How do you communicate and report the results and recommendations of your network performance testing?

1 Know your audience

The first step in communicating and reporting your network performance testing results and recommendations is to know your audience. Different audiences may have different expectations, needs, and levels of technical knowledge. For example, a client may want to see a high-level summary of the benefits and risks of your proposed network design, while a manager may want to see the details of the testing methodology, metrics, and budget. Therefore, you need to tailor your communication and report format, style, and content to suit your audience.

2 Choose your tools

The next step is to choose the appropriate tools and platforms for your communication and report. Depending on your audience, you may use different tools, such as email, presentation, document, dashboard, or video. For example, you may use email to send a brief update or a link to a document, presentation to showcase your results and recommendations in a meeting, document to provide a comprehensive and formal report, dashboard to display real-time or interactive data, or video to demonstrate your testing process or results. You should also consider the advantages and disadvantages of each tool, such as accessibility, readability, interactivity, and security.

3 Organize your data

The third step is to organize your data and information in a clear and logical way. You should follow a consistent and structured format for your communication and report, such as introduction, background, objectives, methods, results, analysis, recommendations, and conclusion. You should also use appropriate headings, subheadings, tables, charts, graphs, diagrams, or screenshots to present your data and information in a visual and easy-to-understand way. You should also use labels, legends, captions, and annotations to explain your data and information.

4 Analyze your results

The fourth step is to analyze your results and provide meaningful insights and interpretations. You should not just report the raw data or numbers, but also explain what they mean and how they relate to your objectives, expectations, and standards. You should also highlight the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your network performance testing results, and compare them with the baseline, benchmarks, or best practices. You should also identify the root causes, effects, and implications of any issues, errors, or anomalies in your results.

5 Make your recommendations

The fifth step is to make your recommendations based on your results and analysis. You should provide specific, actionable, and realistic suggestions for improving or optimizing your network performance or design. You should also justify your recommendations with evidence, logic, and benefits. You should also prioritize your recommendations according to their urgency, importance, feasibility, and impact. You should also outline the steps, resources, and timelines for implementing your recommendations.

6 Solicit feedback

The final step is to solicit feedback from your audience on your communication and report. You should invite questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns from your audience, and address them promptly and respectfully. You should also thank your audience for their attention, interest, and cooperation. You should also follow up with your audience to ensure that they have received, understood, and accepted your communication and report, and to monitor the progress and outcome of your recommendations.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?