spadework
noun [ U ] mainly UK uk/ˈspeɪd.wɜːk/ us/ˈspeɪd.wɝːk/
艰苦（枯燥）的准备工作
hard, sometimes boring work done in preparation for something
Now that the spadework's all been done, we can start to write the report itself. 既然所有的基础准备工作已经做完，我们可以动手写报告了。