IENG 471 Fall Lesson Five Writing a Project Report

IENG 471 Fall 2006 Lesson Five Writing a Project Report

Lesson Five Writing a Project Report Table of Contents 1. Why You Need This Lesson...1 2. What Is In This Lesson...2 3. Guidelines for Writing...3 4. Be the Editor...4 5. How Did You Do?...5 6. Essential Components of a Report...6 7. The Background Section...7 8. Sample Background Section...8 9. The Project Methodology Section...9 10. Sample Project Methodology...10 11. The Project Findings Section...11 12. Sample Project Findings Section...12 13. The Recommendations Section...15 14. Sample Recommendations Section...16 15. The Appendices Section...17 16. The Executive Summary Section...18 17. Sample Executive Summary...19 18. Summary...20 19. Assignment...21

1 1. Why You Need This Lesson Engineering designs often end up as a project report. These reports are very different from a research paper that you may have written in school. In this lesson, we are going to show you how to write project reports that will get the results you want. Read the case study below. Ted realized early in his career how important a technical report was. Case Study: I remember a project that I did early in my career. It was a large linear programming model. The results of the model showed that the company could increase the profit contribution by 84% in one of its plants. I wrote a report on my work but I got no results. I was really disappointed. When I looked into the lack of a response, I discovered the report I wrote was poorly done. When I rewrote the report, I got much better results. From that point on, I realized how critical the report was. -Ted, Class of 72

2 2. What Is In This Lesson Technical reports are different from research papers. When you write a technical report, you are reporting on what you did and what you recommend. The focus is more on the analysis than the eloquence of your writing. The most critical aspect in a technical report is to make the case for your recommendations. When you complete this lesson, you will be able to: Describe what is expected in a project report. Write a project report.

3 3. Guidelines for Writing Project reports have some specific guidelines with respect to writing. Statements should be made in passive voice. o Active voice I collected data on o Passive voice Data was collected on Personal pronouns should not be used. Keep sentences short (less than 15 words whenever possible). Maintain a syllables-per-word average at less than 1.5 (see the case study). Don t use vague descriptions of quantities (e.g., a lot, many, few). Give estimates of the actual amounts. Make the writing visually attractive. o Limit paragraph to 3-4 sentences. o Use bullets for lists. o Use charts and graphs to show relationships. Case Study: Count the syllables-per-word average in the following sentence: How a firm is organized is undeniably long term in its effects, because corporate structures acquire inertia opposing change from inception. The syllables for each word are shown as follows: How (1) a (1) firm (1) is (1) organized (3) is (1) undeniably (5) long (1) term (1) in (1) its (1) effects (2), because (2) corporate (3) structures (2) acquire (2) inertia (3) opposing (3) change (1) from (1) inception (3). Syllables = 39 Words = 21 Syllables per word = 1.86

4 4. Be the Editor Read the following excerpts from actual student reports and correct the writing using the guidelines shown in Section 3. A. The meters, many of which were purchased in 1995, have been, in my opinion, a major cause of the apparent and pervasive quality concerns that many of us have expressed in our weekly quality meetings and our quarterly all-hands meetings, which most of management has attended. B. We have been selling a lot to the Houston area. We recommend a new salesperson for that area. C. The last six months production has been January (1266), February (1091), March (2132), April (2067), May (2411), June (1862). Write down your corrections before you go to the next section.

5 5. How Did You Do? Here are some possible corrections for the sentences. A. The meters have been the cause of percent of the quality problems. A total of meters out of were purchased prior to 1995. B. There has been a sales growth of percent in Houston. An additional salesperson is needed to serve this area in order to... C. The last six months of production have been as follows: How did you do? Month Sales Month Sales Jan 1266 Apr 2067 Feb 1091 May 2411 Mar 2132 Jun 1862

6 6. Essential Components of a Report There are six components in project reports. They are, in order: 1. Executive Summary a short summary of everything the reader needs to know from the report (1 page). 2. Project Background what led to the project being done (1-2 pages). 3. Project Methodology how the project was conducted (2-3 pages). 4. Project Findings the new insights that were gained from the project (2-5 pages). 5. Project Recommendations statements of what needs to happen. 6. Appendices supporting information that backs up the other sections of the report. Later you will be writing a report that uses all of these components. We will cover each section in detail in the remaining sections. Note we will cover the Executive Summary last since this is generally the last section in the report that is written, although it shows up as the first part of the final report.

