Developing Analytical Reports—

Recommendation Reports and Feasibility

Studies

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this chapter are to

 Explain the nature and role of analytical reports.

 Explain the differences between recommendation and feasibility reports.
 Briefly discuss the nature of environmental impact statements.
 Explain the key contents and organizational structures used in these types of reports.
 Discuss strategies for developing and organizing analytical reports based upon the
audience’s needs, the report’s purpose, and the context in which the report is used.

TEACHING STRATEGIES

This chapter presents analytical reports in a pragmatic way that reinforces the necessity of
applying the concepts discussed in Chapter 13: a report must respond to the writer’s purpose,
the content that must be presented, and the needs of the audience. When discussing analytical
reports, it may be useful to use model reports as the basis for discussion. By analyzing these,
as this chapter does, you can discuss the characteristics of the report types (recommendation,
feasibility, environmental impact statement, or others), how these characteristics are
incorporated, how reports may blend various report purposes (for instance, to inform and to
analyze), and how reports with a similar analytical purpose may vary in their methods of
development and/or organization.

You will want to emphasize that students should not try to identify some rigid report format
into which they may fit all analytical reports; this leads to stultified, dull, and ineffective
report writing. Emphasize that report guidelines have evolved over the years as report writers
have discovered methods of developing and organizing analytical arguments that effectively
convey their messages. Report classifications are useful for novices because they provide a
solid framework from which to begin drafting reports, but students should be encouraged to
apply the foundational technical writing skills and techniques they have learned in the first
part of the course to design reports that are responsive to the needs of their contexts.

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WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES

Here are some ideas for the classroom activities to help students learn about recommendation
and feasibility reports.

Traditional Classroom

1. Apply the checklists. A good classroom exercise is to use the checklists at the end of the
chapter to analyze the example reports shown within the chapter or contained on the
Companion Web Site (www.oup.com/us/houp). Students tend not to read the examples
carefully. Also, they tend not to use the checklists when they are completing their own
drafts and thus fail to include certain key components. Applying the checklists to the
examples in the book or on the Web site may help in both these areas.

2. Show-and-tell analytical reports. Have students find and bring in recommendation,

evaluation, feasibility, and empirical research reports to present to the class. This can be
difficult because these types of reports are usually unpublished and proprietary. However,
a number of publicly available reports are available via the World Wide Web. If you are
just starting out as a technical writing teacher, this is a good way to build files of
examples. Have students compare the structure of the reports they bring in to the
structure shown in the textbook.

3. Unscramble scrambled analytical report text. Take the text of a good analytical report,
scramble the sections moderately, and then retype that text as one huge paragraph without
any formatting. Get the class to discuss how to rearrange and format the text. (Get
students to bring scissors and tape to class.) Or you can bring a computer and projector
into your classroom, and have students tell you how to edit the scrambled text.

4. Group-brainstorm a hypothetical analytical report project. Another classroom

possibility is to plan a hypothetical recommendation or feasibility report together as a
class. Start with the terms college, community, or workplace, and have them think of
problems or opportunities. (Analytical reports don’t always focus on problems—they can
also focus on opportunities for improvement.) Get students to define the audience,
purpose, and scope of the project that they select. Have them define the criteria and the
information gathering that the project will necessitate and consider the types of
conclusions and recommendations they might reach.

5. Oral presentations on analytical report projects. Consider having students do brief

three- to five-minute oral reports on their analytical report projects. This works as a
group-brainstorming exercise, helps students who are stumped for a project idea, and just
generally raises the energy level of the class.

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Computer Classroom

1. Find example analytical reports online; critique their content, design, organization,
and style. Much like the checklist exercise above, this can give students the experience
of critically evaluating actual documents. Seeing the reports online, as documentation
representing actual businesses, will help demystify professional writing requirements for
your students. Encourage student pairs or small groups to look for reports originating in
their fields of interest and to evaluate these critically. Don’t let them assume that the
writing is flawless just because it is “published.” Of course, if you wish to simplify the
project, you can simply use the reports contained on the Companion Web Site.

2. Conduct a brainstorming, planning, and research session online. During class time,
have students search online to locate topics for a recommendation report or to brainstorm
options for a feasibility study. Have them check online trade publications in their field to
see what hot topics are current and to start gathering sources. You can take this
experience as far as time will allow in the computer classroom—all the way through
preliminary outlining, graphics planning, etc. The brainstorming and topic planning
process can be done individually or in small groups, as can the actual report writing as
well. See the chapter on collaborative writing for more on teaming.

