60% of a Professional Programmer's Task involves:

Report Writing

Report Presentations

Manual Development

Proposal Writing

APPROACHES TO WRITING

Everyone has their own set of guidelines

• Use Already Known Concepts of Design
• Approach Writing as an Analytical Activity
• Understand the Problem Solving Process
• Look for Similarities between Writing and Program Development

DISCIPLINARY CONTENT

DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE

know what you are talking about

know your audience

RESPECT COMMUNITY CONVENTIONS

be aware of domain methods

talk the audience's "language"

USE PLAIN ENGLISH

• understandable, simplistic
  
• lacking jargon
  
• 'textbook' English

PRODUCT BASED WRITING

FOCUSSES ON GRAMMAR AND STYLE

follows "classic" models

Ogden Nash -- Limericks

MAD LIBS

"... in the style of ..."

Grading Sheets

REQUIREMENTS

• statement of the problem
• understanding the problem
• dividing the problem into segments
• what is to be fulfilled?
• identify goals and constraints
• identify commonality between writer and reader
• perform audience analysis

THINK ABOUT THIS

If your customer (manager, teacher, editor) asks some specific questions or sets some specific goals, then it is incumbent on you to
IDENTIFY and ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
This may well provide an outline to the report/paper

SPECIFICATIONS

FROM THE PRODUCT PLAN

• create the plan
• outline -- a working sketch of the document
• section headings and content
• develop closed issue tree

FROM THE PROCESS PLAN

• How to achieve goals, and overcome constraints
• Schedule -- review plans
• Research plans

DESIGN

• Undertake Research
• Develop References
• Expand Outline
• Take Sections and Add Paragraphs
• Select Graphics

IMPLEMENTATION

• The real work of writing but this step is easy if you have done the prior steps
• Don't forget the concept of re-use
• When is re-use plagiarism?

TESTING

• Personal Review
• Independent Review
• Presentation-Walk-Through

MAINTENANCE

(When you plan to re-use a piece)

• Pass through for content
• Check audience appeal
• Review punctionation, spelling, grammar (easier the second time around)
• Use a Thesaurus for repeated words

• TITLE PAGE
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• BACKGROUND
• BODY
• CONCLUSIONS
• SUMMARY
• APPENDICES

INTRODUCTION

• Abstract (short, 200 words maximum)
• Rationale for the report/paper
• Outline of the remainder of the report/paper

Outline 

BACKGROUND

• Why
• What
• When
• Who
• How
• and then justify the contents of the body

Outline 

CONCLUSIONS

• Based on the contents of the body of the paper/report
• State the arguments for your position
• In narrative form

Outline 

SUMMARY

• Short, concise conclusions
• Closing remarks

Outline 

APPENDICES

• References
• Further Bibliography
• Raw Data
• Copies of Reprints

Outline