In this activity, you will introduce yourself to your instructor and your classmates, and you will begin your exploration of technical writing. While it would be useful to review the module's Learning Materials and both Module Notes pages before completing this exercise, doing so is not a requirement.

Instructions

Every technical document should consist of several key characteristics:

• States a problem or issue to resolve
• Addresses the intended audience
• Reflects organizational goals and culture
• May have several contributing authors
• Uses effective design
• Consists of text, images, or both
• Is honest, clear, accurate, comprehensive, accessible, concise, and professional

Step 1: Choose an Example

For this activity, choose one of the following examples to critique:

• Proposal
• Instructions
• User Guide
• Recommendation/Feasibility Report
• Technical Report
• Technical Specification

Step 2: Analyze the Example

Analyze the example carefully to determine whether it meets the technical document characteristics noted above.

Step 3: Craft Your Initial Response

Your initial response must include two elements:

1. Your personal introduction, in which you tell us

1. your preferred name,
2. your degree program, and
3. the job role you see yourself pursuing after you graduate from Excelsior University.

2. Your technical document analysis, in which you tell us

1. one way in which the document meets characteristics of technical writing you have learned about thus far,
2. one way in which the document fails to meet those characteristics, and
3. your assessment of the overall effectiveness of the document.