3. Find a government Web site that provides guidelines for performing and preparing
environmental impact statements (EIS); then discuss an EIS in light of the
guidelines. Environment impact statements are complex not only because of the sheer
amount of information that they must investigate and discuss, but because of the political
and ethical sensitivities that are part of their production context. Everyone, from the
government agency or private corporation, to the general public that lives in the affected
area, to the wildlife and conservation groups whose purpose is to monitor the treatment of
wildlife and the ecology, has a stake in the thoroughness, correctness, and accuracy of the
EIS findings. Therefore, many government agencies post detailed information online for
those who will be doing an EIS to follow, and many agencies post each EIS online as
well so that all interested parties may read it.

Break your class into small groups and have them locate 1) online guidelines for an EIS
and 2) an EIS. Ask the class to consider the requirements of the guidelines: What do they
say about performing the EIS? What do they require in the content of the EIS? How do
they ask it be organized? Do they say anything about considering particular audiences?
What about guidelines for style? Tone? Graphics? Etc.? What ethical issues do they
address?

Then have the students analyze the EIS. Using the same questions as above, does the EIS
seem to fit guidelines similar to those the students have found? How so? Does it differ in
any significant way? If, so, can the students speculate why?

Have one or more of the groups show the class the guidelines and EIS they accessed and
briefly discuss the two documents and the students’ findings about them. Try to have the

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 class reach some conclusions about the nature of environmental impact statements and
the business and ethical context in which they are produced.

This exercise can be a good way to discuss the ethics involved in a specific kind of
analytical report. It can also drive home the necessity of sound research and presentation.
Finally, it can give students a chance to think about the intricacies of the report process,
the variety of audiences (with their inherent interests) for many reports, the necessity of
writing a report that meets the requirements of audience, purpose, and context, and the
legal implications that can be a part of report writing.

WRITING PROJECTS
As teachers, we want our students to get experience writing reports that focus on problems,
compare solutions, analyze data, draw conclusions, and make recommendations. But how do
we implement real or realistic scenarios in which they can gain this experience? Here is a
range of project ideas.

Traditional Assignments

1. Write a report recommending a product. Have your students find or envision a

specific audience with a specific problem or a specific need for a certain product. Have
the students gather comparative data on three or four leading products in that category
and then recommend one. This is the classic Consumer Reports-style report; your
students will find plenty of data for a project like this. Products need not be the only
focus of this project: for example, a student could compare and make recommendations
about graduate schools.

2. Write a report evaluating required courses. Maybe students don’t like some of the
course requirements in their major—speech, foreign language, British literature, even
technical writing? To do this report project well, they must research the requirements,
define criteria, get data on the actual performance of these courses, and somehow
evaluate these courses against the criteria. Students would have to interview instructors,
deans, current students, graduates, and practicing professionals. This project has great
potential but could turn into mere whining and unsubstantiated complaining. (With so
much research, this project might be better for the team approach.)

3. Write a report on a campus problem. Writing about a campus problem (Exercise 3 in

the textbook) does not require students to think about pedagogy—but get set for multiple,
obligatory reports on the campus parking problem. Again, lots of research, surveys, and
interviewing will be necessary.

4. Write a report on academic programs, majors, graduate schools, or professions. This

offers a range of possibilities. How about a study on the feasibility of a distance version
of an academic course or a program featuring some hot new technology? How about an
evaluation report on a major, such as engineering design graphics or instructional

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 technology? How about a study and recommendation on three electrical engineering
graduate programs? What about some sort of analytical report on a technical profession,
such as one involving forestry science or petroleum engineering?

5. Write a report on a problem or opportunity in the community or workplace.

Students can research the feasibility of a science museum, an Earth day activity, a city
market, or some civic service project. Working students might want to focus on a
problem at work, such as lack of a day care facility or recycling program, or the
possibility of telecommuting.

Distance Learning Assignments

1. Distance Learning Assignment—Post drafts and exchange peer reviews. Much like
an online workshop, this effort must be carefully orchestrated. Drafts must be posted by a
pre-set deadline, peer critiques posted must follow by a specific date, and time between
these critiques and a final date must be allowed so that students can make revisions. See
the section in this manual on workshops for more.

