Let me examine your “Fantale wrapper” paragraph. It strikes me that you are possibly writing one document for two audiences: already a bad idea, and a document doomed for failure.

A trick/tip which has served me well in my report writing over the years has been establishing at the outset:

1. What am I trying to say with this document?
2. What is the intended audience for this document?

I have found, invariably, that once I start to write a document which targets more than one group, I am better off splitting the document into two. Yes, it means a lot of duplicated copy. However, this is a small price to pay to ensure that you have an appropriately targeted document.

If I wrote a Fantale piece for the consumption of my ITSM colleagues, I would be (constructively) crucified for it, and rightly so.

I am on my last day of an 8 week engagement today, and I have written a report of observations, findings, the work I have done, and recommendations. It comes in at 60 pages, and it is to do with the coaching and improvement of a team of highly skilled Major Incident Managers.

I have determined who the report is for (line executives at this client), and what I am trying to say (here’s what you’ve got for your money (and, implicitly, invite me back ))

I asked two of my younger colleagues to review it, neither of them with any significant ITSM experience (admittedly, neither with executive experience either!) Both of them thoroughly enjoyed reading it (“surprisingly good reading” said one), said that it clearly stated the problem space, the approach taken, the work done, and quantifiable improvements.

I also asked one of my more experienced colleagues to review it, but neglected to tell him the intended audience. It came back with annotations galore — useful if it were to be a paper at itSMF later this year, but not if I am aiming it at a different audience.

I also have to write up a report for my colleagues. The intent here is that when any of us return from an engagement, we write it up as a formal presentation, and give a lunch time presentation about what we’ve learned. (Done well, this is surprisingly effective: I’ll be able to distill 90% of 8 weeks’ worth of learning into an hour. I’ve sat through three of these given by colleagues already, and could well have been involved in the engagements, so useful were they.) Now for this document, I *will* take on board my more senior colleague’s recommendations. Different audience, different purpose.

Some further gratuitous good writing advice:

1. Use short sentences
2. Use numbered lists
3. One idea per paragraph
4. Ensure that you can answer the two questions outlined above.

If you want any more, bribe me with a bottle of red