Chapter 30 — Reporting and reflection
Lesson map
Lesson 30 published. Map, example, EX088.
flowchart TD
N0["Learning outcomes"]
N1["30.1 Report"]
N2["30.2 Presentation"]
N3["30.3 Reflection"]
N4["30.4 Next steps"]
N5["Structure of the report"]
N6["The presentation"]
N7["Personal reflection"]
N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> N5 --> N6 --> N7
N7 --> EX["Worked example"]
EX --> Q["Exercise EX088"]
Logical drawing
flowchart LR
N0["Learning outcomes"]
N1["30.1 Report"]
N2["30.2 Presentation"]
N3["30.3 Reflection"]
N4["30.4 Next steps"]
N5["Structure of the report"]
N6["The presentation"]
N7["Personal reflection"]
N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> N5 --> N6 --> N7 --> Q["EX088"]
[Learning outcomes]
|
v
[30.1 Report]
|
v
[30.2 Presentation]
|
v
[30.3 Reflection]
|
v
[30.4 Next steps]
|
v
[Structure of the report]
|
v
[The presentation]
|
v
[Personal reflection]
|
v
[Worked example] --> [Exercise EX088]
Learning outcomes
You will (1) write a placement report; (2) present to the trust; (3) reflect on learning.
30.1 Report
Introduction, method, results, recommendations and appendices with scripts and synthetic data.
The introduction explains the account left active after the supply teacher left, and the method describes the five measures and the scripts that produced them. Results present the before and after table, and recommendations list next steps in priority order with costs. The appendices hold the scripts and synthetic data, so the main text stays short enough for leaders. Renée's request to move technical detail into appendices means leaders can read the main report in about ten minutes.
30.2 Presentation
A fifteen-minute talk to the trust's leaders.
The fifteen minutes are split between four slides and questions, with most of the time left for questions. Tomás uses the before and after table rather than charts, because five counts out of known totals are easy to read aloud. The rehearsal with Dev means the cost question already has a prepared answer on the last slide. Leaders ask about cost and about what happens after the placement, and the routines and the outside company's cover answer the second question. The talk is assessed with the report, so the slides are filed as evidence alongside it.
30.3 Reflection
Tomás reflects that most improvements needed process, not tools.
The biggest gains came from routines such as the leavers form, the backup alerts and the weekly checks, none of which needed a new product. Tomás also reflects that measuring first changed his plans, since encryption needed far less work than he expected and the laptop baseline far more. He also records his own mistake of trusting the management console as a complete list, which the inventory reconciliation corrected. His lesson is to check one data source against an independent one before relying on it.
30.4 Next steps
Measuring the individual VPN accounts, application control expansion and the lifecycle plan.
The individual VPN accounts were introduced only in the final week, so their effect should be measured in the next term. Application control could extend from the office PCs to teachers' laptops after an audit period, and the three-year replacement plan needs its first year's purchases. Each next step is listed with an owner and an approximate cost in the report. Expanding application control depends on the request process staying quick, which the office PCs have already shown is workable.
Structure of the report
The report begins with the problem: an account left active after its owner left, and uncertainty about other basics. The method chapter explains the five measures and scripts. Results show the before and after table. Recommendations list next steps in priority order with costs. Appendices hold the scripts, synthetic sample data and the routines.
Renée Okafor reviews a draft and asks Tomás to cut technical detail from the main text and move it to appendices, so leaders can read the main report in ten minutes.
The presentation
Tomás's talk to the trust's leaders uses four slides: the problem, what was measured, what changed and what is needed next. He avoids jargon, explaining encryption as making a lost laptop's data unreadable and baselines as an agreed list of safe settings. Leaders ask about cost and about what happens when he leaves, and he points to the routines and the outside company's cover. He rehearses with Dev beforehand, which surfaces the cost question early. The placement is assessed on the report, the presentation and the trust's written feedback, so the talk is part of the evidence, not an extra.
Personal reflection
Tomás notes that his most useful skills were not technical tricks but careful measurement, asking before changing and writing clearly. He also records a mistake: he first assumed the management console was a complete list of laptops, and only the inventory reconciliation showed four were missing. He now checks a data source against an independent one before trusting it. He thanks Dev and the school offices for their time and patience, since every change depended on their cooperation, and he plans to study configuration management tools next, which would replace some of his scripts with automated enforcement.
Worked example
Leaders approve the replacement plan.
Synthetic case. The case is synthetic.
Errors and limits
Overstating results damages trust.
Exercises
- EX088 — Report structure. List the report sections. Rubric: 3 = five;; 2 = four;; 1 = fewer;; 0 = none.
- EX089 — Key lesson. State the main lesson. Rubric: 3 = process over tools, explained;; 2 = stated;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
- EX090 — Recommendation. Give one recommendation with reason. Rubric: 3 = justified;; 2 = unjustified;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
Synthesis
The placement shows basics done well make a measurable difference.
Continue studying — chapter 30 of 30
← Chapter 29 (draft) · Course chapter index · Worked results ↓ · Next course via chapter index →