DESIGN REPORT FORMAT

The executive summary is used by decision makers (managers) to determine what action needs to be taken as a result of a project.  The typical size of the executive summary is one page.  The executive summary is independent of the body of the report.  The body of the report consists the introduction, background, experimental procedures, theory and analysis, discussion, and synthesis.

1. Cover Sheet

  • Title of Project
  • Your Name
  • Course Number, Course Title, Type of Report
  • Date

2. Executive Summary

  • Forward (example)
    • Problem Statement
      • State the organizational problem: the conflicts at issue in the organization.
      • Describe the organizational context: names of persons and departments involved in the issue
      • State the technical problem: the technical investigation needed to resolve the organizational issue
    • Assignment Statement
      • State the assignment, specifically what the writer of the report was asked to do.
      • State the technical questions, task, and perhaps the hypothesis or solution.
    • Rhetorical Purpose
      • State what the instrumental purpose of the report is.
         
  • Summary (example)
    • Objective and Background
      • State the Objective of the Project or Hypothesis
      • Describe the methodology or experimental procedure
      • Summarize the results
    • Conclusions
      • Concisely state the conclusions reached as a result of the project
    • Recommendations
      • State your recommendations for organizational action
    • Implications for the organization
      • Describe subsequent actions that should be taken
      • Describe the costs and benefits

3. Table of Contents

4. Introduction

The introduction of the report should be a brief explanation of the project and the desired behavior of the design.

  • The Problem
    • Give an explanation of the organizational problem that gave rise to the investigation being presented in the report
  • The Objective
    • Write a statement of the assignment that forms the basis of this report.
  • The Method of the Report
    • Forecast the structure of this report.  Your letting the reader know what to expect.

5. Background

In the Background, a functional decomposition of the design behavior should be stated.  Then, for each function, a survey of relevant background material on the different approaches should be presented.  The literature survey section should discuss several approaches to each function.  If there is an idea for the function that cannot be found in the literature, it should be presented here as well

  • Previous Work
    • Explain what has already been done about the problem
      • Provide a literature review for material that is relevant to this problem
      • Describe previous efforts and other ongoing investigations
      • Describe how the approach being taken in this investigation fits into the existing literature and efforts of others
    • Specifications
      • Provide an explanation of detailed instructions or specifications that served as the basis for the present work
      • Describe the functional decomposition for the project
      • Describe the what the options are for each of the functional parts

6. Design Specifications

Based on the functional decomposition in the previous section, present the specific requirements for the design.  The specifications should be supported by logical reasons and calculations where appropriate.

  • Specifications and Requirements for the Project
    • Organize the specifications along functional lines
    • Include information from Frequently Asked Questions and project description
  • Selection of Design Criterion
    • Producibility
    • Reliability
  • Figures and tables should be used to supplement discussion

7. Feasibility Discussion

Based on the literature survey and the design specification, discuss the feasibility of each approach and conclude with the approach that will be used in your design.

  • Justification for functional group choices

8. Preliminary Design

  • Presentation of final design, organize discussion along functional groups
    Using the approaches discussed in the conclusions of your feasibility section, present your design in detail.  Provide component specifications as much as possible.
    • Describe the design and its functions
    • Include figures in the body of the text
    • Refer to engineering drawings in the body of the text.
  • Design Calculations
    Based on your detailed design in the previous section, present the calculations that predict that your design will meet your specifications.
    • Discuss and present the calculations used in the design of the project
    • The discussion should be organized along functional groups
    • Summarize repetitive calculations in tables
    • Use figures to illustrate trends when appropriate
  • Performance Estimates
    This section is a summary of the design calculations.  Given the speed, power, and other calculations, estimate the performance of your design for the overall objectives.
    • Estimate the performance of the project based on preliminary design
    • The estimate should include weight, operation time, dimensions, speed, etc.
  • Testing Plan/Design Implementation
    Present a plan for testing each part of your device.  Describe the procedure for testing and the expected results.
    • Describe how the design was implemented
    • Describe how the design was experimentally evaluated
  • Production Schedule
    Present a schedule of construction of your device.  divide the production into a sequence of steps and provide dates when each step will be complete.
    • Organize the production schedule along functional lines
    • Discuss the production schedule in some detail
    • Use Pert Charts to assist in the discussion
  • Cost Analysis
    Predict the cost of parts, materials, and production of your device.
    • Organize along the lines of functional groups
    • Estimate the cost of the components
    • Estimate the cost of manufacturing or buying each component
  • User's Manual
    Provide instructions on how to use your device.  The instructions should be sufficiently detailed that someone with no prior knowledge of your device could operate it properly using these instructions
    • Provide a user's manual for the operation and maintenance of the project
    • This may be included in an appendix

9. Synthesis/Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations

Restate the problem briefly, summarize your approach to the problem, review the predicted performance and cost, discuss any problems that you anticipate in production and any important lesions learned in the design process.

  • Problem Restated
    • A restatement of the report's objective and of the problem that gave rise to the report
  • Summary 
    • Review the main points.
    • What approach was taken
    • How did the design perform
  • Recommendations 
    • Explaining subsequent action or posing specific questions for investigations
    • Explain what subsequent action or pose specific questions for future investigations
    • Lesions learned

10. References

11. Appendices