Correct numbers that nobody acts on are the most common problem in management reporting. Closing that gap rarely needs more data. It needs a better question at the start: what decision is this report supposed to help someone make?

Before you read on, try a quick check. Tick every statement that is true for your last MIS pack.

The full article shows how three real situations from client work were fixed without new software or extra data:

• The revenue that wasn’t in the bank. The topline looked healthy. The receivables disagreed.
• The P&L that answered the wrong question. Four entities, three countries, one number that hid the story.
• The forecast two people read differently. One word in the CRM meant two different things.

It also sets out five principles for MIS that produces insight, and ends with a one-line test you can run after your next review meeting.