Reports and Presentations - Construction Project Scheduling and Control - page 257

activities that are under way or completed should be clearly identified. Black-and-white
graphic reports, even with varying grades of shading and/or patterns, may not be as
powerful as reports presented in color.
The size of report pages may be specified by the owner (the party that will
receive the report). Many schedulers print the schedule on regular letter-size,
8 1 ∕ 2 -by-11-inch) paper, which will fit in a folder or a binder with other project
documents. It is also customary to print the schedule on 11-by-17-inch paper and
then fold it to fit an 8 1 ∕ 2 -by-11 size. However, project managers like to print a
complete schedule on a large piece of paper (size D or E) and post it on the wall
inside the project trailer. Regular inkjet and laser printers can handle paper as large as
11 by 17 inches. Plotters can handle larger sizes of paper.
Any report—text or graphic—should contain the following information:
• Name of the company and department or division; address of the company,
especially if multiple offices; company logo
• Name of the person preparing the report and supervisor's approval (initials), if
needed
• Name and location of the project
• Date
• Title of the report
• Attachments, if any
• Page numbers (if multiple pages) in a format such as “Page 2/6” so that missing
pages can be placed where they belong
• Legends to explain any graphics and colors in graphic reports
• Definitions of terms and acronyms or abbreviations that may not be known
In some cases, hiring a professional to prepare a report makes sense if the company
does not have the expertise or time to produce a high-quality professional report.
Always remember:
• The human being behind the computer is more important in making judgments
than the computer itself. The computer (including software and printer) is a
wonderful tool, but it is still just a tool.
• In reports, there is no “one size fits all.” Reports must be customized for dif-
ferent parties in different occasions.
REVIEWING REPORTS BEFORE AND AFTER PRINTING
Since reports often comprise many pages and color printers may be slow, a report
should be reviewed on the computer screen (in Print Preview) to make sure that it
looks fine. If the report comprises many pages, the author recommends printing a