The best practice business writing principles, structure, convention and process when drafting and submitting a Technical Report.

1. TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING – BEST
PRACTICE WRITING PRINCIPLES AND
PROCESS
CHARLES COTTER
APRIL 2014

2. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• 20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE BUSINESS
WRITING PRINCIPLES
• THE “LOOK AND FEEL” COMPONENTS OF AN
EFFECTIVE TECHNICAL REPORT
• THE 6-STEP, TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING
PROCESS

3. CAKE-BAKING ANALOGY
• BEST PRACTICE BUSINESS WRITING PRINCIPLES -
INGREDIENTS
• THE “LOOK AND FEEL” COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE
TECHNICAL REPORT – PICTURE OF THE CAKE
• THE 6-STEP, TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING PROCESS -
RECIPE

4. 20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE WRITING
PRINCIPLES
• A – B – C (ACCURACY – BREVITY – CLARITY) – “BE ON POINT AND TO THE
POINT”
• A – I – D –A (ATTENTION – INTEREST – DESIRE – ACTION) – “TELL THE
READER WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO TELL THEM; TELL THEM AND THEN
TELL THEM WHAT YOU TOLD THEM.”
• “THINK BEFORE YOU INK” – USE 80 (THINKING)/20 (INKING) PRINCIPLE
• HARMONIZATION OF THE BEST FIT METHODS – FIT FOR
PURPOSE/MESSAGE/READER
• BE STRATEGIC AND SELECTIVE - PROVIDE ONLY VALUE ADDING AND
RELEVANT INFORMATION

5. 20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE
WRITING PRINCIPLES
• “LESS IS MORE” – HAVE AN EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL WRITING STYLE
• EMPHATHIZE - “CUSTOMIZATION IS KING/QUEEN” – CONDUCT A
READERSHIP ANALYSIS TO ACCOMMODATE THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
– “SPEAK THE LANGUAGE THAT YOUR READER UNDERSTANDS”
• INTEGRATE RATIONAL (LEFT BRAIN) AND CREATIVE (RIGHT BRAIN)
THOUGHT PROCESSES
• MARRY BEING METICULOUS (“EYE FOR DETAIL”) WITH FINDING CREATIVE
WRITING SPACE (PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMOTIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL)
• USE OF VISUAL STIMULI AND TECHNIQUES TO COMPLEMENT, SUPPORT
AND PROMOTE A HIGHER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING

6. 20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE
WRITING PRINCIPLES
• ENSURE QUALITY ASSURANCE E.G. PROOF-READING; EDITING; SPELL
CHECKING AND VERIFICATION OF INFORMATION
• USE THE PURPOSE AS YOUR WRITING “GPS” – TO CONCENTRATE/DIRECT
FOCUS TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OUTCOMES/OBJECTIVES
• “DON’T WRITE TO IMPRESS, WRITE TO PROMOTE A HIGHER LEVEL OF
UNDERSTANDING.” – BE A AGENT OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
• EMPLOY A “COMMUNITY OF WRITERS” APPROACH – THE VALUE OF
CONSULTATION AND ENGAGEMENT
• PROPER STRUCTURE - USE THE PYRAMID (CASCADING) METHOD –
INITIALLY PRESENT LESS IMPORTANCE INFORMATION AND CLIMAX WITH
MOST CRITICAL INFORMATION

7. 20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE
WRITING PRINCIPLES
• APPLY THE WATERFALL APPROACH – VERTICAL ALIGNMENT AND SYNERGY
BETWEEN THE REPORT FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
• “TOUR GUIDE” MENTALITY – DIRECT; NAVIGATE; ORIENTATE, INFORM;
ADVISE, ENLIGHTEN AND CAPTIVATE THE READER
• ADOPT A STORY TELLING MODE – LOGICAL AND COHERENT FLOW OF
INFORMATION – NO SURPRISES!
• THE REPORT SHOULD GENERATE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE – ENABLING
SMART OPERATIONAL AND STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING
• ADOPT A STRATEGIC MIND-SET – DEVELOP STRUCTURED, HOLISTIC AND
WELL-PREPARED BUSINESS WRITING HABITS

