· Some people like to read reports, while others prefer to observe presentations.

· The higher the level to which you are pitching, the more succinct you must be.

· Don't spend hours preparing complex reports for each key player, because people do not want a large report when only a small part of the report relates to them or their department.

· Concentrate your facts where they will have the most effect.

It makes sense to take a modular approach, by creating a standard introduction, conclusion, and recommendations. You can then select from the modules to tailor the presentation for specific audiences.

You can collate and structure the results of quantifying the expectations and calculating the deliverables in a report matrix as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7 - Report matrix

The columns in the matrix represent the three key levels (Strategic, Tactical, and Operational). The columns are subdivided into Deliverables (D) and Expectations (E). The rows represent the ITIL disciplines. You store the results that you gathered from preparing the case in the appropriate boxes in the matrix. For example, if you have three deliverables for the Service Desk, then you would store them in the corresponding box (D or E) as three items. By following this matrix approach, you can quickly consolidate the contents of any reports that you produce.

The two examples shown in Figure 8 illustrate how you can collate the content. In the first example, the content for a report on the Service Desk, from the perspective of all levels, is shown in the non-shaded area. In the second example, the content from a Strategic level report or presentation is shown in the non-shaded area. Remember, it is not enough to simply create a spreadsheet cell or a word processing table cell for each box. Some careful planning is required to determine layout and contents. The following is an example format for a word processing document that shows each deliverable or expectation:

· Subject - Contains a brief title for the expectation or deliverable, typically a high level header.

· Proposer - The name of the person or department that suggested or requested the deliverable or expectation.

· Analyst - The name of the person who performed the analysis.

· Expectation/deliverable description - A brief description of the expectation/deliverable

· Data source - A reference to the source from which the data was obtained, or the actual data. When a large number of records is involved, it is preferable to reference the source, rather than include the actual data. For example, if the data is the Service Desk records for a given month, a reference is preferable to including the thousands of records in the actual data.

· Actions - A description of the actions performed by the analyst.

· Results - Includes both the results, and the calculations or formulas.

· Comments - Includes items such as observations, reservations, suggestions, and guidance.

Ideally, each of these components will be a heading within each item, with the subject as the highest level heading and the other items as lower level headings. You may not want to use all the different headings shown above, but all of the information is required to ensure that each expectation or deliverable is an independent document in its own right. If presentations are required, then you can produce slides to a standard format that contain the same information.

Once you have completed the research, and documented and stored all deliverables and expectations in their appropriate boxes, it is a simple task to structure tailored reports for the key personnel. You can write a standard introduction and generate generic contents for the conclusion and recommendations.

The final stage is to schedule meetings with the key personnel, so that you can overview your reports or conduct your presentations. Be determined in your approach and solicit buy-in. To ensure that you get a response, you should set a date by which you will assume that no response means full acceptance.

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