Writing Common Engineering Documents This chapter explores common

Writing Common Engineering Documents

This chapter explores common types of documents you may write as an engineer, focusing on their typical content, organization, and format.

Engineering documents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Inspection Reports or Trip Reports Research, Laboratory and Field Reports Specifications Reports Proposals Progress Reports Instructions Recommendation and feasibility Reports

1. Inspection Reports or Trip Reports • Briefly report on the inspection of a site (Facility or property) • These reports contain lots of description, narration, and discussion of related causes and effects. It may also contain evaluation • These reports include: 1. Trip Reports 2. Investigation or an accident reports

1. Trip Reports: summarize a business trip, discuss the events, findings and other aspects of a business trip. This type documents observations so that people in your organization can share them 2. Investigation or accident reports: describe your findings concerning a problem, explore its causes, its consequences, and explaining how it can be avoided

Content and Organization of Inspection Reports/ Trip Reports 1. Introduction: Indicate purpose of the report and provide a brief overview of its contents 2. Background: To explain the context of the report. why inspect the site? Who sent you? what are the basic facts of the situation – the time, date, place, and so on? 3. Accurate Discussion: describe the accident, facility, property, or the proposed equipment. what happened in the trip? where did you go? whom you met…etc. ?

4. Action Taken: If you are investigating a problem, and you are suggesting solutions, your report should contain a step-by-step discussion of how you determined the problem and corrected it 5. Interpretative, Evaluative, or Advisory Discussion: Evaluate the property or equipment, explain what caused the accident, interpret the findings, suggest further action, or recommend ways to prevent the problem in the future

Inspection Reports

2. Laboratory and Field Reports Report on an experiment, test, or survey. Present the data collected and discuss and analyze it. The report also include the method of testing, theory, procedures, equipment's (if any), and conclusions. It may explore the applications of the findings, and any recommended further investigation.

Content and Organization of Laboratory and Field Reports 1. Introduction: Indicate purpose of the report and provide a brief overview of its contents. 2. Background: Provide a discussion of the background leading up to the project. Typically this involves discussing a research question or conflicting theories in the research literature. Explore the background to enable readers to understand why you are doing this work. Provide citations for the sources of information you use

3. Literature Review: Often, a discussion of the research literature related to your project is included in the lab or field report. You summarize the findings of other researchers that have a bearing on your work. Depending on the length and complexity of the report, all three elements just discussed: introduction, background, literature review may all be combined in one paragraph without subheadings

4. Theory, Methods, Procedures, and equipment's: The next major section in the laboratory or field report presents your theory or approach to your project. 5. Observations, Data, Findings, or Results: You collect data then organize and present it in a section of its own. The common approach is to present the data, often formatted into tables, graphs, or charts, without interpretive discussion. The discussion and analyzing of results comes in a section by it self.

6. Conclusions: derive conclusions based on the data gathered, and explain why you think those conclusions are valid. 7. Implications and Further Research: Laboratory and field reports typically explore the implications of conclusions, considering how they can be applied and outlining further research possibilities. Format Lab or Field trip reports can be presented in memo format if it is short and presented within the organization. Otherwise, use the formal format as will be discussed in Chapter six.

Laboratory and Field Reports

3. Specifications Reports • Provide detailed requirements for a product to be developed or detailed descriptions of an existing product. • provide specifics on design, function, operation, and construction. • Such documents may come with certain kinds of products such as DVD players or Computers • These describe the key technical characteristics of those items.

Specifications Reports

Writing Common Engineering Documents (Content and Organization of Specifications Reports) General Description: Describe the product, component or program first in general terms. Anything general in nature that does not fit in the part-by-part description comes here. Part–by–Part Description: Present specifications part by part, element by element, trade by trade, what ever is the logical, natural or conventional way of doing it

Writing Common Engineering Documents (Specifications Reports)

4. Proposals • The proposal is one of the most important tools for engineers, particularly consulting engineers. • With it, you get work, either for the company that employs you or for yourself. • Proposals seek a contract, approval, or funding to do a project; function as a competitive bid to get hired to do a project. • Promote yourself and your organization as a candidate for a project, promote the project itself, showing why it is needed.

