Feasibility and Recommendation Reports are objective documents that identify and evaluate solutions to problems. In technical writing, these reports address subjects that have well-defined parameters, including a problem, or multiple problems, that can be precisely described; and solutions, or multiple solutions that can be objectively and empirically tested.
Feasibility and recommendation reports are unbiased evaluations, although their conclusions and recommendations can be – and frequently are – used to promote ideas and sell goods and services. Ideally, however, only someone who is totally impartial should write these reports. The author should have no stake in the outcome and should not care whether any of or all the solutions are adopted.
Feasibility and recommendation reports are similar, and the terms are often used synonymously. Both reports define a problem and objectively evaluate solutions based on a set of criteria – but with one small difference. Feasibility reports, on one hand, determine the feasibility or viability of solving a problem in a particular way. In other words, feasibility reports consider a single solution to a problem and determine whether or not, or to what extent, the solution is feasible. Recommendation reports, on the other hand, look at several approaches for solving a problem and recommend the most feasible approach. Both feasibility and recommendation reports, then, basically do to some thing: They objectively evaluate the feasibility of solutions.
Outline for Feasibility Report
Introduction
Purpose Describe the reason for writing this report.
Problem Describe the problem that needs to be solved.
Scope Describe the proposed solution and list criteria.
Discussion
- Criterion 1
Explanation Describe the criterion, why it was selected and how it is used.
Data Provide the findings (data) for this criterion.
Interpretation Interpret the data for this criterion relative to the solution.
- Criterion 2-n
(Treat each remaining criterion in the same manner as criterion 1.
)
Conclusion
Summary Review the data and interpretations.
Conclusions Present your conclusions based on the data and interpretations. Recommendation Recommend or reject the proposed solution.
Contact Provide a contact for this report.Documentation List the sources and references used.Appendix Include materials needed for support, but not for understanding the report.
Outline for Recommendation Report
Introduction
Purpose Describe the reason for writing this report.
Problem Describe the problem that needs to be solved.
Scope Describe the proposed solution and criteria.
Discussion
- Criterion 1
Explanation Describe the criterion, why it was selected and how it is used.
Data Provide the findings (data) for this criterion for each solution. Interpretation Interpret the data for this criterion relative to each solution.
- Criterion 2-n
(Treat each remaining criterion in the same manner as criterion 1.)
Conclusion
Summary Review the data and interpretations.
Conclusions Present your conclusions based on the data and interpretations.
Recommendation Recommend the best solution based on these conclusions.
Contact Provide a contact for this report
Documentation List the sources and references used.
Appendix
Include materials needed for support, but not for understanding the report.