Stop 12 · Communication & Data StorytellingTopics · 1/8

Structuring an Analysis Report

In short

Most people read the first few lines of your report and stop. A good structure makes sure those few lines carry the answer, and the rest is there for anyone who wants proof.

A clear report leads with the key finding, then the supporting evidence, then methodology and caveats last — the opposite order of how most people naturally write it up.

The jaadu stacks the layers of a steel tiffin carrier filled with different foods.

Think of it like this

Packing a steel tiffin

A tiffin has layers in a sensible order: roti on top, sabzi below, dal at the bottom, sweet tucked in the side. Open the first box and you already have a meal. A report works the same: answer on top, details below, extras at the end.

Watch it happen

The order your reader needs

Question

Answer

Evidence

Method

Next steps

1/5Restate the question in one line so the reader knows exactly what this report answers.

The big ideas

What you need to know

Answer first

Don't make readers wait for the conclusion like a thriller. Put it at the top. The proof can follow.

Headlines, not labels

A section titled "Delivery delays drove the drop" is far more useful than one titled "Analysis".

State the caveats

Say what the data can't tell you. It builds trust and stops people overreading your result.

Extras go in the appendix

Every query and side chart you made doesn't need to be in the main body. Park them at the end.

See it in code

Walk through the code

text

1TITLE: Repeat orders fell 12% in Sept, mostly in Pune2 3Question: Why did repeat orders drop last month?4Answer: Late deliveries in Pune after the partner switch.5 6Evidence71. Pune repeat rate fell from 34% to 22% (chart)82. Pune late deliveries doubled from week 36 (chart)93. Other cities stayed flat (chart)10 11Method: orders table, 1 Jul to 30 Sep, delivered orders only.12Caveat: ratings data is missing for 8% of Pune orders.13 14Next step: Ops to review the Pune partner SLA by 15 Oct.

1/4The title and answer carry the whole message on their own.

A one-page report skeleton. Someone who reads only the first four lines still gets the full answer.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Writing the report in the order you did the work: data, cleaning, analysis, then finally the answer.

Do this instead

Flip it. Readers want the answer first and the method last.

Oops

Including every chart you made so it looks thorough.

Do this instead

Keep only the charts that support the main answer. Move the rest to an appendix.

Your mission

Restructure an old report

~30 min

Quick check

Where should the main finding of an analysis report go?

Go deeper

1Restructure a past analysis (or a hypothetical one) using this 'answer first' order.
2Practice writing a one-sentence headline finding before building any supporting charts.
3Learn to move detailed methodology into an appendix, not the main body.