A company approached us seeking help to improve their audit reports. They knew from user feedback that they had a problem. Readers were telling them that audit reports were often difficult to read and understand. The company looked into what a standard technical report writing course would offer but decided they would get more from training specific to the role of an auditor. With a team of nearly fifty auditors all trained to Lead Auditor standard a bespoke solution was needed.

We started the project by visiting the client to better understand their needs. With the client we agree there were a number of contributing factors, some of which we agreed to address in the training and others such as consistency of the report template that we agreed would need to be addressed beforehand.

“I hate report writing” – was what one auditor said. So we knew that to have any beneficial effect the training would need to be pragmatic, relevant and make reporting easier. But most important of all, it would need to be enjoyable. A day of practical activities was proposed and accepted. The programme included:

• Catch and hold the readers’ attention
• Know your audience
• Tell people what they want to know
• Suggestions for clear writing

The programme was launched with a pilot event for audit managers. Following a joint review a few improvements were made and the programme rolled out across a number of sites. Very encouraging feedback from attendees and users of audit reports has proven the value of the investment made. And the improvement has not stopped with the audit reports, the client is now seeing improvements in other reports and emails.

So what started out as training to improve audit reports has given attendees knowledge and skills they can apply across a whole range of business reports. Making effective communication easier for them and others.

This option is ideal for organisations that have specific organisational objectives to meet. We can design and deliver a training and development solution for you from scratch.

We will arrange to visit you prior to the delivery to talk through your needs and objectives, and become familiar with your organisation.

In this way, the training materials can be designed to meet your specific needs reflecting the management system in place, company processes and procedures, and working culture. Live audits can be scheduled into the programme as appropriate.