Report Writing

Overview

Report writing transforms research findings into clear, actionable documents for decision-makers. This skill covers best practices for structuring, writing, and visualizing market research outputs.

Critical Rules

1. ALWAYS start with the Executive Summary — no report should open with methodology, background, or definitions. The first substantive section must state the bottom-line findings and recommendation.
2. NEVER fabricate data — if a number is not provided, say so explicitly. Present ranges when sources disagree. Use hedging language ("data suggests", "estimated") for uncertain claims.
3. EVERY finding must have a "so what" — orphan facts that don't connect to implications or recommendations waste the reader's time.
4. ALWAYS use active voice — passive voice obscures who did what. Write "Stripe captured 40% share" not "40% share was captured by Stripe".
5. ALWAYS include at least one Mermaid diagram — visualization is not optional. Use pie charts for composition, quadrant charts for positioning, state diagrams for scenarios.
6. Recommendations MUST include What/Why/How/Risk — vague recommendations ("consider expanding") are useless. Be specific and actionable.
7. Preserve exact data from the user — do not round, reinterpret, or omit numbers the user provides. Every data point given must appear in the output.
8. Match report type to audience — executive briefs for C-suite (1-2 pages), research summaries for VPs (3-5 pages), full reports for analysts (10-30 pages).

Report Type Selection