How to Create a Technology Passport: Plan and Review

A technology passport follows a standard plan: gather product data, check it against the documentation, and record the results of inspections. Before release, verify the contents, versions, and responsible parties.

This kind of passport helps readers trace what a device consists of and how to set it up and maintain it. This article covers the preparation and review process: what information to include, where to look for discrepancies, and what to double-check before handing the document over to users.

How do you define the purpose and scope of a technology passport?

Define the passport’s purpose in terms of what the reader needs to decide: understand how the technology works, assess whether it can be used in their work, or compare alternatives.

For a passport used to train future specialists, the purpose might be to help readers understand the functions and values of a profession and see how theory works in practice. Identify who will read the document: a specialist needs to know how the technology works and the conditions for implementing it, while a learner needs to see how the principle they are studying connects to a practical task.

What to include in the description

• Technology: Name the method or principle you are describing.
• Product: Distinguish the technology from a specific product or software program that uses it.
• Process: Specify the task or sequence of actions in which the technology is used.
• Scope: Include the components and actions that make up the technology; describe external implementation conditions separately.

For example, if the passport covers practical training, do not conflate it with the entire profession. Describe how a practical assignment helps connect theory with professional work. List training conditions and available resources as external conditions if they are not part of the method itself.

Which standard provides the basis for a technology passport?

GOST R 59676—2022 provides the basis for a technology passport for projects to which the standard applies; check whether it applies to your project before preparing the document.

GOST R 59676—2022 is titled “Integrated Research and Development Management System. Technology Passport.” It cites GOST R 59677; take this standard into account when preparing a passport.

The terms in GOST R 59676—2022 follow GOST R 59679. Check definitions against that standard to ensure the same concepts are not named differently across documents.

Technology passports and product documentation

Do not confuse a technology passport with a product’s operating passport. GOST 2.601, GOST 2.610, and GOST 2.105 cover the preparation of product documentation, so first determine which document your project actually needs.

How do you describe a technology’s design and workflow?

Describe a technology’s design and workflow in terms of inputs, sequential operations, outputs, and the conditions needed to reproduce the result. Support each key stage with an observation or document.

From input to result

For a professional training technology, inputs might include knowledge and practical assignments, while the result might be a completed action and an understanding of a profession’s functions. Specify what enters the process, what the participant does, and what changes after each step. Do not substitute a statement of purpose for a result: “learn a profession” does not show what action was completed or how it was assessed.

• Inputs: Prior knowledge, an assignment, materials, and working conditions.
• Operations: Study, practical application, and checking the result—in the actual order.
• Outputs: A product created, an action completed, or a decision recorded.
• Conditions for repetition: Equipment, software components, instructions, and specialist actions, if they affect the result.

A table is a convenient way to show the sequence: “step — what happens — what changes — what confirms it.” Evidence might include observing the work, a completed task, or a test record. Specify which fact confirms each stage.

If the result depends on a teacher’s actions or equipment availability, include these in the process conditions. Otherwise, it will be difficult to reproduce the technology described.

How do you demonstrate value and connect theory with practice?

Demonstrate a technology’s value by linking “a specific task — a practical action — an observable result,” and explain which aspect of the theory that action tests.

Instead of calling it “effective” or “innovative,” state what problem the technology solves and what can be observed after it is used: an operation completed, a product obtained, or an error identified. Each result must be supported by an observation, document, or test. If a metric was not measured, do not report it.

From principle to professional practice

In a training project, connect a theoretical principle with a practical action. Describe what the learner does, which principle they test in practice, and what the result helps them learn. This shows not only whether the theory works in a particular situation, but also how professional work is structured.

• Task: Name the specific work the learner performs.
• Verification: Specify the observable result, document, or test result that supports the conclusion.
• Profession: Explain which professional functions and values become clear through this action.

If a conclusion cannot be tied to verifiable evidence, clarify it or leave it out of the passport.

How do you assemble a passport that is ready for review?

A technology passport is ready for review if it describes the purpose and scope, design, use, supporting evidence, and limitations in a clear sequence, with each piece of evidence linked to a specific claim and a way to verify it.

Organize the document in reading order: first explain what problem the technology solves and what falls within its scope; then describe its design and how to use it. Next, present the supporting evidence, followed by limitations and conditions that could affect the result.

• Purpose and scope: State the task and specify what the passport covers.
• Design and use: Use the same names for components and terms in every section.
• Supporting evidence: Next to each piece of evidence, note which claim it supports and where it can be checked.
• Limitations: List conditions that affect the use or result.

If you are applying GOST R 59676—2022, check definitions against GOST R 59679. Consistent names for components will help readers compare the description, supporting evidence, and caveats.

Final review

Ask a reader to follow the path from the task described to the result. Have them mark any places where conditions or supporting evidence are missing; it is best to fill those gaps before handing over the passport.

When is this kind of passport unsuitable, and what are the common mistakes?

A passport based on GOST R 59676—2022 is unsuitable if the project is outside the research and development management system. First check which process the document is being prepared for.

GOST R 59676—2022 is intended for technology passports in this context. If you need a document for operating a product or for a batch of products, do not use it as a substitute for a technology passport: the required documentation set depends on the requirements for the specific product.

Common mix-ups

• Product passport vs. technology passport. Information about a product’s design does not, by itself, explain how the technological process works. Describe the process separately: what is done and under what conditions.
• Test result vs. universal benefit. If a practical test did not confirm the claimed benefit, limit the conclusion to the conditions of that test. Do not generalize it to other conditions without verification.

Before approving the passport, compare its purpose with the product requirements and check whether the test supports the conclusion under the specific conditions it describes.

Frequently asked questions