A MIS report (management information report) is a short monthly summary that tells you how your business is doing. You do not need costly software. A well-built Excel workbook is enough for most small businesses.
7 numbers to track every month
- Sales: this month, last month and the same month last year.
- Gross margin: what is left after the cost of goods sold, in rupees and as a percentage.
- Expenses by head: salary, rent, transport, electricity, marketing.
- Net profit: is the business actually making money this month?
- Money customers owe you (receivables), sorted by age: under 30, 30 to 60 and over 60 days.
- Money you owe suppliers (payables), and what is due this month.
- Cash and bank balance, and stock on hand if you trade in goods.
These seven numbers on one page answer most questions an owner, partner or bank manager will ask.
Tips for a report that works
- One page, same layout every month. Changes are easy to spot when nothing moves around.
- Compare, do not just list: put this month next to last month and next to your target.
- Use charts sparingly. One sales trend line and one receivables chart are usually enough.
- Highlight problems automatically. Colour customers in red when they are more than 60 days late, for example.
Stop building it by hand
Most businesses spend hours every month copying figures from Tally or their billing software. A properly built workbook does it for you: paste or export the month's data and every table and chart updates. The formulas stay simple enough for your team to understand.
How we can help
We set up MIS reports and dashboards in Excel, linked to your accounts or billing data, and we can also prepare your books every month so the numbers are always ready. Ask for a sample.