ABSTRACT
The environment for writing in the workplace is the polar opposite of what engineer high school teachers told they was necessary for writing a good paper. Study skills courses always counsel the student to block out plenty of time to do a project, avoid trying to do several different projects at once, and find a quiet place to study, secure from interruption. The workplace environment is not particularly conducive to either writing or reading, because of lack of time, competing demands, and other distractions, and because of that, the writer must take care to produce reports that can be used easily and efficiently. For busy readers, good reports are ones that are concise, that highlight important information, and that include only need-to-know information. For busy writers, the best way to write such reports is to begin by clarifying the purpose of the report and defining the audience for it.