7 7. The Background Section Here are some general rules for the background section of the report. This is the section that develops the context for the report. 1. The project background is designed to tell the reader why the project was done. 2. Typical information contained in the project background includes: What was the issue being examined? What was the desired result from the project? Who authorized the project? 3. The project background should not repeat information that readers will already know. 4. The project background is typically 1-2 pages in length. To show you what a background section looks like, go to the next section. Key Point: Basically the background should give your readers the information they need to understand what follows in the report. Q: Haven t I already written this in the project plan? A: Yes you have. You may want to review what you already wrote to make sure it is still correct.

8 8. Sample Background Section Outlined below is a sample background section. Background In 1990 the New Artists Symphony began to go on the road to bring classical music to communities across West Virginia. These run-out concerts have been very successful in the communities that have hosted them. Financing for the concerts has come from several sources. The Greenstone Foundation has been a major contributor along with West Virginia State government. Local communities also support the concerts. The New Artists Symphony has also supported the concerts through its operating budget. The Greenstone Foundation has agreed to provide $150,000 for the concerts for three more years. Greenstone has also agreed to help the New Artists Symphony develop a financial plan for the run-out concerts. The State of West Virginia has also made a financial commitment to the fund by providing a grant of $1,000,000. This money is being used by the New Artists Symphony as an endowment for the run-out concerts. The purposes of this study are to: Develop an accurate accounting system that can be used to estimate the total costs of the run-out concerts. Develop a financial plan for the run-out concerts that provides for the long-term viability of the concerts after Greenstone funding is discontinued. This project was commissioned by the Greenstone Foundation.

9 9. The Project Methodology Section Outlined below are guidelines for writing the methodology section of your report. 1. The project methodology is a description of how you analyzed the problem. 2. Typical components of the project methodology are: An overview description of your analysis approach. Specific information on how data was collected, analysis models that were used, assumptions made scope of the analysis, etc. 3. The methodology section should be organized by a logical flow of the analysis, not a diary of your work activities. 4. The methodology section should minimize professional jargon that may not be familiar to others. 5. You should think of this section as being documentation that might be used by others who may want to do a similar project. 6. Do not discuss findings in this section. 7. Place detailed information on the methodology in the Appendix. On the following page, you will find a sample of the methodology section for the New Artists Symphony example. Key Point: Give an overview of your methodology first as a list of your steps. Then give more explanation on each step in your analysis. Q: How does this differ from what I used to describe as tasks in my project plan? A: The task descriptions are the basic outline of your methodology. You may want to add more information about these to describe what you actually did.

10 10. Sample Project Methodology The methodology for the New Artists Symphony example is shown below. Methodology The costs for the run-out concerts were determined as follows: 1. Reviewed the current accounting system to determine how costs are recorded. 2. Examined all cost elements of the roll-out concerts and determine how these are recorded in the accounting system. 3. Developed an estimate of the costs per one concert that can be used to estimate the total concert costs. 4. Compared the cost estimate from step (3) with the revenues to determine the viability of the concerts. Three basic costs were examined: Direct costs costs that vary from one concert to another, including orchestra salaries, transportation, housing, per diem expenses, etc. Assigned overhead costs for the run-out concerts in general but not specific to any one concert, including some staffing, printed materials, telephone, etc. Unassigned overhead costs for the overall administration of the New Artists Symphony that are used for only the New Artists concerts. The accounting process used for the run-out concerts was as follows: 1. Assign all direct costs to the specific concerts incurring those costs. 2. Divide up the assigned overhead equally among the various concerts given. For example, if there were $10,000 in assigned overhead and 10 run-out concerts, then the assigned overhead per concert would be $1,000. 3. Allocate the unassigned overhead based on the number of service units committed to the concert. A service unit in this case is defined as one member of the orchestra participating in one practice or one concert. The methodology for making this allocation is shown in Appendix A.

