TECHNICAL WRITING

Reasons For Writing And Performing Technical Studies

BHOOMIKA.G.R(2260352)
A.BHAVYA(2260302)
ADHISH.N(2260311)
ANTONY JOSEPH(2260340)
ALEX JOHN JOSEPH(2260326)
 Writing is a required part of a Technical Career
Pros and Cons of Report Writing

Excuses for Not Writing

1. Lack of Time - No time to write is never a valid excuse. A motivated person will find time for
anything.

2. Nobody Reads Reports - People want written documentation on work of interest to them. They read
these documents and often save them for future reference.
3. Reduces Job Security - Writing enhances job security by increasing your value to
your employer.

4. Trepidation - Writing skills are acquired just like other skills—by practice. Peer
re- view will help build skills.

5. E-mail Is Sufficient - Computer mail is usually not the appropriate medium for a
technical report or document. E-mail is usually not archival.
 Benefits of Technical Writing
1. The Boss Wants a Report - Managers usually consider effective technical writing an expectation of
most technical jobs.

2. Forces Analysis of Work - Writing technical reports and documents is the most effective means for
concluding a project and transferring new information or knowledge.

3. Completes a Job - your report will show what has been done if you have documented what you did.

4. Unreported Work Can Be Lost Forever - If technical work is not documented in writing in a timely
manner, the work is often lost and may be repeated by others.
5. Oral Statements Can and Will Be Altered - Oral reports on technical work will be
altered each time a person shares the results. Written reports do not change when
transferred to others.
6. Necessary in Global Businesses - International business transactions require
written communications, and in most cases, English can be used as an acceptable
language.
7. Writing Is Necessary for Standardization - Standardization of designs, business
practices, materials, and so forth requires reasonable writing skills on the part of the
author. Standardization is the wave of the future in business and industry.
8. Career Advantages - “Help Wanted” ads in the newspaper and technical journals
are irrefutable evidence that communications skills are a significant factor in obtaining
employment in a technical field.
 Thorough Procrastinator
Writer Communicator
Non Writer Haphazard
Literate Lazy
Organized Disorganized
Results oriented Poor Literacy
Types of Technical Studies
Typical day in Engineering
Typical types of Technical Studies
 Solving Problems.

1.State the problem (get all details)

2.Select one approach to solving the problem

3.Search literature and perform preliminary experiments

4.Perform refined experiments

5.Analyze data

6.Decide if problem is solved or more work is needed

7.Perform more studies

8.Analyze data

9.Write report
Research a Mechanism - The economic value of determining the mechanism in the
example cited is that once it is known what causes the problem, design solutions can
be developed to minimize or eliminate it.

Develop Something New - developing a new concept usually takes all of the hard
work and patience that Thomas Edison used when he developed the electric light
bulb. It was not a “Eureka” invention.

Feasibility Study - The purpose of Feasibility studies is usually to gather facts that
can be used to make business decisions.
Failure Analysis - The generic steps in a failure analysis study are:
1. Acquiring background information— Details on materials of manufacture, heat
treatment, drawings, service history, operator comments
2. Planning the investigation— What is going to be tested? By whom? For
what?
3. Testing— Performing chemical analysis, hardness tests, metallography, mechanical
property tests, x-ray inspection, ultrasonic inspection, and so forth.
4. Analyzing acquired data— Establishing a theory on the root cause.
5. Testing the hypothesis— Checking with parties involved to see if your
hypothesis will “hold water” .
6. Writing a final report— Pinpointing the root cause and making recommendations to
prevent recurrence.
General Methodology
1. Proposing a Project - Ideas from projects and products can come from patent searches and
thorough research of a subject.
2. Writing a Project Proposal -
Proposal Cover Page
Project Proposal Summary Form
3. Gathering Background Information - There are many sources of technical information: libraries,
the inter- net, government agencies, reference books, journals, patents, standards and specifications, and
industry product literature.
4. Literature Searches - significant study is a literature search to find relevant reference information
from the multitude of journal articles, conference papers, patents, magazine articles, and books.
5. Designing Test Plans - A project plan starts with a thesis—what do you think will be the out- come
of your study? Where are you going?
6. Statistical Design of Experiments - Project planning may involve an intuitive plan like the diamond
coating project, or a statistical planning technique may be required for more complicated projects. In all
cases, you should estimate costs and develop a timeline for completion of steps.
7. Performing Experiments - Keep a log book of work and results on significant studies.
8. Reporting Results - Close significant projects with a report .
THANK YOU