How to write your proposal

EE3802

Proposal

• You need to submit a proposal on 9-Sept

• So it is the first item related to your project that you need to work on

• Therefore, we will discuss how to write your proposal on first two weeks of lectures

When a proposal is needed?

• To apply for a grant– UGC research proposal (academic staff’s

major activities during summer!)– To get money from SU, Department, faculty

• To take part in a competition– HSBC Young Entrepreneur awards

• To inform and review– Academic development proposal of PolyU

(available in PolyU web page)

Why you need to write a proposal for your project?

• What is/are the major purpose(s) of your proposal?– To get money?– To compete?– To inform?– To review?

Why writing your proposal?

• Gain in-depth understanding of what you’re going to do for your project!– By go through the background research– By writing the methodology

• To train your writing skill

• To gain knowledge in project management and planning

Some examples

• http://www.yourtickettowork.com/selftraining/ENCap-SampleProposal.pdf

• http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/proposal.samples.html

Basic elements of proposal• All proposals must include certain basic information:

– A suitable and relevant title

– Why are you doing the project – what is the problem

– What will you be doing

– How will you be doing it

– Who will be doing it

– Where will it be done

– How long will it take

– How much will it cost

Basic elements

• Depended on the purposes of the proposal emphasis will not be the same

• For example– A grant application may have details related

to the cost

Basic elements

• Title– Title should be clear and concise – Relevant to the work– You now have a title but you can modify it to

suit your work – You can change your project title before you

submit your final report– Make sure that your project title is appropriate

to your work!!!!

Example of a suitable title

• If objective is to signal an alarm after a user falls then which is a more suitable title?– Fall prevention alarm – Fall detection alarm

Basic elements

• Why are you doing this project– First component in your proposal– Explained by an introduction, a summary or

an abstract– Problem statement

Summary or abstract

• This is a very important part of the proposal – first impression

• Since it is a summary – write it last

• It should cover – objectives, need, methodology and dissemination plans

• It should identify the expect outcomes of the project

• Fit on one page (in your case, may be less)

Introduction or problem statement• States the need• Well documented description of the problem

to be addressed• Why it is important• Use support information • Should describe the significance, timeliness,

and importance of your project• You need a lot of background research to

complete this!!!!

Basic elements

• What will you be doing – Objectives (In point form is easier to write as

well as for evaluation)– Sometimes, objectives should be quantitative

so that measurement is possible

Objectives

• Indicate the expected outcomes

• To show – What you will do– How much– By when

• The success of a project can be evaluated by referring to the objectives

Objectives

• Objectives should be quantitative

• For example – To produce a 100% efficient battery charger

• So based on the above objective if you cannot produce a 100% efficient battery charger then you are not able to meet the objective!

Basic elements

• How will you be doing it– Background (what have been done by others)– Methodology or plan of action

Background

• What have been done by others– Literature survey (but not literature survey!)– A chance to learn from others

• What experience do you have– If you are asking for money then you need to

show your readers that you have the experiences to carry out the project

– Not in your case!

Methods or methodology• Critical part of the proposal also the longest• A plan of action for how the objectives will

be achieved• Usually starts will a description of the

overall approach, its relevance, effectiveness and innovativeness

• Give details on methodology and how anticipated problem will be managed

Evaluation

• How to measure if the project has accomplished its objectives

• What data will be collected, how it will be analyzed, how results will be reported

Basic elements

• Who will be doing it– Of course it is you so not necessary in your

case

• Where will it be done– In your case, this is not really relevant (you

will be either doing it in campus or at home?)

Basic elements

• How long will it take– A schedule (usually

presented in a form of a Grant chart)

• Since your project will last for 7 months so use week or month as your unit (not day)

• Try to use meaningful terms (buy components is no good)

Basic elements

• How much will it cost– In your case, it is not too important because

your proposal is not for grant application– You can spend up to $1200 so you can

itemize how to spend your money

Basic elements

• Reference list– Reference materials included in your list must

be properly quoted in your proposal

• Appendix if necessary

Examples of references

• Hunt, S. (1966) Carbohydrate and amino acid composition of the egg capsules of the whelk. Nature, 210, 436-437.

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1997) Commonly asked questions about ozone. http://www.noaa.gov/public-affairs/grounders/ozo1.html, 9/27/97.

Examples of references

• Turner, M. J., Martin, H. C., and Leible, R. C., “Further Development and Applications of Stiffness Method,” Matrix Methods of Structural Analysis, 1st ed., Vol. 1, Wiley, New York, 1963, pp. 6–10.

• Vickers, A., “10–110 mm/hr Hypodermic Gravity Design A,” Rainfall Simulation Database [online database], http://www.geog.le.ac.uk/bgrg/lab.html [retrieved 15 March 1998].

• “Equations, Tables, and Charts for Compressible Flow,” NACA Rept. 1135, 1953

Proposals • 8-15 pages• Assessed according to

– Composed a feasible technical project proposal (problem identification & methodology) (40%)

– Developed a good project plan (strategies, systematic approaches and scheduling) (20%)

– Improved writing quality – competency on communication (20%)

– Literature research (20%)

Tips• Figures

– A picture say more than a thousand words

• Figures – illustrate important aspects of the background materials, especially the overall system architecture

• A well labeled figure can reduce text length (or increase text length!)

• Improve proposal clarity• A flow-chart can help explaining your logic of a program• Data presented as a figure also easier to understand

comparing to a table

Tips

• Use of English– Poor grammar and spelling distract from the

content of the proposal– Do spell check and grammar check – Read your proposal repeatedly before

submission: your supervisor is not supposed to proof-read your proposal or reports

– Try to use simple sentences and simple words

Exercise

• Write a proposal to the HoD of EE to– Organize a study tour to USA, Canada, Egypt etc– Organize an on-line game competition – Reduce the workload of students

• Try to complete the followings– Abstract, introduction, problem statement– Objectives– Cost (if any)– schedule