Successful transport decision-making - Osmose

Vol 2 - Table of Contents Next Practical information
Who participates and how?
Writing a technical report
A technical report SHOULD:
Explain technical issues thoroughly;
Contain detailed and accurate information;
Distinguish clearly between expert opinion and objective
fact;
Identify inputs and models used in the analysis and
discuss any strengths and weaknesses;
Identify the level of confidence in any conclusions
reached and any limitations on the analysis used to reach
those conclusions; and
Present evidence to justify any recommendations made.
A technical report SHOULD NOT:
Use technical terms or acronyms without a clear definition
of their meaning in the content of the project;
Distort the results shown to support a particularly opinion,
or a particular project or option;
Exaggerate or over-simplify the issues involved; or
Omit information which contradicts conclusions reached.
Labelling figures in a technical
report
The graph on the right describes modal share against time for
the city of Erfurt, and is typical of the type of the type of figure
which might be included in a technical report. Such figures
must be carefully labelled, including an explanation of the
meaning of each line. The caption accompanying each figure
should also explain the context of the figure and draw attention
Graphics in a technical report
The graphics in a technical report are
very different from those produced for
engagement materials intended to
have a wider audience. Technical
reports contain maps, graphs and
photographs which present additional
technical information. The two maps
of the Gävle cycle network on the left
are detailed and drawn to scale and
would be appropriate for use in a
technical report. Meanwhile, the
cartoon-style map on the right is
better suited to a leaflet or poster.
to what the reader should learn from it.
Assessing a technical report
BEFORE DURING AFTER
Are you at the right stage of the project to be Is the information explained in enough Was feedback positive or negative? How
preparing a technical report? How are you going to detail? Are people responding to the could the technical report be improved?
distribute the technical report and to whom? Is
there enough information available to prepare a
technical report? Have you confirmed with the
authors of the different studies that their results
can be published?
technical report? Is information in the
technical report still current?
What additional information could have
been included? Could the distribution
process have been improved?
The technical report is written for people with a
technical background. It is not often targeted at nontechnical
people although these people are not
excluded from participating. Obtaining comments on
the broad contents of a technical report is the main
form of feedback and participation. A letter can
accompany the report to direct people to certain
sections where comment is sought.
How much does it cost?
A technical report can be costly to produce. Often
technical reports are desktop published which can
add costs to a project budget. A number of people
may contribute to writing the report which can be
expensive. Costs are associated with the printing and
binding also as well as distribution.
What skills are required?
The ability to comprehensively summarise technical
information is important. The author also needs to
know how to extract important information from other
documents for inclusion in a technical report. The
skills of a professional designer may also be required.
How is it used with other techniques?
A technical report may be left at an information centre
or an exhibition. It may include contact details such as
a web page, hotline number or email address for
feedback and further information.
What are the drawbacks?
A technical report can often include a lot of information
which may be difficult for some people to clearly
understand. It can contain a lot of facts and figures.
This can be overcome by complementing a technical
report with an information session or by including a
phone number for further information.
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