Technical briefs are often used as a knowledge transfer tool. This help page contains a brief description of how to structure a technical brief and how to write it with precision and quality.
Structure of a technical brief[edit | edit source]
The three fundamental rules to follow when writing any document are precision, conciseness, and clarity.
A technical brief usually has the following structure:
Summary[edit | edit source]
A brief overview of the entire report, including its conclusions and recommendations, if any.
Introduction[edit | edit source]
In the introduction, the background on the subject of the report is written. It explains what considerations led to the idea, or the need, to perform the reported work.
When describing an investigation, the introduction will state explicitly what the researchers want to find.
Objectives[edit | edit source]
Based on the antecedents that are clearly established in the introduction, as a logical consequence of these, in a section following the introduction, the objectives or goals of the work must be concisely established.
Methodology[edit | edit source]
Especially relevant in academic papers or technical research reports where it's necessary to evaluate the process followed for its preparation in order to evaluate the veracity, validity, and quality of its content. This section should describe step by step how the work was carried out, what equipment was used, and any particular problems that had to be overcome. It is valued that a systemic and/or scientific process has been followed.
Results[edit | edit source]
Enough data should be included in this part so that the reader can be confident that the author has done what (s)he said (s)he was going to do and that the conclusions will be reliable.
It is important to explain how you got these results and indicate in which appendix the tables and calculations are shown. The information should be presented in such a way that the reader is able to duplicate the tests and obtain results similar to those reported by the author.
It's highly recommended to summarize the results in a few tables and in graphics.
Conclusions[edit | edit source]
The conclusions should summarize the fundamental points of the document, and serve as a synthesis of the work to the interested reader.
Considerations before writing a technical brief[edit | edit source]
The main purpose of a technical brief is to give information. A good brief requires careful planning. The person who's going to write a technical report should try to answer the following questions:
- What do you want to communicate? The writing should be ordered so that the key points and conclusions are available to potential readers. Make sure that the message reaches the reader at a quick glance. The report should begin with a summary that can be read in a few minutes.
- Who is the report written for? It's impossible to write a paper for anyone to read easily: You cannot write a document for electrical engineers and pretend that someone who doesn't know anything about electrical engineering will understand you. It is absolutely essential that the author of the report identifies potential readers before starting writing.
See also[edit | edit source]
1) Help:Types_of_content#Technical_briefs_and_books
