style - When is it acceptable to use the first person ("I", "we") in technical reports?

When is it acceptable to use the first person ("I", "we") in technical reports?

Answer

I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that technical reports are generally written in the passive voice. So, unless there's a reason to use first person, I'd avoid it.

That said, I think it's pretty rare that you'd be called upon to write a spontaneous, context-free technical report, so I'm with user1594 in thinking that you need to look at the individual situation. Most large companies and universities will have some form of in-house style sheet that you could consult. Smaller organizations probably have a person to whom you could speak about the issue. Or you could just look up previous examples of technical reports written for that body and see what format was used.

So, if in doubt, I'd go with passive voice, but I'd also try to get rid of the doubt, where possible.