed for use
3. It’s provided to an audience

While the content type, data synthesis methods, delivery frequency, formats, and complexity may vary, the core purpose remains consistent.

How to Identify Reports as Business Requirements

Identifying report requirements is essential for ensuring that stakeholders have the means to monitor, review, or act based on the outcomes of a process. That said, report requirements may not always be clear.

During the elicitation process, indicators may emerge that suggest the presence of reporting requirements. Here are some examples:  

• Stakeholders may ask for new reports or enhancements to existing ones
• End users or customers may require reports for record-keeping or processing tasks
• There could be legal, compliance, or regulatory requirements
• Reports could trigger other processes
• Reporting can be used to monitor processes and enable further analysis
• New reports may be needed on projects launching new systems, updating outdated processes, or opening new branch locations

Recognizing these signs can help ensure that stakeholder needs are understood and addressed.

Techniques to Draft Report Requirements

Once the required reports are identified and reporting requirements are documented, stakeholders must verify and approve them. A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide) lists several techniques for developing an approach and conducting requirements elicitation:

• List out the interested parties and whom to consult for identifying or verifying requirements, sourcing information, and obtaining samples (these should include the consumers of the report and those accountable for the outcomes or actions resulting from the report)
• Schedule one-on-ones or focus groups with stakeholders to clarify their perspectives, determine their specific needs, and list pain points to address
• Conduct brainstorming sessions with stakeholders to jointly identify reports, list contacts to source samples, and agree on approaches to documenting requirements—discussions should also explore alternatives to generating a report
• Analyze and mine existing data from existing reports to validate and clarify requirements
• Gather and analyze documentation for more detail on what’s needed and where information can be sourced, including process models, knowledge bases, and standard operating procedures
• Analyze existing user interfaces to learn how systems, people, and processes work, which may reveal requirements suggesting that a report is unnecessary or that an alternative reporting method could enhance the process
• Observe end users or customers to see how they interact with systems and processes to achieve desired outcomes (the analyst should use both passive and active observation techniques to interpret the interactions)
• Build a report prototype based on information gathered to verify the requirements³ and provide stakeholders with a preview of the expected deliverable
  
  

Business Analysis Professionals vs. Data Analysts

Understanding the unique contributions of business analysis and data analytics is essential when defining report requirements.

In The Guide to Business Data Analytics (BDA Guide), the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) defines business data analytics as: “a specific set of techniques, competencies, and practices applied to perform continuous exploration, investigation, and visualization of business data. The desired outcome of a business data analytics initiative is to obtain insights that can lead to improved decision-making. Business data analytics can be applied to investigate a proposed business decision, action, or a hypothesis, or to discover new insights.”⁴

This perspective highlights that business data analytics synthesizes raw data into actionable insights, supporting informed, strategic decision-making by business leaders. However, while both business analysis and data analysis contribute to reporting requirements, they approach these needs from distinct angles.

Business analysis focuses on understanding how reports will support organizational goals, objectives, and processes. It clarifies the report's purpose, defines value-added solutions, and documents requirements that align with strategic business needs. This perspective centres on the "why" behind the report—who will use it, for what purpose, and how often. Business analysis ensures that reports align with performance measures, dashboards, and data models necessary for organizational impact.

Data analysis address reporting requirements by focusing on the data itself—how it will be used, analyzed, and visualized within the report. It focuses on what data is needed, its structure, metadata, and the methodology for transforming raw data into meaningful information. Data analysis is concerned with how data can be modelled and synthesized to meet informational needs, often asking questions related to data availability, quality, integration, and the analytical approach required for the report.

The diagram below summarizes how to approach reporting requirements from both a business analysis and business data analytics perspective.


Figure 1. Business analysis and business data analytics approaches to reporting requirements adapted from the BABOK Guide and BDA Guide

• Both roles should primarily aim to define clear, value-adding business solutions by understanding both the business need and the data's role in achieving it
• Document and elaborate on the requirements for standard reporting, performance measures, dashboards, and data models to ensure clarity for all stakeholders
• Engage in shared responsibilities, including scoping the report work, presenting analysis and findings, formulating and testing hypotheses, and working with data to produce accurate results
• Explore essential questions, such as:
  • Who needs the report?
  • What purpose does it serve?
  • How often and when is it needed?
  • What triggers it?
  • What’s the underlying data and metadata used in the report?
  • How will it help inform business decisions?
  • How will the solution be designed to meet both business and data needs?

By combining the strategic, goal-oriented focus of business analysts with the data-centric approach of data analysts, organizations can develop robust reporting requirements that support both decision-making and operational needs.

 

Conclusion

Effective reporting requirements rely on the combined perspectives of business analysis and data analysis. Together, these encompass the responsibilities and activities necessary to develop and deliver requirements that meet stakeholder needs.

Business analysis focuses on aligning reports with organizational goals, objectives, and processes, ensuring reports serve strategic purposes and provide clear value. Data analysis, on the other hand, centres on the data itself—how it will be used, analyzed, and visualized—ensuring the information is accurate, meaningful, and actionable.

By integrating these perspectives, business analysis and data analysis work in tandem to create comprehensive, impactful reports that support informed decision-making and effectively address the unique needs of all stakeholders involved.

To learn more about the business analysis and data analysis knowledge areas, please refer to the BABOK Guide or BDA Guide.

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References

1. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. "Report." 2023. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/report_1?q=report.
2. Webopedia Staff. "Report." 2021. https://www.webopedia.com/definitions/report/. 
3. International Institute of Business Analysis. A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide), Version 3.0. Toronto: International Institute of Business Analysis, 2015, 60, 63.
4. International Institute of Business Analysis. A Guide to Business Data Analytics: Get Better Insights. Guide Better-Informed Decision Making. Toronto: International Institute of Business Analysis, 2020, 3.

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