Find out how to develop 5-15 reports, which take no more than 15 minutes to write and five minutes to read, in Google Docs, Gmail, Google Spaces and Google Forms.
Image: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic Dive to: What is a 5-15 report? To enhance internal communication in an organization, the simplest and most classy practice I advise is the appropriately called 5-15 report. Paul Hawken composed in his book “Growing a Company” that a 5-15 report is one that “needs no more than fifteen minutes to compose or five minutes to check out” and credited Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia with producing the format.
In Hawken’s description, workers spend 15 minutes once a week writing a three-part report.
- The first portion covers what the person achieved during the week.
- The second section addresses morale, both of the person and their group.
- The third section seeks an enhancement, a recommendation of a change planned to enhance operate in the company.
Each person writes a report near the end of their work week, and each supervisor reads every report from their direct reports quickly.
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The specific sections and frequency of 5-15 reports might vary. In one company I managed that remained in a substantial fiscal crisis, I asked people to complete a comparable report day-to-day and to cover the day’s accomplishments, determine barriers to getting work done and define their primary job for the next day. I didn’t need to understand morale, which I knew was bad; I needed to understand what was going on and keep individuals concentrated on forward development.
In other cases, I depend on a basic weekly report that covered achievements, issues and barriers, and change tips. Other variations of 5-15 report material may consist of identifying things that are working or not, lessons learned, execution action steps or items to talk about even more.
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The consistency, brevity and reflection needed to complete a 5-15 report every week integrate to make this sort of system helpful in a really different method than a task list or series of status updates. The routine of taking a couple of minutes to concentrate on achievements, morale and methods to make things better– and to share these things with the individual you report to or perhaps your group as a whole– reminds individuals to focus on the more comprehensive context of their work. Most importantly, the flexible format permits 5-15 reports to accommodate the huge series of human issues and ingenuity, rather than dumbly attempting to boil down all work down to information on a dashboard.
How to produce 5-15 reports in Google Work space
Google Work area offers a minimum of four distinct applications you may utilize for 5-15 reports: Google Docs, Gmail, Google Spaces and Google Forms. If you’re beginning to use 5-15 reports, you may talk through the different app execution choices with individuals on your group.
Any of these four apps can work well, however different groups of people will likely prefer one app over another. Groups that use Microsoft 365 or Apple apps might check out comparable options on those platforms.
How to produce 5-15 reports in Google Docs
You may compose your weekly 5-15 report in a Google Doc (Figure A) that is then shared with a manager or associates. If you prefer, you could modify your file each week and conserve the upgraded item as a called Google Docs version.
Figure A
< img src ="https://d1rytvr7gmk1sx.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/a-5-15-report-Google-Doc-770x433.jpg" alt =""width ="770"height= "433"/ > A Google Doc might serve to protect 5-15 reports. Additionally, in an organization that utilizes Google Office, a standard template might work as the source for a brand-new file produced weekly. A single file with variations decreases the variety of 5-15 report files, although a devoted folder filled with 5-15 reports for every single individual, possibly grouped by year, will likely be simpler to browse and reference over the long term.
In either case, I suggest you keep 5-15 reports on a Shared Drive configured to permit access to staff member as appropriate. When a Google Doc has been upgraded, use either an @ reference or the File|Email choice to notify individuals of updates.
How to produce 5-15 reports in Gmail
In email-centric companies, a 5-15 report might be created and sent to proper people in Gmail. To save yourself time weekly, you might preserve the basic 5-15 structure as a Gmail design template (Figure B).
Figure B
< img src ="https://d1rytvr7gmk1sx.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/b-5-15-report-Gmailtemplate-770x433.jpg"alt=" "width="770" height="433"/ > A Gmail template can provide a structure for your weekly 5-15 report. Start a new email, pick your custom-created 5-15 template, fill it out, then send it to your supervisor or group of associates. If you utilize a standard subject line, that might allow individuals to use a Gmail label and automatically filter the e-mail as wanted. Templates and labels are optional: You can constantly simply begin a new Gmail and compose your 5-15 report as desired.
How to create 5-15 reports in Google Spaces
You also may produce and after that include all of your group as members to a Google Space planned for 5-15 reports (Figure C).
Figure C
You likewise may produce a Google Space for members of
your team to publish and respond. This allows every team member access to the reports. Furthermore, it makes it possible for individuals to react to a particular update with an emoji, reply to a thread, forward a post to your inbox or turn a post into a Google Spaces task. Nevertheless, if there are specifically difficult social characteristics between or among members of your team, you may not want to make 5-15 reports public among staff member in this way.
How to develop 5-15 reports in Google Forms
A Google Kind (Figure D) offers a structured system to collect and examine 5-15 reports. Each entry might be reviewed either in the initial kind or as a product in a spreadsheet. This can be helpful if you plan to filter or sort 5-15 reports by individuals or dates.
Figure D
< img src ="https://d1rytvr7gmk1sx.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/d-5-15-report-Google-Form-770x1027.jpg"alt=""width="770"height=" 1027 "/ > A more formal alternative would be to utilize a Google Form to capture 5-15 report content.
Using a kind also makes it possible to adjust the questions: Modify the type to include or hide fields as wanted. Nevertheless, to me, this format feels rather official– you are asking people to submit a form, after all– which may make people feel less likely to communicate concerns and ideas freely.
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What’s your experience with 5-15 reports?
What approach do you use to motivate individuals to regularly review the accomplishments, potential improvements and future actions in your organization? If you have used 5-15 reports, how well did they work for you and your group? Do you ask people to share 5-15 reports broadly– with some or all of their colleagues? Or are 5-15 reports a more personal matter between an individual and a leader? Message or discuss me on Twitter (@awolber) to let me know what your experience has been with 5-15 reports.