2. Post a recommendations report as a Web page (or small site). Web editors, which
function much like word processors but prepare words for the Web rather than for paper,
are very common. Most browsers actually come with an HTML editor. Some word
processors can also “Save as HTML” or “Save as Web page.” This makes publishing
information via the Web very easy and relatively quick. As a change of pace and as
preparation for company intranets quickly becoming commonplace in medium and large
organizations, students may enjoy posting their work for others to see. This can also be
the beginning of an online writing portfolio, which may be a useful tool for the job hunt.
Encourage students to make their reports simple and sophisticated, using headings, lists,
and highlighting as they would on paper. Beyond that, they can experiment with using the
power of the Web—by hyperlinking to support documents or research, by hyperlinking
across sections within their reports, or by incorporating graphics, audio, even video, as
time and technology allow. As the instructor, be honest with yourself and with your
students regarding what level of support you can provide with the technical side of this
project. You may need to refer your students to other resources for advanced Web writing
questions. Also remember that your students will have a wide range of Web experience
and capabilities, so don’t expect them all to perform at the same level. The emphasis here
should be on quality content and basically usable design anyway.

3. Post a slide presentation online that summarizes an analytical report produced in

hard copy. Assign an analytical report (one of those listed above or another one) that the
students will submit to you in hard copy. Then ask the students to create a slide
presentation that summarizes their reports. They should post this presentation online (as
an attachment to a discussion thread or as an assignment post in WebCT, Blackboard, or
some other class tool that you have available). Require each student to view another
student’s presentation and to post a “review” of that presentation.

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RELEVANT LINKS

 Online Technical Writing: Recommendation and Feasibility Reports

(http://www.io.com/~hcexres/tcm1603/acchtml/feas.html)
 Rauch Center: Analytical Reports
(http://www.lehigh.edu/~incbc/resources/writing/analytical.html)
 Virginia Commonwealth University: English 327: Planning Guide for Feasibility
Report (http://www.courses.vcu.edu/ENG327-ejc/feasibility.htm)
 Jennifer Mooney, Virginia Tech: Technical Reports
(http://athena.english.vt.edu/~jmooney/techpages/formalreport.html)

WORKSHEETS

You may wish to reproduce the following worksheets for use in class or as homework.

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 Feasibility Report—Sample Assignment 1

Choose any scientific or technical subject that lends itself to a feasibility report. In selecting
your topic, ask yourself these questions:
1. In what general technical area do my interests lie?
2. How much do I already know about my subject?
3. How much will I have to learn about this subject to do this report?
4. What well-defined problems related to this subject lend themselves to a feasibility
report?
5. Is there enough readily available information on this subject?
6. Do I have enough time to do this project?
Your report must be neatly typed and bound (use a binding that lies flat when opened). Plan
to use appropriate illustrative material such as charts, graphs, drawings, photos, and tables.
This report must be a substantial effort on a worthwhile project. The appendixes, the actual
body of the report, should run ten double-spaced typed pages; the other sections should be as
long as necessary to fulfill their respective purposes. Include the following elements in the
feasibility report:
 Letter of transmittal
 Title page
 Descriptive abstract (placed on the title page)
 Table of contents
 List of illustrations
 Introduction
 Factual summary
 Conclusions
 Recommendations
 Appendixes (discussion that supports the conclusions and recommendations)
 References

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 Recommendation Report—Sample Assignment 2

With this project, you learn to use the structure and format of a recommendation report,
interviewing and reading as research techniques, and you learn to develop conclusions and
recommendations from data.

Topics. The topic for the recommendation research is your choice, but consider the following
ideas:
 Your campus—student retention, funding athletics, placement services, college
publications, minority recruitment, utilities management, civic service, student
government, student activities, campus conservation.
 Your major—employment prospects, feasibility of graduate school, need for a new
course or program, effectiveness of a course, internship opportunities, facility needs.
 Your community—science museum, Earth Day, city market, continuing education,
civic club, service project.
 Your workplace—employee grievances, public relations, computers and management,
quality control, conservation efforts, telecommuting options, day care facilities.

Guidelines. For this project, ensure the following:

 Your topic must concern some problem, project, or goal at your college or workplace
or in your major or community.
 You need at least three information sources, including one interviewee (who must
hold a managerial, technical, or instructional position and be an expert on your topic).
 Your background materials—journals, newspapers, reports, books—must be current,
relevant, and reliable.

Interviewing. Contact your interviewee, describe your project, and request an appointment
for an interview. Prepare for the interview by forming precise questions but not simplistic
yes-no questions. Ask probing questions that get you the information you need and allow the
interviewee to open up and volunteer information. Ask questions and listen; use a tape
recorder if the interviewee does not object. Thank the interviewee for taking time for you,
and offer to send a copy of your completed report.

