How to Write a Case Study for a Technical Subject

Introduction
There are various methods of research today, either qualitative or quantitative. A case study categorized itself as a qualitative research method that provides in-depth description and analysis of a subject, an event or a case. Commonly encountered case studies are that of large companies which are used for obtaining good practices in marketing or management, and medical case studies for a particular disease or population. For technical disciplines such as engineering, mathematics, computer science or information technology (IT), case studies are usually made to provide lessons and information to the readers and involved many technical terms. Technical case studies also involved several diagrams, tables and numerical formulas because there are various aspects of technical disciplines that cannot clearly be explained by words alone (e.g. installation of computer for first time buyers, technical specifications, program flowchart) thus they can also be considered as quantitative research.

Purposes of a Technical Case Study
Technical case studies are written to inform readers about a certain procedure, method, product, or technical service. Technical case studies are written, organized account of technologies (e.g. Bluetooth Technology, 3G mobile phones, wireless communications, etc), processes or projects (e.g. Java scripting, high-rise building construction, computer aided design), products/design (e.g. Intel Pentium 4 vs. AMD Athlon, Microsoft vs. Linux, wireless vs. cable internet), materials (e.g. fiber optics, structural steel) or solution to technical problems (e.g. data security, Y2K bug).

The major objective of a technical case study is to transfer ideas to readers and provide a tool for learning, applying knowledge, reasoning, or drawing conclusion. While medical and business case studies are used by practitioners, students, and other businesses, technical case studies are written not just for the technical people but also for a broad range of readers such as the consumers, students, technicians and tech savvies to broaden their knowledge in technical topics.

Case studies for technical subjects are descriptions and illustrations of cases and situations that serve as starting points for design projects. Technical case studies usually involve experiments to test procedures, analyze the strength and applications of equipments or materials, or improve earlier designs or procedures. Technical subjects especially, that of engineering are, by nature requires logical and systematic analysis, and sometimes require computations (e.g. testing the strength of materials, determining the design structure that is more appropriate for a specific project, determining the size and amount of materials to be used for a particular project).

Format
A case study for technical subjects is basically formatted like a typical technical report. It is composed of title, abstract, introduction, main body, conclusion, and recommendations. Most technical case studies also have attachments like additional material specifications, tables, figures, and diagrams aside from those that are already included in the discussion that inform readers further.

The title is usually the subject, should be precise, not too long, without the use of flowery words and should not be misleading. Examples of titles are: High-Rise Construction: The Twin Tower of Petronas; Analysis of a Diesel Engine; Web Designing in HTML Format; and Investigation on the Problems of Security & Alarm System.

The abstract is the summary of the whole study. It is a concise paragraph with usually no more than 200 words, summarizing the objectives of the study, the problem, the results and conclusions and the new ideas developed in the study. Since it is a summary, an abstract is written after the whole case study was finished. However, there are times that an abstract serves as the guidelines of the entire paper so it is written even before the body.

An introduction is different from an abstract. It is where the subject is defined as well as the objectives and how the paper is planned and organized. It also contains background information about the subject. For example: “… Some of the popular high-rise structures are the Eiffel Tower of Paris which is purely steel, the Twin Towers of Petronas in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which structure is a combination of concrete and steel, and the recently destroyed World Trade center in New York which is suspected to have some construction defects”.

The main body includes supporting information, theories and earlier experiments, methods, discussion on the development of relevant analytical models, data and figures, design, and application. For example, in the case study High-Rise Construction: The Twin Tower of Petronas, the main body have subheadings depending on the relevance and relationship of information such as The Construction Industry; Planning, Time and Cost Allocation; Design, Materials and Equipments; Construction Methods; and Building Features.

The main body is also the section where facts, results and evaluation are presented. Usually, technical case studies have diagrams. Like in the engineering case studies, architectural, and structural designs; circuit and block diagrams; connections (e.g. computer installation and networking); and detailed parts (e.g. beam and truss of a building) cannot be described effectively using plain texts alone. But when diagrams are provided, explanations are clearer, detailed and comprehensive. Tables are also important in technical studies as well as Gantt chart and graphs. Examples of these are Gantt chart for the time allocation, tables for detailed technical specifications and tables for the lists of materials needed. Flowcharts are also essential to show methods and procedures such as in computer programming.

The conclusion is the explanation of the result of the experiment, the solution obtained, and the ideas developed out of the study. In the case study of High-Rise Construction: The Twin Tower of Petronas, the conclusion can include”… It is noticeable that a combination of concrete and steel is less expensive than using steel alone but still results to reliable strength”. It is also the statement of how the results of the experiments relate to the original problem such as the conclusion that can be suitable, for example, in the case study on How to Optimize the Cost of an HVAC System.

Things to Remember
Before writing a case study on technical subjects, it is necessary for the writer to determine first the reader or to whom the case study will be presented. This is to avoid the use of very technical terms that cannot be understood by the general readers. For example, most people called computer parts as chips while engineers called it as IC (integrated circuits). A writer should use plain technical terms correctly. It is also necessary to specify the scope of the study in order to avoid inclusion of broader topics that can make the paper longer and uninteresting. Information should be presented in logical sequence to avoid ‘going around the bush’. Technical case studies also avoid general applicability of the experiment or conclusion drawn out of the study. Most importantly, a technical case study present facts and real life activities and applications so the writer must have enough knowledge to discuss technical topics.