Reporting
A competitive intelligence report template built for a decision
A report should make its reasoning inspectable. The reader needs to see how the evidence supports the conclusion and what remains unknown.
1. Decision, scope and executive answer
State the decision this report supports, audience, time period, market boundary and companies included. Then answer the question in a short paragraph. Do not make the reader wait until the final page to learn the conclusion.
List important exclusions too. A reader should know which regions, segments or source types were outside the research boundary.
2. Material changes and evidence
List only changes that affect the decision. For each one, show the observation, source, date and confidence. Group repeated coverage and distinguish company claims from independent evidence.
3. Implications and alternatives
Explain why each pattern matters to the company. Include at least one plausible alternative explanation and the evidence that would confirm or reject it. This makes the recommendation more resilient.
4. Recommendations, watch conditions and appendix
Recommend an owner, action and timing. If action is premature, define a watch condition instead. Put detailed matrices, snapshots and full source lists in an appendix so the main report remains readable.
Working checklist
Use this in the next review.
- Decision, audience and time period are explicit.
- The executive answer appears first.
- Facts and interpretations are visually distinct.
- Every material claim links to evidence.
- Alternative explanations are considered.
- Actions have owners; uncertainties have watch conditions.
- Detailed evidence remains available in an appendix.