Writing a report is calculating task for most engineers

By Susan Almazol

Special to San Jose Mercury News

Every day in Silicon Valley, engineers tackle a job they try hard to avoid: writing. All too often, the result is poorly written letters, memos and reports.

Because most organizations today are too large for face-to-face communications, efficient and precise prose is important. But people generally put off writing until it is almost too late to do it well.

A lack of writing skills isn't limited by any means to engineers. By one estimate, unclear writing costs American businesses more than $100 million a year in time spent writing, deciphering and redoing memos and reports.

But engineers in particular have a bad reputation because many are overwhelmed by the amount of writing they were never trained to do.

Larry Wall, for example, found himself writing numerous test procedures for Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. the first year he worked as an engineer.

"It was quite an experience trying to write test procedures that almost anyone could read and follow," he recalls. "No one had taught us to write, let alone write clearly."

Much of the writing that engineers do demands close attention to detail and accuracy. Pacts, numbers and qualifiers fill their pages.  How can engineers streamline their writing? They can start by trying these three techniques:

• Organize their writing in layers

• Write in pieces

• Separate writing from revising.

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Writing teachers say that organization is the key to effective writing. It also can be the key to efficient writing.  Many engineers present their ideas chronologically. They tell their answers in the same way they found them– a tedious way to write and read.  Studies show that readers of technical documents want to know conclusions and recommendations first. They want the details later.

Engineers can organize their ideas in layers for more efficient writing and reading. They should summarize key ideas, conclusions and recommendations at the beginning of every memo and report. Readers then can start with a good understanding of the material to follow. Non-technical readers can skip the text entirely.

The body of the document should be carefully presented.  Ideas can be organized, for example, in order of importance, by function, from simple to complex or by cause and effect. Facts and illustrations not essential to the narrative should be grouped at the end of the document.

In the same methodical way they approach their work, engineers need to investigate different ways of organizing their data. But they should forget about being systematic when it comes to actual writing.

Because writing is non-linear, it does not easily lend itself to a highly structured approach. Ideas can come at any time.

David Shames, a systems analyst, jots down ideas about a week before he sits down to write a report. "Ideas often come to me when I'm lying down or showering," he says.

Instead of rigidly following a detailed outline from introduction to conclusion, some engineers may benefit from writing in pieces.

They may find it useful to begin with only a rough outline. They can then pick the topic that most interests them. Next they should work on another interesting section — not necessarily the one that logically flows from the previous topic. They should write the introduction last. Since it can win or lose readers, saving the introduction for last can help the writer give it the careful attention it deserves.

The third way engineers can write more efficiently is to separate writing into two phases:  producing and perfecting.  Engineers should avoid prematurely editing as they write.

"It really helps to be able to focus just on my ideas and not worry about whether or not a sentence fits," says Jan Unter, a Hewlett-Packard engineer.

Most experienced writers find it nearly impossible to produce a perfect piece the first time around. Yet that is what many engineers try to do. Writing is simpler if the initial phase involves only creating. No editing. When a draft is finished, then it is ready for the critical eye. When engineers try to write and revise at the same time, ideas may be forgotten at the expense of structure or vice versa. Dividing writing into two phases actually can save time. Most people experience writer's block because they try to perfect sentences in their head before they even write them on paper. Postponing revision often helps ideas to come more quickly.  Adding a revising phase also can save company time. Managers and others don't have to scrutinize every document when engineers know how to revise their own work.

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Some ABCs of Clear Writing

Here are eight pointers to use as a checklist when fine-tuning any document. Engineers commonly make the mistakes discussed below.

• Use active verbs. 

Avoid the passive voice and forms of the verb "to be." Stay away from sentences that begin with "It is" or "There is."

• Prefer verbs to nouns. 

Verbs give life and movement to sentences. Avoid making nouns out of verbs by adding "tion" or "ment."

• Eliminate weak, unnecessary words. 

Words like "little," "very," and "rather" add nothing.

• Use everyday language. 

Simple, familiar words help communicate ideas. Longer, inflated ones sometimes can obscure them. Why use conceptualization": when you mean "idea?"

• Keep sentences short. 

Any sentence with more than 20 words needs a second look. Try not to let too many words get between your subject and verb.

• Be specific. 

Name names and use exact numbers whenever possible.

• Get to the point. 

Punch lines and surprise endings do not work in writing. State ideas directly and simply.

• Use transitional phrases. 

Show relationships between ideas and to signal where you are going. "In contract to," "equally important" and "in conclusion" are useful phrases.

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