Wednesday, October 8, 2014

A Guide On Writing Engineering Reports And Proposals

By Jocelyn Davidson


The ability to relay ideas, research findings and project information to the relevant authority is an important aspect of engineering. Publication in peer reviewed journals, progress updates and obtaining funds are some of the objectives of writing engineering reports and proposals. There are several aspects that need to be factored in when writing engineering documents.

The first is the goal or purpose of writing. Writing should be used to convince the audience that the project is able to meet scientific and economic requirements. It should also inform that the engineer is capable of starting and completing it. It is part of the job description for engineers to write convincingly as most of their clients may not understand the terms.

The people you are writing for are also an important aspect of your writing. They need to know something knew about the project. Explain the problem or the reasons why the project is beneficial to them clearly. In addition, provide background information to put the proposed solution into perspective. The reader needs to understand that you are an expert in that particular field and also understand the general approach to the problem.

Proposals can be written by any engineer both in academia and consultants. Funding agencies need to see a project proposal before funding as it is an assurance that money is channeled in the right project and in the right way. Clients also need to see them to know how their problem is being addressed and if it fits what they had in mind. These documents are important because they spell the objectives, way of doing, cost and also the time the project will run.

The structure of this proposal should consist of at least six basic elements. The executive summary is a one paged brief and compressed summary of this proposal. It should clearly and objectively explain the purpose, programs essentials, expenses and qualifications of people undertaking the project. The introduction should bear the purpose of this project in detail. It should also provide useful background information and a brief overview of the task.

The project objectives, methods and evaluation are to be found in the project description section. A time frame and the budget bearing all the over heads and estimated cost are also found here. They should in form of charts, diagrams and tables. In the last section is a list of particular team to be involved and their education and professional qualifications.

Engineering proposals and reports are similar in that they both have sections such as the executive summary and the introduction section. Reports have additional sections which include theory and analysis, results and discussion, conclusion, acknowledgement, reference and appendix. The theory and analysis section defines the applied laws, principles and equations. The method section is a list of apparatus and instruments used. Results are presented in the results section and conclusions drawn.

In conclusion, styles that inform and enhance readability should be chosen over those that aim to impress. An appropriate formatting method should be used to format headings and text. Remember to use labels for any picture, diagram, graph or table included. In addition, use the document content to inform the writing style and organization of the work.




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