The proposal is one of the most
important forms of writing engineers do. Successful proposals lead to
jobs, products and profit. Unsuccessful proposals lead nowhere.
This document presents the basics of proposals:
The Goal
While style and structure of proposals vary, successful proposals
require Attitude.
A successful proposal convinces the reader that:
- the proposal is good (scientifically, economically)
- the writers are qualified to accomplish the task.
"Convincing" makes many engineers uncomfortable because
they think good science should convince by itself; however, you must still persuade
the reader that your science is good. Convince the reader that you have thought
through the problem and have a workable solution.
The Audience
No one ever paid a consultant to tell him what he already knew.
Your audience needs to know something. You need to explain the problem
clearly, and to provide full background to give context to your solution. Remember
the readers need
- to know that you know what you are doing
- to understand your approach
Structure of the Proposal
Six Basic Elements:
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Project Description or Program
4. Timeline and Milestones
5. Budget
6. Qualifications
The Executive Summary
The executive summary is a short, information-packed summary
of the proposal. In one or two paragraphs, state the purpose
of the proposal, the essentials of the program and the
total expense of the budget. This should not exceed
one page. A reader should finish the summary knowing the basic information.
Only an interested reader needs to read more. Write the executive summary after
you have finished the rest of the report.
Purpose ÷ The purpose
can be described any number of ways. Here are two:
- state the problem or need you are prepared to address.
Many proposals are responding to problems that need
to be solved. e.g. A part of a product wears out too soon.
How can we make the product work better?
- explain the goal of the proposal. Sometimes
a proposal is to develop a new product or idea. In this case,
you are not solving a problem. Still you need to explain why you want
to develop the proposal. (See the sample below for an example
of this).
However you describe it, you need to clearly and simply
explain what the proposal is for. The executive summary needs to be
aimed at a general audience ÷ typically managers ÷ so this
is not the place for technical detail. It is the place, however, for considering
the company and its requirements
Program ÷ At the proposal
stage, students will rarely have a fully-worked out solution. That is
expected for research-based projects. (Many proposals in industry will
be able to present a full solution because the proposal is to implement previously
developed technology.) Regardless, the executive summary needs to include
a brief statement of what you think you will do. In one
or two sentences state at least one of these:
- what will take place
- benefit of the project
- how and where it will operate
Funding requirements ÷
State the bottom line. If an explanation of the figure is required,
make that as concisely as possible.
Qualifications ÷ Briefly state your name,
history, purpose, and activities, emphasizing your capacity to carry out
this proposal.
Sample of an Executive Summary (Slightly modified from
the original)
| Executive Summary
(1) Memory management
is a crucial factor in operating system and application performance.
(2) The purpose of this project is to study of the relative merits
of the best fit and worst fit selection algorithms used in memory management.
(3) The first goal of the project is to produce a reference table
with the test sets and results for software developers using algorithms.
(4) The second goal is to develop a very specific set of rules
for when to use each algorithm. (5) The results will be valuable
to software developers when choosing between the best fit and worst
fit selection algorithms. (6) While the first goal can be attained
in the ten week period, attaining the second goal will depend on the
results of the data. (7) Consequently, the second goal may be
unreachable, or require further research. (8) The cost for the
ten week period is $7500.
|
Notes
- The first sentence gives some context by defining
terms. It could be improved by adding the simple word "computer" to
separate this study from something in cognitive ergonomics.
- The project's goals are clearly stated in the second,
third and fourth sentences.
- The value of the project is outlined in sentence
five.
- The limitation or scope of the work is presented
in sentences six and seven.
- The cost is explained in the last sentence. Note
that the cost is for ten weeks regardless of whether the second goal
is attained.
- This summary does not include the writer's qualifications,
presumably because the writer is a student who has no experience in
this kind of work.
|
Introduction
One major problem students have is blurring
Executive Summaries and Introductions. NEVER assume that the reader of
the introduction has already read the executive summary. In other words,
the executive summary just repeats
- State the purpose (make it clear that you are proposing
something).
Define the opportunity or problem. Usually, you need
to begin by explaining the situation: what circumstances led to the proposal
(e.g. an industrial sponsor's problem)? Consider the following:
- Decide what facts best support the project.
- Determine whether it is reasonable to portray the
need as acute.
