An ad hoc report is a specific report created in response to a request for information, often by administrative personnel using software templates. It can include both internal and external data and is used to guide decision-making in areas such as new product launches and market research. The report must still meet professional presentation standards.
An ad hoc report is a report created by a person in response to a specific request for information, rather than at set intervals or as part of a routine report. Supervisors may request such reports for a variety of reasons and usually provide a time frame for completion, such as a request for the report to be submitted by the end of the business day. Tools are available for creating such reports, depending on the nature of the business and the requirement.
The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this,” referring to the idea that the report was commissioned for a particular purpose and covers a specific topic. A request for an ad hoc report may involve inside information such as sales figures, employee performance, and so on. It may also include external information, such as data on changing market conditions, consumer expectations and other topics. When a request for an ad hoc report is made, it should include a detailed discussion of what is expected in the report.
Usually this type of work is performed by secretaries and other administrative personnel. They collect data from corporate databases and external research such as reviewing trade and news publications. Software programs often have templates that people can use to quickly generate reports. These can be connected to databases to allow for the generation of graphs, charts and other visual presentations of data, drawing directly from the database rather than forcing the person to create the presentation from scratch.
Some reasons for requesting an ad hoc report may include exploratory plans for new product and service launches, preliminary market research, and preparation for business plan and practice reviews. In all cases, the initial data will act as a guide for staff who need to make decisions about how to proceed. The ad hoc report can identify particular problems and will highlight activities to pursue or avoid. For example, the report may show that industry standards are about to change, making it unwise to invest in a system designed to facilitate compliance with existing standards, as the company is expected to upgrade in the near future.
While an ad hoc report is ordered in a short period of time, it still needs to meet professional presentation standards. This includes correcting typos, errors and readability, formatting the document correctly, and adhering to any internal standards established by the company for reporting. Having a template can help with this, as you can input information into the template to make sure your report follows a familiar overall structure.
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