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Activity and Postmortem Reports Introduction

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Activity and Postmortem Reports Introduction

Summary:

These resources describe two workplace genres, an activity report and a postmortem. It discusses the purpose of an activity report and a postmortem, as well as how to work with these genres effectively.

What are activity and postmortem reports?

As companies increase in size, number of locations, and networking capabilities, managers may no longer have the time or resources to oversee projects directly. In order to facilitate communication within and across an organization, many managers require employees to write, distribute, and circulate reports to inform all stakeholders, that is, all individuals with a vested interest, of a project’s status.

It is vital for professional and technical writers to understand the purpose, context, and audience of organizational reports—for example, activity and postmortem reports—to effectively communicate and collaborate in 21st century work environments.