Your dual role as technical writer requires that you be able to formulate two kinds of problem statements. You need first to define the technical problem to be solved and outline your proposed solution to it. Of equal importance, the rhetorical purposes of your report must be clear. Is the report intended merely to describe some factual situation or, as is more likely, is it intended to influence someone to do something? Both kinds of purposes are discussed in this chapter and some good and bad examples are offered. Style guides are particularly important in technical writing projects. Where technical writing is undertaken in a large team or project, it is important that the finished documentation is devoid of any one individual's discernible personal style. The text in the book is more practical in nature and supplement with academic inputs.