Reports and quality
The report that turns into a monthly
Someone asked once, liked it, and now it is expected monthly. What must be pinned down is not the result: it is the definition.
Almost no recurring report starts life as one. It starts as a one-off request — «send me how many files we closed this month» — solved in an afternoon on personal judgement. The problem starts when that figure repeats: from the second time on, it is no longer compared with reality, it is compared with itself.
What to pin down before repeating it
| Decision | Why it matters | What happens if left open |
|---|---|---|
| What counts as «closed» | It varies most between people | Each month is counted by whoever does it, their way |
| Exactly what period it covers | Calendar month, four weeks, up to a cut-off | Months stop being comparable |
| What is excluded | Tests, internal cases, cancelled ones | A month with tests looks like a good month |
| Where each figure comes from | So it can be reproduced identically | Nobody can rebuild it when that person is away |
Important
The consequence nobody sees coming is the first row's: **if the definition is not written down, the report changes it silently every time someone else produces it**. And since the numbers look reasonable, nobody suspects; it simply turns out that this month «we improved». A recurring report is worth its comparison, so a drifting definition is not a methodological detail: it turns the whole history into something meaningless.
How to stabilise it in twenty minutes
- 1
Write the definition alongside the report, not elsewhere
Two lines: what is counted, which period, what is excluded.
- 2
Rebuild last month under that definition
If it does not match what was delivered, better to know now.
- 3
Note where each figure comes from
It is what lets someone else produce it in August.
- 4
And only then automate what can be automated
Automating a loose definition multiplies the problem.
Watch out
Before signing it off, it is worth asking what it is used for: **a report requested every month is rarely read in full, and sometimes only one figure gets looked at**. If out of five pages the only thing anyone reads is the number at the top, everything else is surplus — and that surplus is exactly what makes the report cost a morning. Asking once saves twelve mornings a year and usually reveals that two different reports are needed, not one big one.
When the figure starts moving
Worth knowing
If the report leaves your company — to a client, an insurer, a regulator — the definition becomes part of the commitment: changing it later requires explaining it, so agree it beforehand with whoever receives it.
›Can I change the definition if it was wrong?
Yes, flagging it and rebuilding what is comparable. Keeping quiet is what does not work.
›What if each area counts differently?
Then they are different reports: separate them rather than averaging.
›Should it be automated from the start?
No: automate once the definition has held still for two or three months.
A real case
The situation
A company delivers a monthly closed-files report and the figures stop adding up.
What you do
- Writes the definition alongside the report and rebuilds last month under it
What you get
It finds two people counted «closed» differently, and the history compares again.
The situation
A report requested once for a meeting becomes monthly without anyone deciding it.
What you do
- Checks who reads it and what it decides
- Schedules it if it helps, retires it if not
- Saves the format as a template so it is not rebuilt
What you get
The monthly report exists because somebody uses it, and costs ten minutes rather than an afternoon.
The situation
The report goes to fifteen people and two open it.
What you do
- Asks who wants to keep receiving it
What you get
The distribution list reflects who uses it.
The situation
Every month it is rebuilt from scratch.
What you do
- Saves the view and the format
What you get
The second month costs a fraction.
The situation
The report arrives on the 20th and is no longer useful for deciding.
What you do
- Schedules it for the first working day
What you get
The figure arrives while action is still possible.
The situation
The format changes monthly and comparison is impossible.
What you do
- Keeps the same format and the same criteria
What you get
The series shows the trend.
The situation
Nobody knows where the numbers come from.
What you do
- Keeps the breakdown with the report
What you get
Any question is answered in minutes.
The situation
The report grows to six pages.
What you do
- Keeps the indicators that change decisions
What you get
It gets read in full.
This article answers
- asked for the same report every month
- the numbers do not match last month
- automating a recurring report
- defining a metric properly