Problem
Most of the documents you produce will outlive their context. While working on a document, you may be (better be) crystal clear about why it’s being written and what it is supposed to accomplish. However, a month from now, would you (or whoever may open it) be able to tell the reason the document was created, its purpose, who contributed to the content, and what defined the scope? What about a year from now? If these aspects are not clearly spelled out – most likely, someone will call you with questions. From experience, they usually call when you’ve already moved on to another project and can only muster a vague recollection of the document out of bits and pieces from the “not relevant anymore” file in your brain.
Solution
Scrambling to find the answers in email folders or the depths of your memory is rarely productive. The most effective way to avoid the mess is to include adequate background information in every document you produce. It is very easy to do even when you are just beginning to work on the document. At that point, you may have no idea of what the final product will look like; however, you should have a clear understanding of the reason(s) it is created and what it should achieve. If that’s not the case – you have a problem, and I wouldn’t recommend proceeding much further until you clarify the “why?” and “what for?”.
You may say: “But if I am submitting the document to the person who requested it – they are well aware of the context and purpose. Why should I risk boring or even irritating them by stating the obvious?” I hear you. However, this argument only holds if:
o the document will only be read by the immediate audience and they won’t give it to anybody else;
o the document is the only thing on their mind and they think of nothing else; and
o they will read it once and never open it again (ideally, they would destroy every copy of it immediately after reading).
The chances that all the above conditions would be true are slim to none, which is why the risk of sounding redundant is not nearly as great as the risk of appearing unorganized and clueless when questions arise down the road. Even if they don’t find the information particularly useful at this point and decide to skip it – later, they (and you) will be grateful it’s there.
This does not mean that every document should contain pages of background information. The key is to keep it concise and relevant, as always with business writing. Shorter documents (e.g., most emails, memos and letters) tend to be self-explanatory – in this case, you may not need to formally allocate room for background, since, most likely, it will be implied in the subject line and the main point of the message. For example, if a memo opens with: “We are implementing a new reporting procedure, effective May 3rd. Here are the new process steps…” – there is no need to precede (or follow) this opening with “This memo outlines the new process steps for your reference…”, since it is already obvious why the memo was created, and what the author is aiming to accomplish.
What IS in the background?
The most logical place for the background information is at the very beginning of the document. At this point, the readers will be asking “Why am I reading this?” and your answer to this question will be very timely.
The type and amount of background information will depend on the nature and complexity of the document. In some cases, a couple of sentences may suffice, in others – you may need to allocate a few paragraphs. Generally, you would want to cover the following points:
o Context – why the document is created;
o Purpose – how the document will be used;
o Scope – what is covered in the document, and what isn’t (and why);
o Content sources – who contributed to the content, who participated in reviews, and external research sources (if any).
You don’t necessarily need to have a separate section labeled “Background”. The information could be included in the general introduction. Alternatively, any of the above points could be carved out into a separate section. For example, if there has been a fair bit of debate around the document’s scope – it may be warranted to have a separate section dedicated to scope, capturing the key points of the discussion, and the rationale behind the decisions made. The same may be true of any other aspects that seem to be especially significant for the audience.
Conclusion
The few minutes it will take you to capture the relevant background facts, while those are fresh in your mind, may save you time (and face) in the future. Consider it an investment in clarity and efficiency of your document.
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