There are many occasions when writing skills can prove very valuable. Any time you’re composing an email, drafting a letter or filing a report are just a few examples.
When you come across problems in a software you’re using, filing an error report is necessary to have it remedied. Crafting that letter with sound writing abilities is required if you want to produce a report that will get your problem read, understood and, ultimately, fixed.
Put yourself in the position of a technical personnel. A customer comes to you with problems. What are the things you’d like to know? You’d like to find out what specifically happened, what results they were expecting, what happened in its place and how badly it affected what they were trying to do. Make sure you include all those information in your report, so that the recipient can recreate the issues you encountered. If possible, detail several scenarios where you encountered the same problem. Be as detailed as possible.
In many ways, writing up an error report is much like technical writing. So try to be as objective and unemotional in your writing. Also, make use of a technical writing software to help you iron out potential kinks in your document.
