Writing Great FITREPs

NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004

24 P r o f e s s i o n a l D e v e l o p m e n t

September is the busiest month forFITREPs – E-7, E-8, W-2, O-1, O-2,O-4, and O-5 FITREPs are all due,

plus departing senior reports for about 50percent of commands. In the end-of-the-fiscal-year scramble, sometimes qualitytakes a back seat to quantity. Here aresome tips on how to achieve both.

If it’s your FITREP, make sure youprovide timely, quality input (see my July2004 column on “Building Better BragSheets.”) However, recognize that yourinvolvement does not stop here. AFITREP may go through several revisionsbefore it is finalized; stay involved in thisprocess. Ask to see FITREP drafts as theyprogress from department head to XO toCO. You may be a great writer, and yourCO may be a great writer, but if your XOis a lousy writer and mangles your draft,you lose.

One of the biggest disappointments Iexperienced as a CO was when greatoff icers submitted lousy FITREP inputs.That often cost them, not because I wasvindictive, but because I rank based onwhom I consider best for command andpromotion. Officers who refuse to learnhow to write good FITREPs can damage alot of careers if they make CO. Make sureall of your officers learn this valuable skill.

Remember the three purposes ofFITREPs: document performance, providefeedback, and serve as basis for decisionsby selection boards. Boards often reviewhundreds, sometimes thousands, ofrecords in a brief period of time. Briefersmay only spend a few seconds on eachFITREP. You want your FITREP to catchtheir attention.

I recommend the following format:Strong opening statement ranking the

Sailor and characterizing performance.

Bullet-points of specific accomplish-ments (quantified, and showing impact).

Final recommendations for promotionand follow-on assignment.

NAVADMIN 049/97 removed restrictionson comments. Therefore, ranking ispermissible, and for your best performers,essential. “RANKED 1 OF 48 COM-MANDERS OF ANY DESIGNATOR.”“#2 OF 24 OFFICERS ASSIGNED.”“RANKED 3 OF 18 COMMANDINGOFFICERS.” Don’t be afraid to use allcaps for the opening sentence – BUPERSwon’t reject your report for this. Make itSTAND OUT for the reader. Always rankyour top EPs; rank MPs who just missedthe cut. (See my January 2004 column on“Taking Care of Number Two” for moretips on the “right” words.)

Ranking is not appropriate for “pack”performers. Instead, use decreasingadjectives of “outstanding,” “excellent,”“capable,” to characterize performance.Don’t pull punches for poor performers.State your judgment up front; don’t bury itin the report. If an officer shouldn’t bepromoted or selected for command, makethe call; don’t hope the board will readbetween the lines. Do not use the term“dirtball,” however tempting.

Prioritize bullet points based ondemonstrated leadership and missionaccomplishment. Use these criteria as a“noise filter.” Don’t waste lines describingesoteric actions that are meaningful onlyto your supported command. If you feelcompelled to write a job description, useblock 29.

Know what each of your Sailors needsto be advanced or promoted. If youconsider them worthy of promotion, writeyour FITREP with that as the overridingconsideration. Avoid stupid mistakes (seemy September 2003 column on “The TenDeadly Sins of FITREPs”); they cost yourSailors dearly, and diminish their opinionof their boss.

In the final recommendation, reiteratecareer assignment recommendations inblock 40. Know the hierarchy of block 40;for line CAPTs, “Flag Officer,” “CO,Major Command,” “REDCOM DME” are

at the top. For CDRs and below, “CO,”“OIC,” “XO” are tops. “DepartmentHead” is not as meaningful; boards do notselect department heads. However, do notgrant “CO” endorsements automatically ifnot warranted. Remember that O-6FITREPs signed by CAPTs must beendorsed by the first flag officer in thechain of command.

When you write your opening andclosing lines, think “sound bites.” Write aphrase that a briefer can copy onto yourPSR to be read by the rest of the board.Good examples I have seen: “Future Chiefof Chaplains” (made meaningful as it waswritten BY the Chief of Chaplains),“Ranked 2 of 46,” “Future flag officer.”There are some bad examples, too: “15thconsecutive Outstanding PRT.” Sorry.Doesn’t help toward promotion.

Ensure important AT contributions arefolded into regular FITREP; many briefersskim or skip AT FITREPs; manycommands no longer provide them. Don’tforget Bilger Awards – include for allmembers of the command, especially theCO and XO. Don’t waste words. “EarnedFY 03 Bilger Award” says enough.

Final thoughts: NAVADMIN 071/04now permits reporting seniors to insert000-00-0000 instead of their SSN in block27 of member’s copy (not BUPERS copy)of FITREPs. Do this. Identity theft is aserious problem; providing your SSN to adisgruntled or careless Sailor is not smart.

Use the tools provided in NAVFIT98,particularly the spell checker and thevalidation tool. Rejected FITREPs cancreate significant problems for officersfacing upcoming boards. I’ve submittedover 200 reports without a single rejection;you should be able to do the same.

In summary, write quality inputs, submitthem early, track your FITREP at eachstage of production, use the three-partstructure, include a sound bite, and submiton time.

Next month: Guest column by myfriend CAPT Larry Weill on a fascinatingstudy he’s completed on FOS (failure ofselection) officers.

CAPT G. Mark Hardy III, USNRNational VP for Professional Development