Presenting Data in Yardstick Reports

1
Presenting Data in Yardstick Reports

• Advantage and Risks

2
Advantages of the Yardstick Approach

• Reduces confusion when there are many criteria
• Can be used to prove need i.e. present situation
  Vs criteria
• Useful to stimulate initial action

3
Disadvantages of the Yardstick Approach

• Can backfire if readers disagree with your
  criteria
• Repetitive pattern can be boring

4
Dealing with Disadvantages

• Criteria
• Discuss criteria in advance if possible
• Use the criteria to stimulate discussion in
  preliminary reports
• Repetition
• Explain criteria clearly
• Compare options in tables
• Clarify important details in text

5
Guidelines for Comparisons

• Establish clear criteria
• Apply the criteria fairly
• Choose between comparing entire products or using
  a factor by factor outline
• (Usually a factor by factor approach is clearer)

6
Comparing Entire Products

• Most useful in short reports to assist readers
  memory
• Follow the same order for relevant factors when
  moving from product to product

7
Organizing Around Relevant Factors

• Used for longer reports that require readers to
  digest much data
• Keep your sequence consistent