Overview of the Proposal MIME 4200: Senior Design Projects

What is the Proposal? Tool used to communicate intent of project  Problem  Brainstorming  Tentative Design  Approach What needs to be done Who needs to do it What resources are to be used Budget and Timeline

Parts of the Proposal Executive Summary Introduction Project Description Proposed Methodology Work Plan and Deliverables Schedule Budget References

Parts of the Proposal Executive Summary  Essentially an abstract of the proposal  Most important part, determines if the reader will stop here or read the rest of the proposal  Do this first, redo this last

Parts of the Proposal Introduction  Provides background to understand nature of the problem to be solved  Convinces reader that the problem is worth looking at  Also a review of literature

Parts of the Proposal Project Description  Concise statement of the problem  Asserts your knowledge of the problem

Parts of the Proposal Proposed Methodology  Review design ideas and evaluate them  Hand-drawn images are sufficient for this stage  This is where the House of Quality goes  Describe the selected design in detail and why it was chosen (i.e. explain your HOQ)

Parts of the Proposal Work Plan and Deliverables  Explain what tasks need to be done and how you intend to accomplish them  Identify team member roles/responsibilities  A TIMELINE helps to summarize  Also, explain the intended end result of the project

Parts of the Proposal Budget  Explain costs  A pie chart is a good way to summarize/visualize this  A table is a good way to organize

Parts of the Proposal References  Self explanatory  Formatted  Give credit where credit is due

Presentation vs. Paper Presentation  Visuals!  Don't bog down audience with details  Convince audience that your project is worthwhile  Convince audience that you understand the problem

Presentation vs. Paper Presentation  8 minutes presentation with 2 minutes for questions  Equal speaking parts for all members  Note cards only if necessary  Invite clients and advisors  Put speaker’s name on the bottom of each slide  Have a ‘presentation overview’ slide

Presentation vs. Paper Paper  Put in details  Use figures/pictures/charts to aid in explanation  Be clear and concise in writing  The proposal paper is the foundation for all future papers

Paper Details Title Page  Reference the sample Footer  XX “Title” “Page #” Make sure you have:  Table of Contents  List of Figures  List of Tables

Paper Details Figures and Tables:  Make sure the item on the same page as the corresponding text  Adequately describe each figure/table in the its label

Other notes Practice Practice Practice Proofread Proofread Proofread Reference prior projects for guidance Don't wait until the last minute! Other notes Good Luck!