Technical Reports and Documentation in Engineering
Technical Reports and General Documentation
Types of Technical Documents
Technical Report
A technical report is any communication, display, or notice made by a technician regarding their participation in the study of a technical problem. It can span various engineering branches and may contribute new facts or viewpoints to problem-solving.
Report (Memoria)
A written and researched account of a study, experience, or activity, detailing its objectives, resources, development, and results, authored by those involved.
Technical Project
A clear, concise statement by the author(s), including calculations and data necessary for the construction, execution, and implementation of the envisioned mechanism.
Preliminary Project (Anteproyecto)
Documents defining the work in general terms, providing the reader with an overview and an approximate budget or cost estimate.
Project Reform
Documents prepared by an engineer to modify an existing draft, focusing on specific details without altering the original project’s core elements.
Arbitration
Interventions by an engineer to decide on a technical issue, acting as an arbitrator appointed by a court or by the disputing parties.
Demarcations
Operations to determine the perimeter and area of a property, mining concession, rural road, etc., often simplified by modern GPS surveying and software.
Studies and Estimates
Work entrusted to an engineer, with a fixed basis, to meet specific development criteria, potentially including those proposed by the engineer. Estimates are used when operating with approximate data, often applied to existing projects.
Instruction Records
A procedure initiated for a particular purpose.
Reconnaissance and Inspections
On-site interventions by a technician to describe circumstances and make assessments.
Reviews and Appraisals
Interventions to determine the interchangeability or value of property or assets.
Demerit
A rate or percentage applied to the current new value of a property to obtain its real value at a given time, considering factors like age. For non-taxable assets (excluding land, buildings, and homes), the “method of comparison” is used.
Expert Assessments (Peritaciones)
Technical interventions to determine the circumstances, causes, and damages in an accident involving insured property. The goal is to determine the compensation due to the insured based on the damage and policy conditions.
Qualities of a Written Report
- Clarity: Express opinions and conclusions clearly, using diagrams to replace lengthy explanations.
- Accuracy: State only what can be demonstrated, simply and decisively.
- Conciseness: Be brief and to the point.
- Order: Follow a logical presentation order.
Norms for Writing
- Title: Clearly define and delimit the content.
- Structure: Use an organized system for presentation and classification.
- Relevance: Present facts directly related to the report.
- Completeness: Answer all vital questions.
- Data Presentation: Use tables and charts to highlight important relationships.
- Conclusions: Draw conclusions based on the presented facts.
- Overall Quality: Adhere to the qualities of a good report (clarity, accuracy, conciseness, order).
- Accessibility: Facilitate easy searching of any section.
Parts of a Technical Report
- Cover Page:
- Technical office or entity letterhead
- Location and date of the report
- Reference number
- Descriptive title
- Recipient
- Index
- Report Body:
- Purpose (subject of the report)
- Data (information, calculations, etc.)
- History (background, previous reviews)
- Calculations (clearly presented)
- Conclusions and Summary
- Annexes (supplementary materials like diagrams, graphs, etc.)
- Bibliography
Phases in Preparing Technical Reports
- Study: Data collection, documentation, background research, and review of similar cases.
- Evaluation and Classification: Organize the collected information.
- Indexing: Create an index summarizing the work and consulted texts.
- Drafting: Prepare multiple drafts before finalizing.
- Figures and Tables: Number figures and tables consecutively, with accompanying explanations.
- Classification: Use international decimal classification.