Choosing a Topic
The technical report is more than just a technical description. It often outlines how technical information and procedures were applied to solve a problem. The problem may be one that you worked on directly or assisted with. It may be a problem that fellow employees or students are working on and which interests you. Consider the formal business report as more than just another assignment. It is your opportunity to practice important research, collaboration, time management, and writing skills needed to succeed in your career field. These reports are often used in technical environments to solve problems, demonstrate compliance, propose projects, determine feasibility, and more. They are key in making sound, evidence-based decisions, and your managers will rely on them as they make plans to meet departmental and company goals.
Choosing a topic and developing the report content can be the most difficult part of the report writing process, especially when you are assigned such a task. The easiest way to write a coherent report for a technical communication course is to have a topic, then research and discuss a central issue about the topic. This approach can lead to an effective problem-solving, proposal, or recommendation report. Any material presented in the report must be relevant to the central issue. For a problem-solving or recommendation report, for example, provide suitable background, identify the problem, establish criteria for solving the problem, discuss possible solution(s), and, if applicable, discuss how the solution was implemented and what the result was (e.g., Did the solution work as desired?), and what changes are recommended, if any.
An example of a topic could be the adoption of a new computer-assisted design (CAD) system. Rather than simply including a lot of unconnected information about the system, an issue could be why the change is needed. Any information introduced in the report should relate to this focal point. The introduction would include information to allow the reader to understand existing problems (e.g., how the original drawing system works, difficulties when trying to update/access drawings). The requirements for the new system could then be introduced (e.g., cost savings, speed, ease of use), then a discussion on which system was chosen and why it was chosen would follow. Your conclusions could be that the best system was chosen (based on cost, ease of use, speed, availability, etc.). You could then recommend ways to overcome some of the compromises made (e.g., purchasing a laser plotter at a later date to reduce up-front costs). By focusing on an issue, the report will follow a logical flow and assist the reader to understand the issue.
Where possible include numbers and reference material to support your statements. For example, simply stating that “adding a colour printer is not feasible due to costs” is not as convincing as supporting that statement with a table of price quotes from potential suppliers.
2.1 Proprietary Reports
If you are working on a report resulting from an experiential company involvement or a work term then, if at all possible, choose a topic that you can write about without including any confidential information. If you are working on a confidential project that you would like to make the subject of your report, consider the underlying generalizable engineering problem that you are solving. Two other techniques for avoiding issues with confidentiality are to replace names with generic placeholders and to remove identifiable specifics. Before you start writing your report, check with your professor or co-op supervisor about the content. If you are unable to come up with a non-confidential topic, contact your worksite supervisor to discuss alternatives.
