In technical writing, outlines can serve multiple purposes. One is help the writer organize ideas and evidence, and the other to communicate your plan of development clearly to the audience that has the authority to move your project forward. Therefore, the various parts of your outline should make clear the relation of each entry to the purpose of your report and to the audience’s interest in it.

As you begin to outline your report:

• • The first main section indicates the introduction, and includes the purpose (or thesis), the audience, and the problem and context.
  • List the major sections of the report at the left margin.
    • Add details for each section underneath the major section. Write in complete “topic” sentences.
    • Indent the details related to each section underneath the names of major sections.
  • Alternate between numbers and letters to indicate different levels: I. A. 1. a. 1) a)

Take a peek at the following three-minute video which explains how helpful outlines can be in writing a technical report:

Develop as specific an outline as you can: it shows you what information you must gather and, as importantly, what information you can ignore.  Develop a rough outline with major section headings you are considering for this report.

When you have completed sufficient research to develop your ideas, a formal outline can be used to develop a draft of your report. As you write and revise, you will continue filling in details, adding transitions, and providing your own acquired understanding of the subject. It isn’t uncommon to discover gaps in your early draft and have to go back and conduct more research. Keep in mind that this is a working outline and not a contract; as you continue your research, you may decide to organize the final report differently and even delete some information and add new sections.