cover, a title page, a summary sheet, text, enclosures, and perhaps an index and bibliography. Reports according to purpose -Prepared for a specific  purpose. Problem-determining reports  -Present your attempt to find the causes underlying a problem or to find out whether a problem really exists. Fact-finding reports -Present data in a logical order, without an attempt to draw conclusions. Performance reports -Present information on the status of activities or operations. Technical reports -Present data on a specialized subject. Problem-solution reports -Present an analysis of the solution of a particular problem. This type of report is presented in various forms, such as verbal reports, letters, staff studies, estimates of a situation, and operational plans and orders. Other reports may be prepared in the form of lessons learned reports, point papers, staff studies, and talking papers. Lessons Learned Lessons learned reports are brief statements or outlines of problems encountered during a recent operation, exercise, or evolution. A lessons learned report is drafted both to keep the commander informed and to be used as a guide in the future. A prudent senior or master chief will retain a file of lessons  learned  to  use  in  future  planning  for inspections,  deployments,  fleet  exercises,  and  so forth. You should turn over your lessons learned file to your successor so that he or she can benefit from the lessons you have learned. Lessons learned are excellent references for analyzing problems. When appropriate, lessons learned can give creditability and support to other reports, such as point papers. They are valuable when presenting arguments for developing policy or as a basis for changing existing policy. When writing your lessons learned, include the following information about the incident: • Describe the environment in which you learned the lesson. • Describe what happened. • Describe why it happened. • Propose a solution or recommendation. A lessons learned report is useful and sometimes required by certain commands. Some commanding officers insist that lessons learned reports be submitted after every major evolution and used as a basis for follow-on reports to superior commanders. Lessons learned should be written after any of the following events: • Major inspections • Training evolutions • Mishaps or near accidents • Deployments • Major fleet exercises A lot has been learned and practical strategy has been developed in certain areas through lessons learned reports. These areas include law enforcement  operations  with  Coast  Guard  units, defense against high-speed terrorist boat attacks, and rescuing survivors at sea. Write lessons learned  reports  whenever  experience  has  taught you something that may prove useful in the future. The Point Paper A point paper is one of the most useful ways to communicate your ideas to others in a direct and objective manner. It is one way to solicit a decision or to inform the command and superiors of the following: • The presence of a problem • The formulation of new ideas • Methods of improvement A point paper can also be used to bring up issues for discussion in conferences, to help develop policy, and to resolve differences. To be effective, the point paper must be concise and come to the point right away, addressing only one item per paper. It should be limited to one page. Headings should be clear and concise so that the reader can quickly identify the problem and the solution. A variety of styles may be used for point papers. The style used is simply a matter of preference. The 8-19