docx-report-and-document-formatting

name	docx-report-and-document-formatting
description	Use when producing or formatting an editable DOCX report, proposal, plan, specification, memo, or letter with named styles, contents, headers, footers, tables, figures, pagination, embedded fonts, and accessibility. Use pdf-proposal-and-bankable-document-design for final fixed-layout PDF craft.
metadata	{"portable":true,"category":"13-presentations-and-documents","compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]}

DOCX Report And Document Formatting

Acknowledgement: Shared by Peter Bamuhigire, techguypeter.com.

Use When

• Producing or reformatting a long-form Word document — report, proposal, business plan, SRS/BRD, whitepaper, memo, letter, policy, or template — that must read as a considered, institutional, human-authored artifact rather than a default Word file.
• A document needs a real named-style hierarchy (not ad-hoc bold runs), a table of contents that updates from heading styles, branded headers/footers and letterhead, designed tables, numbered figure/table captions, correct page numbering, font embedding with subsetting, and accessible document tags (real Heading styles, alt text, table header rows, language, reading order).
• The deliverable must be a .docx (editable, track-changeable by the client) — not a PDF or a web page.

Do Not Use When

• The deliverable is a print-ready/branded PDF proposal with cover and divider systems — use pdf-proposal-and-bankable-document-design (group 13).
• The artifact is a slide deck — use pitch-deck-narrative-and-craft / deck-system.
• A spreadsheet is the primary output — use the xlsx document skill.
• You only need to load/embed a font, with no document structure work — use font-embedding-and-licensing (group 01).
• No typeface has been chosen yet — run font-selection-and-pairing (group 01) first, then return here to apply it.

Required Inputs

Input	Source	Required?	Evidence
Final or controlled content and hierarchy	Document owner	yes	Approved source and section map
Brand, fonts, licence, page, and accessibility requirements	Brand and delivery owners	yes	Asset and format specification
Editing and export targets	Consumer	yes	Word version, PDF need, and print constraints

• The document's purpose, audience, and length class (memo vs multi-section report) — this sets how many heading levels and whether a TOC is warranted.
• The chosen 01 Formal / Institutional pairing — a distinctive serif for headings plus a refined body face — stated and justified per the doctrine charter, with its licence basis confirmed for embedding. Never a banned default (Calibri/Aptos/Inter/Times New Roman as a reflex).
• Brand assets if a letterhead is required: logo (vector or ≥300 ppi), brand colour hex values, registered name / address / contact block, and any statutory footer text.
• Trim size and margins (default Letter or A4; see the style system reference).

Workflow

1. Pick the 01 Formal / Institutional type and state it. Per the Anti-Slop Charter (doctrine/design-doctrine.md §2), name the heading face, the body face, and why they fit this document before formatting. Default baseline pairing: Source Serif 4 -> Public Sans for formal institutional documents, or Fraunces -> Source Serif 4 when the brief calls for a more editorial/literary register. Confirm against doctrine/references/font-groups-and-usage.md; scan fonts/01-formal-institutional/ for a purchased premium family and prefer it when it improves the result. Never use a banned font (doctrine/references/ai-slop-banned-fonts.md) — and never silently fall back to Calibri.
2. Build the named style set with real pt sizes. Define Word named paragraph and character styles — Title, Heading 1–4, Body Text, Lead, Caption, Quote, List styles, Code — with the exact point sizes, line spacing, space-before/after, and colour given in references/docx-style-system.md. Bind H1–H4 to Word's built-in Heading 1–4 outline levels so the TOC and accessibility tree read them. Never style headings with manual bold/size runs — that breaks the TOC and the tag tree.
3. Set the page grid, margins, and baseline. Apply the trim, margins, gutter, and a consistent vertical rhythm (line grid) from references/docx-style-system.md. Define the letterhead/first-page-different section and the body section. For double-sided or bound output, switch to mirror margins + a binding gutter and open chapters with Section Break (Odd Page) so they fall on a recto (see the two-sided/bound note in the style reference).
4. Compose headers, footers, letterhead, and page numbering. First-page letterhead (logo + identity block) distinct from running headers; running header with document/section title; footer with page numbering (Page X of Y), document reference, and any statutory line. Use section breaks so front-matter is unnumbered or roman-numbered and the body is arabic. For bound documents, enable Different odd and even pages for distinct left/right headers-footers (page number on the outer edge). Save the cover/letterhead as a Building Block / Quick Part in the template so it is reused, not rebuilt.
5. Insert and update the Table of Contents. Generate the TOC from Heading 1–3 styles (not typed by hand), with tab leaders and right-aligned page numbers; mark it to update on open.
6. Format tables and figures. Apply the table style system in : a real header row (repeated across pages, tagged as a header), zebra or hairline rules, consistent cell padding, numeric right-alignment, and a numbered above tables / below figures ("Table 1.", "Figure 1.").

