We have developed a report format which is to the point and allows sufficient flexibility for students to document almost any type of project. Please try to follow this format as it makes the grading of the project more uniform and also ensures that the information we need to evaluate your project is present.
Some comments about writing are in order because you will be graded both on the technical content of your report and on the quality of your writing.
- Be sure to use your spell checker. Misspelled words are not professional.
- Write in the third person. DO NOT say I or we. Professional papers are very impersonal and written in the third person.
- A technical report is NOT a lab book or diary. Present the information in a concise, logical manner. You do not need to detail what you did each day or the order in which you did things except in your project plan.
- Number the pages of your report.
Title page (separate page)
This contains the project title, team member's names and signatures, technical advisor and sponsor name(s) and signature(s), and the date all on one page. This is the cover for your document and it should look professional (ask us for a sample template).
Executive Summary (separate page)
This is a one page standalone document which contains the project title, team members names, date, and a brief description of the project and its results. Describe how well the project works, what specifications were met, which were not and why. The Executive Summary should describe your project to someone outside the class who does not have any prior knowledge of your project. The executive summary may be single spaced to make it fit on one page.
Table of contents (optional, separate page)
A professional report will contain a table of contents listing each section title and the page on which it begins.
1. Introduction (this begins the report and is where you should begin page numbering)
This is where you can give general background or history. For example, why is this project important, how will it be used, or any similar sort of general project information can be put here.
2. Design and Technical Results
2.0 Introduction - Give a short overview of what you designed. For example, you designed a software package to perform a certain type of calculation to be used by practicing engineers.
2.1 Design Specification - Describe how well it is supposed to work. This is where you list the technical or functional specifications and any additional design requirements. For many projects this will be easy to write. However, for many projects such as the simulations encountered in systems engineering the specifications may come from the verification plan. For example, what outcomes should the simulation give for specific known inputs.
2.2 Design Results - This can be multiple sections where you describe what your final design actually does. This section should be very factual and can include experimental measurements, simulation results, screen shots, or anything else which can be used to describe how well your project works.
3. Methodology
3.0 Introduction - Give an overview of how you actually performed the project design. Did you use simulations, perform engineering calculations, build experimental prototypes and test them?
3.1 Final Design- This is where you describe your FINAL design in as much detail as possible. You can include final circuit or mechanical drawings, assembly instructions, software pseudo code, flowcharts, or anything else which describes your design in this section.
3.2 Alternative Designs - Did you investigate any other designs which didn't work or simply didn't work as well? This is where you can describe everything else you did that did not end up in the final design.
3.3 Design Plan - Present the project plan showing the original approach and any changes emphasizing which changes were necessary to work around any problems encountered during the project.
4. Results & performance
Discuss how your design compares to the original design specifications. This is where you should describe your verification plan and go through the testing you did. Which goals were met, which could not be met and why?
You can conclude this section with a discussion of what is good or bad about your design. Now that you have completed this project are there better ways to design it?
Some projects will require a document package such as a user manual in order to show completion. This can be included as one of the Appendices to the Technical Report.
5. Administrative
Describe the team responsibilities. Who actually did what parts of the project? This should be done using the project management plan. It is expected that each team member had both administrative and technical responsibilities.
Describe how well the project management plan worked. Were there unforeseen problems with any of the tasks? Were there delays in obtaining parts or software? Were major changes to the management plan or back-up plans required and implemented? What work arounds were necessary to keep the project on schedule?
6. Design Implications
Does your final design have any implications or concerns involving cost, ethics, environmental impact, sustainability, manufacturability, health & safety , or social or political impact? If so, discuss them here.
7. Conclusions and Future Work
Describe what worked and did not work being as short and factual as possible.
Describe what work remains to be done to turn this project into a final product that can be used by someone. Is there follow-on work (design modifications, testing, or packaging) which can/should be done by another project team next semester?
Appendices
Use appendices as appropriate. These can contain detailed program listings, user manuals, or anything else which is too detailed and/or too long to pout anywhere else in the report.
Download a copy of the evaluation form (PDF, 16kB) we will use in grading your final report.
Download samples of senior projects from previous years. Note that we have changed the report format over the years and are now much more specific about the things which your final report needs to include.
Medical Astronaut Monitoring System (PDF, 105kB)
Optical Process Monitor(PDF, 187kB)
Design of a Convolutional Code Simulator(PDF, 328kB)
Automated S-Parameter Analyzer(PDF, 3.5MB)