8. “LOOK AND FEEL” COMPONENTS OF
AN EFFECTIVE TECHNICAL REPORT
• STRUCTURE
• STYLE AND TONE
• READABILITY
• CONVENTION

9. STRUCTURE
• VARIES DEPENDENT ON WHETHER
INFORMATIVE (“TELLING”) OR EVALUATIVE
(“SELLING”) TYPE OF TECHNICAL REPORT
• EXTERNAL STRUCTURE – FRONT-END AND
BACK-END
• INTERNAL STRUCTURE

10. EXTERNAL STRUCTURE – FRONT-END
• TITLE PAGE
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

11. EXTERNAL STRUCTURE – BACK-END
• GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS AND
ACRONYMS
• LIST OF SOURCES/REFERENCES
• ATTACHMENTS – APPENDICES AND
ANNEXURES

12. INTERNAL STRUCTURE
• INTRODUCTION
• BACKGROUND/CONTEXTUALIZATION
• RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCESS
• TECHNICAL FINDINGS
• TECHNICAL CONCLUSIONS
• TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS

13. STYLE
• STYLE IS REGARDED AS THE DEGREE OF FORMALITY
• THE APPROPRIATE STYLE IS:
 FORMAL (NOT INFORMAL)
 FACTUAL (NOT OPINION-BASED)
 RATIONAL (NOT EMOTIONAL) – “Connect intellectually
with your reader, disconnect your emotions and
personal feelings.”
 OBJECTIVE (NOT SUBJECTIVE)

14. TONE
• TONE IS REGARDED AS THE WRITER’S ATTITUDE –
DIRECTED AT READER AND SUBJECT MATTER
• TONE SHOULD BE:
RESPECTFUL (NOT PATRONIZING)
ASSERTIVE (NOT PASSIVE OR AGGRESSIVE)
PROFESSIONAL

15. READABILITY
• REFERS TO ALL THE ASPECTS THAT MAKE A TECHNICAL REPORT MORE
NOTICEABLE AND EASY TO READ - “SOFT ON THE EYE AND SOFT ON THE
MIND”
• MUTUAL DEPENDENCE - THE WRITER RELIES ON THE READERS' ABILITY TO
READ EFFICIENTLY AND TO UNDERSTAND THE (INTENDED) MESSAGE.
• WRITER NEEDS TO DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO ENABLE AND
FACILITATE A COMMON UNDERSTANDING
• TECHNIQUES TO ENHANCE THE READABILITY:
 LAY-OUT
 USE OF WHITE SPACE
 HEADINGS/SUB-HEADINGS
 NUMBERING

16. CONVENTION
• USE OF TABLES AND FIGURES – LABELLING, NUMBERING AND
REFERENCING
• APPENDICES AND ANNEXURES - LABELLING, NUMBERING AND
REFERENCING
• CITATION AND REFERENCING – HARVARD METHOD – ALWAYS
ACKNOWLEDGE SOURCE AND AVOID PLAGRIASM AT ALL COSTS
• FORMAT, DESIGN AND LAY-OUT – INDUSTRY AND ORGANIZATION-
SPECIFIC GUIDELINES AND TECHNIQUES
• GRAMMATICAL AND LANGUAGE RULES

17. CONVENTION
• USE ACTIVE VOICE (AS OPPOSED TO PASSIVE)
– WRITTEN IN THIRD PERSON
• USE OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
• AVOID JARGON AND UNFAMILIAR TECHNICAL
TERMINOLOGY
• SENTENCE AND PARAGRAPH STRUCTURING

18. PROPER SENTENCE AND PARAGRAPH
STRUCTURING
• VARY THE LENGTH OF SENTENCES
• EASY TO UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS – SHORTER SENTENCES. COMPLEX
CONCEPTS – LONGER SENTENCES TO ENABLE EFFICIENT ASSIMILATION OF
INFORMATION
• DON’T SUBSTITUTE A FULL-STOP FOR A COMMA – “IF YOU CAN USE A
FULL-STOP USE IT!”
• ONE CONCEPT/KEY POINT, ONE PARAGRAPH. DIFFERENT CONCEPT,
DIFFERENT PARAGRAPH. “DON’T MIX ‘N MATCH – AVOID LIQUORICE ALL-
SORTS WRITING STYLE”
• CREATE A MEANDERING AND MESMERIZING WRITING STYLE AS YOU
TRANSITION FROM ONE PARAGRAPH TO THE NEXT. AS YOU EXIT ONE
PARAGRAPH START INTRODUCING THE NEXT ONE.

19. TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING
PROCESS
• STEP 1: PLANNING
• STEP 2: RESEARCHING THINKING (80%)
• STEP 3: ORGANIZING
• STEP 4: WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT
• STEP 5: QUALITY ASSURANCE INKING (20%)
• STEP 6: SUBMIT FINAL DRAFT FOR APPROVAL AND
ADOPTION

20. STEP 1: PLANNING (7-W’S)
• DEFINE THE PURPOSE (WHY?)
• FORMULATE THE OBJECTIVES (WHAT?)
• SUBMISSION TARGET DATE (WHEN?)
• SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL PLATFORM/COMMITTEE (WHERE?)
• SCOPE OF THE TECHNICAL REPORT (WIDTH?)
• ESTIMATED LENGTH/VOLUME OF REPORT (WEIGHT?)
• CONDUCT A READERSHIP ANALYSIS (WHO?)

21. READERSHIP ANALYSIS (RELATED TO
A-B-C)
• LEVEL 1 READER/S: APPROVING AUTHORITY
(NON-TECHNICAL) – INFORMATION NEED:
BREVITY
• LEVEL 2 READER/S: TECHNICAL/SUBJECT MATTER
EXPERT – INFORMATION NEED: ACCURACY
• LEVEL 3 READER/S:
IMPLEMENTER/FUNCTIONARY – INFORMATION
NEED: CLARITY

22. STEP 2: RESEARCHING
• METHODS – TO ACHIEVE THE SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH PRINCIPLE OF VALIDITY
• PROCESS – TO ACHIEVE THE SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH PRINCIPLE OF RELIABILITY
• COLLECTIVELY: VALIDITY + RELIABILITY =
CREDIBILITY

23. RESEARCH METHODS
• QUANTITATIVE – NUMERIC E.G. STATISTICS
• QUALITATIVE – SUBJECTIVE E.G. SURVEYS AND FOCUS
GROUPS
• SOURCES OF DATA:
 ELECTRONIC
 DOCUMENTARY
 EXPERIMENTAL
 HUMAN

24. RESEARCH PROCESS
• STEP 1: DEVELOP A DATA COLLECTION PLAN/STRATEGY
• STEP 2: DATA COLLECTION
• STEP 3: DATA COLLATION
• STEP 4: DATA ANALYSIS LEADS TO FINDINGS
• STEP 5: DATA INTERPRETATION
• LEADS TO CONCLUSIONS
• STEP 6: VERIFICATION
• STEP 7: PUBLICATION LEADS TO RECOMMENDATIONS

25. STEP 3: ORGANIZING – 3-S FORMAT
• STRUCTURE (OF TECHNICAL REPORT)
• SEQUENCE (OF TECHNICAL REPORT)
• SPACING (POSITIONING OF TABLES, FIGURES,
ATTACHMENTS TO THE TECHNICAL REPORT)
• RECOMMENDED ORGANIZING TOOL: MIND-MAPPING
• OBJECTIVE: TO ENSURE FLUENCY AND EFFICIENCY IN
WRITING WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM THINKING (STEPS
1-3) TO INKING (STEPS 4-6)

26. MIND-MAPPING EXAMPLE

27. STEP 4: WRITE FIRST DRAFT
• APPLY THE BEST PRACTICE WRITING
PRINCIPLES
• USE THE APPROPRIATE TECHNICAL REPORT
STRUCTURE AND FORMAT

28. STEP 5: QUALITY ASSURANCE
• PROOF-READ AND EDIT THE TECHNICAL REPORT
• PERFORM A SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION CHECK
• CONSULT WITH LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER
EXPERTS AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK
• MAKE THE NECESSARY REVISIONS
• REFER TO THE EVALUATION CHECKLIST (PAGE 52-54 IN
THE LEARNER MANUAL)

29. STEP 6: SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL
OF FINAL DRAFT
• MAKE THE NECESSARY AMENDMENTS AND
WRITE THE FINAL DRAFT
• SUBMIT TO HIGHER MANAGEMENT TO
AUTHORIZE, APPROVE AND ADOPT THE
TECHNICAL REPORT FINDINGS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

30. CONCLUSION
• SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
• LEARNING “TAKE-AWAYS"
• QUESTIONS
• TRAINING ADMINISTRATION
• CERTIFICATION
• THANK YOU!

31. CONTACT DETAILS
• CHARLES COTTER
• 084 562 9446
• charlescot@polka.co.za
• LINKED IN
• TWITTER: Charles_Cotter