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How to Write a Business Activity Summary

Events move pretty fast in the day-to-day operations of your business. One way to keep your team efforts focused in a common direction is through the use of business activity reports. These reports let you know how key indicators are performing for your company, helping you make informed decisions.

The Key Information

Writing about everything that happens in your average day will bring your activity summary -- and your productivity -- to a standstill. Consider what information is important to others in your company. Hiring a new landscaper for the office is probably not crucial to your sales staff, but reporting a large order from a new client will be notable to all. If you're in manufacturing, production efficiency may be valuable information to include in your activity summary.

Keep Your Audience In Mind

Writing an activity summary for shareholders will cover different points than a summary for field technicians. If your summary is intended for a mixed audience, consider a format using sections to address each department. As well as content, language should be appropriate for the reader. An activity summary for a high-tech company can, for example, include more computer jargon than a summary intended for both office and plant in a manufacturing business.

Think Like a Reporter

A business activity summary reports the facts of company operations. Remaining objective may be difficult when you're immersed in the action, so try to keep your report based on the five W's -- who, what, where, when and why. While "how" is often included at the end of that list, it may be needless information in an activity summary. Thinking of your summary as an historical document, the days in the life of your small business, may keep your writing centered.

Deliver Your Information Efficiently

Use short sentences and paragraphs. Reading a report takes time away from a worker's other duties, so your efforts to keep your activity summary focused supports your staff. Likewise, report creation is time out of your day. Use word processor templates when you create regular activity summaries reading as business reports. Consider forms if you are summarizing the same data regularly. As an example, filling in boxes titled "Weekly Sales Revenue" and "Average Units per Hour" takes less time than writing a sentence or two for every report.