Project Definition
A short (a sentence or two) description of the goal of your project. That is, what is expected to be produced at the end of the work? What are the design goals of the project?
Project Objectives
What are the specifications of the goal, i.e., the accuracy, sensitivity, longevity, cost, etc. for what you are designing.
Strategy for Achieving Objectives
What do your need to do? In a paragraph or so describe how you will approach the problem. This can include investigation of prior work, prototyping, testing, final product. Be careful about using any components which must be ordered. You do not have much time in a summer semester! A good strategy is to combine the objectives, plan of action, the reporting schedule, and the timetable(see below) into a single section of the proposal.
Plan of Action
This is a set of tasks which are to be performed in order to successfully reach the desired goal. Be sure to include your reports as tasks. Also be sure to indicate parts which have to be specified and ordered to receive them in time to complete the project.
Reporting Schedule
See above. This usually corresponds to the published due dates for progress reports and final reports. However, if another schedule is more appropriate it should be documented in this section.
Budget
Your best estimate at this time what the project will cost.
Verification and/or Testing
This should state how you will show that your project meets the requirements, e.g., how do you know it works and how do you prove it to others?
Timetable
This is a type of “PERT” Chart showing each task (by number) on a bar graph vs. the date. For example, if Task 1 is to begin on Oct. 7 and end on Nov. 12, a horizontal bar labeled TASK 1 will stretch between those dates. The date is the horizontal axis. Note that certain tasks may be performed concurrently, especially in team projects.
Download a copy of the evaluation form I will use to grade your proposal.
Download a short project proposal similar to that described above.