Handbook: Interim Reports

Note: This document was originally produced to help students in ECE 496Y. The same general principles apply to most interim reports.

MAJOR COMPONENTS
1. Executive Summary (no more than 1 page)

Place your piece in the context of the larger project

Explain the goal of your part (in relation to the whole project)

Explain clearly what stage you are at and how that stage fits with the expected milestones.
Have a look at an example of an executive summary from one of the projects done last year. The project was to develop a new protection circuit to replace the current limiter circuit for an ultrasound machine at Sunnybrook Hospital. The annotations in the left margin should help you see the significant points that you will also need to include.

2. Introduction (1-3 pages)

more detailed purpose and overview

clear "road map" of sections of report

any important additions to literature review (ie. work that influences design)

3. Program Review (5-15 pages)

Describe the stages in this piece of the project (from the proposal if they were clearly explained there)

Explain each stage

For completed stages:

what was done, why, and how does it contribute to related stages?

explain significant obstacles especially if they required a change of plan or of timeline

if possible, explain how the obstacles have been overcome.

For incomplete stages

explain briefly work being done and to be completed
To keep this specific, focus only on your components and points of intersection with those of others. Do not talk about the whole project at this stage.

4. Changes to the Program (0-10 pages)

Explain:

why a change was made

what effect it will it have on the outcome

how responsibilities are being revised

5. Revised Milestones

6. Revised Division of Responsibilities

7. Appendix

Original Milestones from the Proposal
Original Division of responsibilities from the Proposal

8. References

Include references in standard IEEE format.

Sample Executive Summary:	Executive Summary
The first paragraph, though a little rough, places the transducer into the context of the larger ultrasound imaging project.	The high-frequency, high-sensitivity transducer is part of the project to design high-frequency-high-speed protection circuitry for Ultrasound imaging. Current ultrasound technology needs this development because the current limiter circuit causes multiple signal reflections at the high voltages produced by the pulsers. These reflections deteriorate the resolution of the imaging system. A new protection switching circuit will replace the current limiter circuit and will preserve the stimulation pulse in the form it was delivered from the pulser.
The second paragraph is better. It defines what the transducer actually is.	The transducer appears at the stage before the limiter circuit which makes up the main focus of this project. The transducer is activated by a 400V pulse from the pulser and produces a mechanical pulse. This pulse is then reflected by the observed object and transformed back to an electric signal.
The third paragraph clearly sets out the purpose and milestones.	The goal of the transducer project is to design and build a prototype of a metal-backed transducer based on thin co-polymer PVDF (poly (vinylidene fluoride)). This process has three stages: finding an optimal alloy of Lead and Tin that can be cast in a Teflon mold. designing the mold and prototype based primarily on existing research building a prototype.
The final paragraph addresses the crucial point of the report: the progress. The second and third sentences clearly address milestones one and two.	The project is on schedule, having met the first two milestones. A Pb27%Sn alloy has been selected because of its melting properties [1,2] and because it can easily be cast in the Teflon mold [2,3]. The design will follow Malloy [1]; however, Malloy used a Pb23%Sn alloy, so we expect our transducer to be more efficient and produce less circuit noise [3]. Arrangements have been made to cast the prototype in the first week of January. Once the casting is complete, the remainder of the prototype should be finished on schedule by the end of January when preliminary testing of the whole project is scheduled to begin.

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