Technecal Writing

riPart 1
1. Technical Writing
Technical writing is an art of writing in a clear and concise manner that is in-line with the
intended readers of the text. Technical writing is intent on expressing certain key concepts so that
these may be understood as easily as possibly by the intended readers.
1.1 What is a Technical Report?
A technical report is a type of business document that typically describes the results or
progress of a research or test project. For example, the report might describe a software
performance test and include information such as how analysts conducted the test, the results
including analysis and conclusions, and recommendations for how to proceed with the
technology.
1.2 Importance of Technical Writing for IT Professionals
IT students and professionals need to develop good writing skills for documenting the projects
that are being undertaken so that others might get help from it at a later stage. As an IT
professional, you will write reports, proposals, software manuals, scientific papers, electronic
messages, business letters, memos and algorithms. When compiling any written material, for
instance writing algorithms (sequences of events in a program), absolute clarity of writing is not
only needed in the code discussed; but also in documenting this particular program for our fellow
programmers and users. We need to attain the same level of clarity of expression in both cases,
otherwise readers will turn to other programs, which are more accessible on the level of
understanding and therefore easier to use or extend.
1.3Essential Elements in Writing a Technical Report
1) Define the purpose of the document and the key information it needs to convey
2) Define the audience and their level of technical understanding
3) Determine the level of detail necessary for the document
4) Organize the data
5) Work with a team of authors
6) Meet deadlines
1.3.1 Determine the Purpose and Use
Establishing the purpose of a document is...