Writing Common Engineering Documents (Types of Proposals) Solicited: If an organization issues a request for proposals, the proposals said to be solicited – they have been requested. Unsolicited: Individuals and companies often initiate proposals without formal requests from the recipients. They may see that an individual or organization has a problem or opportunity. This type of proposal requires harder work in order to convince the individual or organization

• Internal: If you address your proposal to someone within your organization, the format and contents change significantly. The memo format is usually appropriate, and sections such as qualifications and costs may not be necessary • External: For organizations or individuals outside your company, you must present your qualifications and use some combination of the business-letter and formalreport formats

Content and Organization of Proposals • Introduction: Make reference to some prior contact with the recipient of the proposal or your source of information about the project. Also give a brief overview of the contents of the proposal • Background: In unsolicited proposal, you should discuss the reason for writing the proposal. In solicited proposals, the party requesting the proposal know the reasons well. However little background can be useful as it demonstrates that you fully understand the situation

• Actual Proposal Statement: Include a short section in which you state explicitly what you are proposing to do. Proposals often refer to many possibilities, which can create some vagueness about what’s actually being offered. Sometimes an explicit statement about what you are not offering may be needed. • Description of the Work Product: Some times you may need a section explaining actually what the results of your project are going to be, and what the recipient is going to end up with

• Benefits and Feasibility of the Project: To promote the project to the recipient, some proposals discuss the benefits of doing the project. Others discuss the likelihood of those benefits. This is particularly true in unsolicited proposals. • Methods or Approach: Some proposals need a section that explains how you plan to go about the project and justification of the approach, even theory relating to your approach.

• Qualifications and References: This may include previous work, full resumes of who will work on the project. For internal projects where people know each other, this section may be omitted • Schedule: including dates or a timeline for the major milestones. This may be included in the methods and procedure section or in a section on its own. This gives the recipient an idea of what lies ahead and a chance to ask for changes; it also enables you to show systematic, organized, and professional you are.

• Costs: break it down to detailed cost, labor, equipment components, …etc. Conclusions: Normally, the final paragraphs of your proposal urge the recipient to consider your proposal, contact you with questions, and of course accept your bid or request. This is also good spot to allude once more to the benefits of doing the project

Format • Memorandum format: If your proposal is short (less than three pages) and internal, use simple memo format and include headings as you would for any other document (see Figure 5. 5) • Business-letter format: If your proposal is short but external use business letter format and include headings as you normally would (see Figure 5. 5)

Proposals

Content and Organization of Proposals Format • Separate proposal with cover memo: If your proposal is long (over 4 pages) and internal or external and it is being passes around among reviewers, make it a separate document with its own title and attach a cover memo or letter (memo for internal and business letter for external) to the front • In the memo or business letter, restate the key elements of the introduction and the conclusion see Figure 5. 6)

Proposals

5. Progress Reports • These reports summarize the progress in your project, what has been accomplished, what still need to be done, what resources have been used, what problems have arisen. • This report could be weekly, monthly, every three or six months, and yearly.

Content and Organization of Progress Reports • Introduction: Indicate purpose of the report and provide a brief overview of its contents. • Project Description: Give a short description of the project, the purpose of the project, starting and completion dates, names of the companies involved in the project. • Problems Encountered: Discuss the problems you encountered and the expected problems which may jeopardize the quality, cost or schedule of the project.

