The larger any organization becomes, the more difficult it becomes for people within it to communicate effectively with each other. These difficulties arise not only from the physical dispersion, the large numbers of people involved, and the trend towards compartmentalization, but also from complex personal factors. In order to overcome them, management needs to recognize the unique, dynamic qualities of each communications situation. Each problem requires careful analysis, in an effort to find a solution appropriate to the particular situation, rather than reliance on a general, non-specific communications system.

Formal training in technical report writing is virtually non-existent in Australia. The technical colleges in the State of Victoria are the only tertiary institutes which have provided this sort of training for their graduates. The courses provided at the Swinburne College of Technology incorporate an unusual feature, in that the classes are conducted by two lecturers; one from the appropriate technical faculty and one from the General Studies faculty, each having supervisory control over different aspects of the course, but working together in close cooperation. This system, which has now been used for about ten years, has been remarkably successful, not only in the quality of reports produced by the students, but in breaking down the barriers between the staffs of the technical faculties and the humanities lecturers.