Advancing report excellence

The Report Excellence Leadership Table has the mandate to ensure reports and memorandums are written and presented in a professional manner so Council receives the best possible information.

To start, we conducted a comparative scan, reviewing the current format for Council and Committee Reports (RTCs) and Memos to Council (MTCs) to identify areas for improvement with populations similar to Richmond, including cities in Metro Vancouver (Burnaby, Coquitlam and Surrey) and outside the province (Edmonton, Saskatoon, Markham and Mississauga).

We found our reports stood up well in comparison and are well written but there are areas where we can strive for further excellence. The following three areas have been identified for improvement:

1. Succinct key messages: Enhance Council’s ability to identify the key messages and decision-making points in RTCs.
2. Purposeful brevity: In recognition of Council’s requirement to read numerous RTCs and MTCs, the writer should strive to reduce the length of these documents by using attachments to record more detailed information, when applicable.
3. Readability: The language used in RTCs and MTCs should be accurate, factual and related to the subject matter, while being written in a manner that is readily understood by readers who are not familiar with the technical content. When appropriate, writers should utilize tables, graphics and visual aids to communicate key points.

Based on the above three areas, we are proposing changes for implementation. We would like your opinion to see if we are on the right track, and any further suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please click on the survey link below to provide your feedback.