11 11. The Project Findings Section Outlined below are guidelines for writing the Findings section of the report. 1. Project findings represent what you found out from your analysis. 2. Organize your findings by a series of: Statements of Findings (e.g., the meters were found to be out of operation nearly 25% of the time) Data/Information that supports your statements (e.g., statistical data on meters) 3. Every recommendation that you will be making should be supported by project findings. 4. Place extensive data in an appendix or reference its location. 5. Making extensive use of charts/tables to present your findings. In the next section is the Findings Section of the New Artists Symphony concert example. Q: Can photographs be used in this section of the report? A: Photographs or other visual aids are a great way to present findings.

12 12. Sample Project Findings Section Shown below is an example of the Findings section for the New Artists project. Findings Finding 1: Current accounting for the cost of the run-out concerts is not adequate. The accounting for the costs of the run-out concerts has been complicated by several factors: Run-out concerts and the traditional concerts often use the same resources and personnel. It is very difficult to separate these costs. Many of the costs of the run-out concerts are taken care of with in-kind donations. These particular costs do not appear on the New Artists Symphony financial statements. There has been no consistent reporting of costs by the New Artists Symphony, due in some part to a turnover in accounting staff. The lack of an accounting process has also contributed to the inconsistent cost determination. Finding 2: The run-out concerts were underfunded by $111,800 in 2004. Using the approach outlined in Appendix A, costs of the run-out concerts were estimated. In Exhibit 1, the funding requirement for each run-out concert is compared to the funding being provided by the community. The figures shown are for the 2004 concert season. Exhibit 1 Comparison of Funding Needs and Community Sponsorship Funding Requirement Community Funding Clarksburg/Canaan $52,100 $23,000 Huntington 11,400 21,000 Fairmont/Kingwood/Glenville/Elkins 83,000 51,600 Bluefield/Weirton 53,900 31,100 Young People s Tour 55,100 17,000 $255,500 $143,700

13 The funding gap between the costs to the New Artists Symphony and what the communities support totaled was $111,800 in 2004. The funding gap was essentially provided by an internal transfer of funds from the traditional concerts to the run-out concerts. Finding 3: Local community funding will need to make up the funding gap. The long-term viability of the run-out concerts will depend on the replacement of the Greenstone support and the identification of other ways to generate funding. Exhibit 2 shows one way that the run-out concert program could be funded over the next five years. Exhibit 2 Five-Year Funding Plan Option 1 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Sponsor funding $170,000 $180,000 $190,000 $200,000 $210,000 Greenstone grant 50,000 50,000 0 0 0 Endowment income 0 0 0 0 16,000 Other grants 0 0 50,000 50,000 50,000 Internal transfer from 43,000 41,000 39,000 38,000 20,000 traditional concerts Funding requirement $263,000 $271,000 $279,000 $288,000 $296,000 In general, the funding plan outlined in Exhibit 2 calls for a steady increase in local community funding. This increase would basically offset increased costs but would not offset reduction in Greenstone financing. In the model shown in Exhibit 2, the New Artists Symphony would need to secure another grant since the endowment fund would not provide enough funding to offset the reduction in Greenstone funding. Finding 4: Endowment funding will not offset the amount of money coming from Greenstone. It is unlikely that the endowment funding can be built up enough to offset the Greenstone Foundation. Another approach to financing the run-out concerts would be to expect sponsoring communities to take on an even greater share of the costs of the concerts. One such model for this financing option is shown in Exhibit 3.

