samedi 11 octobre 2014

A Guide On Writing Engineering Reports And Proposals

By Jocelyn Davidson


A crucial aspect of engineering lies in the ability to properly relay ideas, findings and projects to the relevant bodies. The main reason of writing engineering reports and proposals is to seek grants from funding agencies, for publication in peer reviewed journals and for updating relevant agencies on the progress of projects.

It is important to consider the purpose or intention of writing engineering documents before beginning writing. The sole purpose should be to make the reader convinced that you have the proper qualification to carry out the project which is viable both in scientific and economic aspects. It is wrong to assume that your job as an engineer is not to convince but it is because most people do not understand the engineer language.

The audience is also a factor to be considered while writing. They cannot pay for information they already know therefore they are supposed to learn something new. The problem should be clearly stated and the solutions to it explained clearly. Background information should be used to provide more information so that readers are able to put them the problem and solution into perspective. It is important that the audience understands that you are the expert in that specific field.

Proposals are done before the commencement of a project and are written by any type of engineer. Their main purpose is to inform the management, clients or funding agencies. These stakeholders are able to see clearly the aim and objectives of this project, the method of doing it. In addition, it answers the questions of how long and how much.

A good proposal is composed of six important elements. The first is an executive summary which is a page long summary of the proposal. Its work is to explain the aim, expenses, qualifications and other program essentials in a very brief format. The details of the purpose of project, the background information and project overview are found in the introduction section.

The rest of the document should bear the task description such as objectives, methods and evaluation. Milestones and a budget should also be presented perhaps using tables and charts. The qualifications of the team come last and explain why you are the best for the job. The structure and style of putting down engineering reports is not any different.

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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