- Explain how your project relates to similar projects
that preceded it.
- Avoid circular reasoning.
- Explain useful background. e.g. What engineering
principles will guide your solution? Even if you think your reader
knows this information, show the reader that you understand it too. (Sometimes,
background is separated into a separate section. If you do this, put
the background after the overview.)
- Give a brief overview of the contents of the whole
proposal. (For example, in the introduction to the "structure of the
proposal" here, six basic elements are listed. These are then elaborated
in later sections. A similar kind of brief sketch will help a proposal
reader.)
This is what a first draft of an introduction might look
like (if you were working on MIE 240 in Fall 1998). Notice that there
are a number of questions whose answers might help develop really good
opening context.
| The market for backpacks is
huge. Students throughout North America from ages 5-25 carry backpacks
to school. [find out sales figures?] Many need to replace
their backpacks each year due to frayed straps or broken zippers. [survey
users to discover complaints about existing backpacks?] Therefore, any
company that can produce and market a product that is cheap and/or high
quality will be able to find a market niche. [analyze what determines
cost? materials? place of manufacture? distance to market?] This
proposal will outline a product that will fill the need for a high quality
yet affordable product appropriate for university students. |
The Project Description or Program
State explicitly what you propose to do. Some also include
a "scope" statement ÷ an explicit statement of what you will not be doing
to help limit the task. Explain your approach to the problem in detail.
Some of the following questions might be useful:
- What are the technical specifications for the proposed
piece of work?
- How will current research ÷ such as recent articles
on the subject or other projects of a similar kind ÷ be used to help
solve the problem?
- How does your work fit into a larger project?
Included in your program you should have three subsections:
objectives, methods, and evaluation. You do not need to use these sections as
subheadings, but you do need to clearly explain all three aspects of the project.
OBJECTIVES
Your objectives must be tangible, specific, concrete, measurable,
and achievable in a specified time period.
| Currently, software developers have only a general
description and understanding of how the algorithms work in deciding
which algorithm is more appropriate for their application. I propose
to quantify the performance of each algorithm given varying sets of
memory requests. This data will allow developers to compare the performance
trade off of each algorithm based on the expected memory request set
for their application. |
Objectives can come in several varieties:
- Behavioral ÷ A human action is anticipated.
| Software developers will be
able to compare the performance trade off of each algorithm based
on the expected memory request set for their application. |
- Performance ÷ A specific time frame within
which a behavior will occur, at an expected proficiency level, is expected.
| Software developers will be able to compare the
performance trade off of each algorithm based on the expected memory
request set for their application. This efficiency will cut
the time for testing new applications by 40%. |
- Process ÷ The manner in which something
occurs is an end in itself.
- Product ÷ A tangible item results.
| The first goal of the project
is to produce a reference table with the test sets and results for
software developers using algorithms. The second goal is the development
of a very specific set of rules for when to use each algorithm. While
the first goal can be attained in the ten week period, attaining the
second goal will depend on the results of the data. |
METHODS
In your program, you need to do the following:
- Describe the specific activities that
will take place to achieve the objectives, that is what will occur from
the time the project begins until it is completed.
- Enable the reader to visualize the implementation
of the project.
- Match the previously stated objectives.
- Provide the order and timing for the
tasks.
- Defend your chosen methods, especially
if they are new or unorthodox.
EVALUATION
Building evaluation into a project is an important
part of engineering design. You need to consider how you will evaluate
whether the project is successful. How will you measure whether the project
meets its goal? By including a mechanism for evaluation in your proposal,
you indicate that achieving objective is a serious goal. You also provide
the best means for others to learn from your experience. Two types of Formal
Evaluation are common
- Measuring the product (e.g. test a computer
program's performance under various conditions for versatility, accuracy,
speed, etc.)
- Analyzing the process (e.g. analyze the
milestones such as the ability of a prototype to integrate with other components
of a project)
Either or both might be appropriate
Some Pointers on Using Research Sources
For detail, see our section on Documenting
Sources. See particularly, using Author
Date format or using IEEE
So what exactly do I have to document?
a. Quotations, paraphrases, or summaries
b. Specific facts used as evidence for your argument or interpretation
c. Distinctive or authoritative ideas, whether you agree with them or not
For a detailed answer to this question see our page on "Plagiarism"