Writing. Once you have gathered the necessary information, develop it into a
recommendation report using the format shown in Chapter 16. Develop conclusions and
recommendations that logically flow from the information you have gathered. This report
must be typed or word processed and include at least one graphic (graph, drawing, diagram,
map, or table).

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 Recommendation Report—Sample Assignment 3

After you’ve studied the textbook section on recommendation reports, write a

recommendation report in which you compare two or more products, services, or programs
intended to solve a problem, and then recommend one (or none).

Use these guidelines for the recommendation report:

 Find two or more products, technologies, or programs to compare and make
recommendations on. Identify a real or realistic audience that has specific
requirements.
 Include an introduction that follows the guidelines set forth in the textbook. Discuss
the situation or problem, criteria for selection, and other such background as
necessary. Describe the options, if necessary.
 Include a discussion section in which you compare the choices using the point-by-
point approach. In each comparative section, state the conclusion for that section (for
example, which product is best in terms of reliability).
 Use a memo or business letter format, depending on the situation you have defined.
(Optionally, you can use the cover letter or memo with a separate, attached “formal”
report.)
 Be sure to define any terms that might be unfamiliar to readers of this report. (See the
chapter on description and definition.)
 Include a conclusions section in which you summarize all of the key conclusions
from the comparison sections and a recommendation section in which you make your
recommendation.
 Gather information from printed or published sources for this report as well as
unpublished sources such as interviews with experts. Use the documentation system
presented in the textbook to indicate the sources of your borrowed information.
 Use headings, lists, and graphics as necessary in this report.
 Attach a brief note describing the audience of your recommendation report. Indicate
the skill or knowledge level of your audience, and other details that affect how you
develop this report.
 As with all writing assignments in this course, use the standards of good writing style,
grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling.
 This assignment should be a minimum of three pages, double-spaced.

Note: As with all writing assignments in this course, keep a safe copy of this one in case
something happens to the one you hand in.

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OVERHEADS

The figures on the following pages may be reproduced as overhead transparencies or simply
shown on a computer. The following set of discussion questions associated with each of the
figures may be used to elicit student reflections on the concepts.

Discussion Questions for Figure 14-1

 How might these types of reports be used in your future profession?

 What sorts of ethical issues are attendant upon researching and presenting these types of
reports?

Discussion Questions for Figure 14-2

 Look at some sample reports: How are they structured? Do they resemble the structures
presented here? In what situations have the reports used these structures? Can you
determine why the reports use the structures they do?
 Can you think of situations in your future profession when each of these structures might
be more appropriately used?

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 Types of Analytical Reports

 Recommendation report: focuses on a

recommendation. Analyzes a problem or
situation, presents possible solutions, analyzes
each solution, and then recommends one

 Evaluation report: emphasizes evaluation of

personnel, data, financial options, or possible
solutions to problems or avenues for exploration

 Feasibility report: analyzes a problem,

presents possible solutions to the problem,
determines criteria for assessing the solutions,
assesses the solutions against the criteria, and
then shows the best solution(s) based on the
reported analysis of the solutions
Recommendation is critical, but the analysis is
as critical as the conclusion and
recommendation

Figure 14-1: Types of Analytical Reports

 Two Possible Structures of Analytical
Reports
Structure 1: Placing the conclusion of the
analysis first. Use if your reader is most interested
in the conclusions and if you have to justify your
conclusions to get your reader to accept them.

 Introduction: orients the reader to the problem

and the approach used to determine the solution
and recommendations; may include any of the
following:
 Purpose of the report
 Reason the report was written
 History of the issue analyzed and the
rationale for the analysis
 Scope of the report: what issues will and will
not be covered
 Procedure for investigating (analyzing) the
topic of the report

 Conclusion—results of the analysis

 Recommendation(s)—if required by the

investigation or if one or more have evolved
from the analysis and conclusions

Figure 14-2: Two Possible Structures of Analytical Reports

 Criteria for evaluation

 Presentation of information

 Discussion/Evaluation of information

Structure 2: Presenting the data or information,

evaluating it, then presenting the conclusion and
any recommendation you have. Use if the report
focus is analysis rather than conclusion or if the
conclusion needs careful justification. May also
use this plan if you believe your readers will resist
your conclusion and will need the careful analysis
to justify the report’s findings.

 Introduction (may include any of the elements

noted above)

 Criteria for evaluation

 Discussion/Evaluation of the information

 Conclusion—results of the analysis

 Recommendation(s)—if required by the report

purpose

Figure 14-2: Two Possible Structures of Analytical Reports