Decision Rules

Condition	DOCX choice	Wrong-choice failure
Repeated formatting role	Named style, never manual formatting	Direct formatting drifts and breaks navigation
Wide exhibit exceeds portrait page	Landscape section or redesigned exhibit	Shrinking makes evidence unreadable
Font embedding is prohibited	Approved fallback or PDF-only delivery	Unlicensed embedding creates legal exposure

Capability Contract

Read, edit, and DOCX rendering are required for production. Execution is required to claim styles, fields, embedding, pagination, or accessibility. Sending or publishing the document requires separate authority.

Degraded Mode

Without Word-compatible rendering, deliver the DOCX marked unverified plus a style map. Stop release when fonts, licences, page renders, fields, or accessibility checks are missing; recover with an approved fallback and explicit caveats.

Anti-Patterns

• Opening in Calibri/Aptos (Word defaults) or reflexively in Times New Roman / Inter — the recognisable signature of an unconsidered document.
• Manual formatting instead of named styles (bold + size by hand). It breaks the TOC, the accessibility tag tree, and any later restyle; it is the #1 tell of a non-designed DOCX.
• A single font / single size step for everything — monotype is itself a slop signal (charter §3). Headings, body, and captions must form a real scale.
• Shipping without embedding/subsetting (recipient sees a substitute, or the file is bloated).
• A TOC typed by hand, page numbers typed as literals, or captions as plain bold lines — none of which update or tag.
• Inaccessible tables: merged/nested cells, no header row, colour as the only differentiator, images with no alt text, no document language set.

Outputs

Artefact	Consumer	Evidence and acceptance condition
Editable DOCX with semantic style system	Authors and client	Heading, body, table, caption, and list roles use named styles
Style/font/layout specification	Maintainers	Type, spacing, sections, and fallback rules are documented
Rendered page and accessibility evidence	QA and release owner	TOC, fields, pagination, overflow, embedding, and reading order pass

• A .docx with a complete named style hierarchy (Title, H1–H4, Body, Lead, Caption, Quote, lists, code) at real pt sizes bound to outline levels.
• Auto-generated TOC, branded letterhead + headers/footers, correct page numbering.
• Designed tables and numbered table/figure captions.
• Embedded + subset fonts (licence-verified) so it renders as designed everywhere.
• WCAG-tagged document: language set, heading tree, alt text, table headers, AA contrast, logical reading order — passing Word's Accessibility Checker with zero errors.
• A one-paragraph type-choice rationale (which 01 Formal / Institutional pairing and why), per the charter.

Examples

• examples/report-style-table.md — a full applied style spec for a multi-section report (every style with real pt sizes, spacing, colour, and outline binding).
• examples/before-after-default-vs-designed.md — the same report page as a default Calibri Word file vs the designed, styled, tagged version, with the specific changes annotated.

References

• doctrine/design-doctrine.md — Anti-Slop Charter, the asymmetry rule, state-the-choice.
• doctrine/references/font-groups-and-usage.md — 01 Formal / Institutional and 02 Editorial / Literary baseline pairings.
• doctrine/references/embedding-by-format.md — DOCX embed + subset rules.
• doctrine/references/licensing-and-embedding.md — licence check before embedding.
• doctrine/references/ai-slop-banned-fonts.md — the fonts never to use.
• doctrine/references/wcag-2.2-criteria.md — the accessibility floor (AA), tagging rules.
• references/docx-style-system.md — the named-style table with pt sizes.
• references/tables-and-figures.md — table style system + caption rules.
• references/accessible-docx-tags.md — DOCX accessibility tagging checklist.