A Brief Description Of 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.

The goal or reason of writing is an important aspect to consider when writing engineering documents. The purpose of writing is to convince the reader that you are qualified for the job and that the project is scientifically and economically viable. Most engineers wrongly assume that convincing is not part of their job but it indeed is as most clients may not be able to understand the terms used in the documents.

Another important aspect is the audience for the documents. A client will not pay for old information, only that which they do not know. Solutions proposed to solve the problem at hand should be spelt out clearly. In addition, the stated problem should be clear and of importance to the client. Background information is used to add perspective to the solution offered and therefore should always be included in these documents. Finally, the reader needs to know that yours is the best team available.

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.

There are at least six basic elements of a proposal. The abstract summary is one page long and is a brief and summarized proposal. It explains the purpose of the project, expenses to be incurred, qualifications and program essentials. In the introduction section, the purpose, background and brief overview of the project are objectively and clearly spelt out.

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.

The outline of an engineering report consists of a title, executive summary, introduction, background, methods, results, conclusion, acknowledgements, references and the appendix. The background consists of theory and analysis where the laws, equations used and any other unfamiliar information is defined. Methods section indicates the apparatus, instruments and materials used. The findings are spelt out in the results page and discussed. Later conclusions and recommendations are drawn based on the objectives.

In conclusion, remember to organize your writing to increase readability. Format the document including headings and text in the acceptable way. In addition, any graphs, pictures and tables used should be labeled. Lastly, the content of proposal or report should determine the style of writing and organization used.




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