14 Exhibit 3 Five-Year Funding Plan Option 1 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Sponsor funding $170,000 $190,000 $210,000 $230,000 $250,000 Greenstone grant 50,000 50,000 0 0 0 Endowment income 0 0 0 0 16,000 Other grants 0 0 50,000 25,000 10,000 Internal transfer from 43,000 41,000 19,000 33,000 20,000 traditional concerts Funding requirement $263,000 $271,000 $279,000 $288,000 $296,000 In the model shown in Exhibit 3, an additional grant would be necessary, but by the end of the fifth year, the run-out concerts could be sustained with sponsor funding, endowment income, and internal fund transfers. In the models shown in both Exhibits 2 and 3, sponsor funding increases would not be across the board. Some communities would see steeper increases than others. In general, an effort should be made to have all communities pay roughly the same share of the direct costs. Finding 5: Overhead costs can be reduced. Other options could be provided. These include lowering overhead costs or direct costs of the concerts, spreading the overhead costs among more concert cities (without an increase in actual costs), and increasing the endowment with significant new additions of funds. Lowering overhead costs or indirect costs would be difficult to achieve, especially in the magnitude needed for self-sufficiency. Increasing the number of concert cities could reduce the deficit by $5,000-$15,000 per city if the communities were to fund the concerts at the level envisioned in Exhibit 3. This may be a viable option, but it would not offset the costs substantially. Increasing the endowment is an obvious solution but one that may be difficult to achieve.

15 13. The Recommendations Section Outlined below are guidelines for the Recommendations section of the report. 1. Project recommendations are statements of specific actions that should be taken. 2. Describe recommendations as action statements with sufficient detail so that there is no confusion as to what you mean. 3. Include a rationale for each recommendation 4. Recommendations should contain a cost analysis and a payback analysis. Go to the next section to see how the Recommendations section looks for the New Artists project.

16 14. Sample Recommendations Section Recommendations Outlined below are representative recommendations for financing the run-out concerts. 1. Increase the funding contribution of local communities by $5,000 per community by year 2010. The local community share should increase by $1,000/year beginning in 2006. Rationale: Local communities receive the benefit from the concerts. Increasing this funding by $1,000 per year will generate an additional $5,000 in 2006 and grow to $25,000 by 2010. 2. Identify a statewide corporate sponsor who would be willing to pay $25,000 per year for the sponsorship. Rationale: The audience for the concerts is a prime market segment that would be very attractive to law firms, banks, investment counselors, etc. Note: These are representative of recommendations. Normally there will be 5-7 recommendations.

17 15. The Appendices Section Outlined below are guidelines for appendices. 1. Appendices contain documentation that is too lengthy to be included in the main body of the report. 2. Keep appendices concise. If your documentation is extensive, reference where this documentation is filed. 3. Label the appendices for faster reference (e.g., A,B,C etc.). 4. Appendices should be referenced in sequential order, with Appendix A being referenced in your report before Appendix B, for example. Key Point: Only include information in the appendix that is needed. The size of the report should be kept as small as possible.

18 16. The Executive Summary Section The Executive Summary is actually the first section in the report but the last section you write. Outlined below are some guidelines for writing the Executive Summary. In many cases, this is the only page that the reader will look at. You really need to make this section as clear and as compelling as you can make it. 1. The Executive Summary is generally a one-page description of your project and its recommendations. 2. When deciding on the content for the Executive Summary, the appropriate question is If the reader only reads this one page, what does the reader need to know? 3 The focus of the Executive Summary should be: What did you find out about the problem? What do you recommend? Why? 4. You should not go into your methodology or technical detail in the Executive Summary.

19 17. Sample Executive Summary Here is an example Executive Summary for the New Artists Symphony project. Executive Summary This project examined the long-term financial viability of the run-out concerts being conducted by the New Artists Symphony in various communities in West Virginia. The project team examined the costs of the run-out concerts as well as the possible revenue streams. The run-out concerts are currently being supported by local communities, the Greenstone Foundation, and the New Artists Symphony. The concerts are not currently financially viable. The Greenstone Foundation has indicated that it cannot support the concerts indefinitely. The current deficit is $. The following actions are recommended in order to make the concerts viable. 1. Increase the local community share by $1,000/year for the next five years. This will eventually generate $ in additional revenue. Note: The remaining recommendations are not presented here.

20 18. Summary The essential components of a project report are: 1. Executive Summary a short summary of everything the reader needs to know from the report (1 page). 2. Project Background what led to the project being done (1-2 pages). 3. Project Methodology how the project was conducted (2-3 pages). 4. Project Findings the new insights that were gained from the project (2-5 pages). 5. Project Recommendations statements of what needs to happen. 6. Appendices supporting information that backs up the other sections of the report.

21 19. Assignment Prepare a draft copy of your project report and submit it for review. The report should follow the guidelines in this lesson.