• Progress Summary: Summarize work completed in the previous period, work underway in the current period, and work planned for future periods, this is called (Time–periods approach). Summarize which tasks in the project have been completed, which tasks are currently underway, and which tasks are planned for future work (Project-task approach) • Overall Assessment of the project: General opinion on how the project is going

• Changes in Requirements: Include any changes in the work such as time schedule, changing design, changes in equipment’s. Format • For large projects, the progress report could be very long which means that it should be in formal format (with title page, table of contents, abstract, and appendices) bounded, and attached with covering letter

Progress Reports

6. Instructions • This kind of writing include step–by–step instructions and procedures for employees, colleagues, customers, or clients. • Instructions explain how to assemble, operate, or troubleshoot some new product. • The critical issue in instructions writing is to put yourself in your reader’s place, making no unwarranted assumptions about their background or knowledge, and providing them everything they need to successfully complete the procedure or instruction.

Content and Organization of Instructions • Introduction: Include some combination of the following: 1. Subject: Indicate the procedure you’ll explain 2. Product: If you are providing instructions for a product, identify it 3. Audience: Indicate the knowledge or background your readers need in order to understand your instructions. If no special background is needed, indicate that as well 4. Overview

(Content and Organization of Instructions) Special Notices • Most instructions contain special formatted notices for warnings, cautions, and dangers • Often these comments appear in the introduction as well as in the body of the instructions at those points where they apply • If you neglect to include these special notices, You may find yourself in a lawsuit if readers injure themselves

Content and Organization of Instructions) Special Notices Style and Format • Note: To emphasize special points or exceptions that might otherwise be overlooked • Caution: To alert readers to the possibilities of minor injury because of some existing condition as well as possibilities of developed dangerous situation because of some unsafe practice (see Figure 5. 8) • Attention: To alert readers to a potential for ruining the outcome of the procedure or damaging the equipment (see Figure 5. 9)

• Danger: To call attention to a situation that is potentially lethal or extremely hazardous to people (exposed high voltage wires as a result of removing a computer side panel) Use this notice with discretion, reserving it for situations where irreparable injury or loss of life could occur unless extreme care is used

Instructions – Special Notices

Instructions – Special Notices

7. Recommendation Reports • A recommendation report evaluates or promotes an idea (an endorsement of telecommuting for fellow employees) • The context can vary: Management might direct you to study the feasibility of telecommuting • To make recommendations, management might direct you to compare telecommuting products and then recommend one

• A recommendation report, as its name indicates, makes a recommendation about plans, products, or people • In its simplest form: it establishes certain requirements (often called criteria), compares two or more options, and recommends one • Other elements may be involved (background on the technology; descriptions of the options; an explanation of how the field was narrowed)

Content and Organization of Recommendation Reports • Introduction: Indicate the purpose of the report which is to recommend something for a certain situation. Also, indicate briefly the content of the report. • Background on the Situation: You may discuss the circumstance that led to the need of such a report • Requirements: Indicate the requirements needed (cost, capabilities, operational features, software specifications, ease of use, file transfer capability…etc. )

• Technical Background: For certain situations, you may need to do a brief technical discussion on certain items, or components especially if new technology is involved. • Description: You may need to describe the options that you are comparing (without evaluation or showing any advantages of any option, do not be biased)

• Point-by-Point Comparison: You focus on comparison between the options by considering specific items (performance, cost, ease of use, warranties, service, capabilities). You also need conclude which item is the best among the options. • Conclusions and Summary: You summarize each item for each option and provide ranking for each one. • Recommendations: Which option you recommend based on the above summary.

Recommendation Reports

Recommendation Reports

Recommendation Reports

Writing Common Engineering Documents (Terms) • Recommendation Reports: Compare two or more options against each other (and again certain requirements) and then make a recommendation. • Evaluation Reports: Compare an idea, program, or thing against criteria or requirements as means of determining its value This type may recommend, but essential is the statement of the value of the idea, program, or thing

• Feasibility Reports: Compare a project against requirements relating to is economic, technical, or social practicality, and then recommend whether the project should be initiated. • Proposals: Make a bid or seek approval to do a project and then supply supporting information on the proposer’s qualifications. The primary task is to land a contract or get approval.