As the basis of communication, the notion of language operates within the framework of certain rules and standards. For example, musicians, engineers, geographers and architects have standard rules to put notes, circuits, maps and buildings on paper. This way, any musician anywhere in the world can always play the same song by looking at the notes or every architect can draw plans in accordance with certain standards. Certain standards must be applied in communication and application processes of not only these areas but also in all works performed professionally. Thus, the whole structure can be implemented in harmony and within the framework of a single system.
However, we see that there is no common language in the corporate world, particularly in reports. Reports and presentations are prepared at every company with different standards and sometimes with no standards at all. As a result of this, these reports do not create the desired impact, the time and effort spent to create the report or presentation are wasted, and there is the risk of taking decisions based on incomplete information.
The purpose of reports and presentations is to convey a message. There should be a structure that describes the message clearly, supports it with data and visualizes it. Data that do not carry a clear message are called statistics, not reports.
The content must be organized logically. The grouping must be consistent, complete, non-repetitive and homogenous. These rules help to relay content into an appropriate story, inspired by the scientific works of Barbara Minto.
All complicated, unnecessary, distracting or decorative elements such as backgrounds, frames, 3D effects and multiple colors must be removed from the report. The report or presentation must contain no visual elements that do not contribute to the content.
It is required to display the components of the content on a single page, using small but understandable objects. This rule helps increase the effectiveness and efficiency of communication in business analytics reporting.
All visual elements must be used properly. The report or presentation must not contain inaccurate scaling, distorted visuals or misguiding values.
Everything that means the same must look the same and anything that does not mean the same must not look the same. These rules are valid for all content pieces such as terminology, measurements, emphasis, headings and analyses.
Leaders of Universal Reporting Standards and Their Journey in Turkey
Dr. Hichert, the President of IBCS-A and a leading expert in open corporate reporting, created the idea of IBCS and developed its writing rules. In addition to being a founding partner of MIK GmbH, he is also a professor of controlling at Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences on Control and the General Manager of MIS Switzerland AG. In 2004, he founded HICHERT+PARTNER (currently HICHERT+FAISST).
Dr. Faisst, who has been working with Rolf Hichert for more than 20 years, is the person who promoted IBCS to the world. As the General Manager of HICHERT+FAISST, he has adopted the mission of ensuring that business analysts from all over the world benefit from IBCS.
In addition to bringing standards to the industry, IBCS-A also delivers trainings on the implementation and effective communication of these standards. IBCS® WITH SUCCESS seminars offer certification of international validity in terms of reporting and presentation standardization. The main goal of this certification is defined as presenting universal design standards for more effective (written) reports and (oral) presentations.
IBSS manages the licensing and maintenance processes of SAP analytics products end-to-end, ensuring the uninterrupted and efficient operation of your IT infrastructure.
