FINAL YEAR PROJECT PRIMER By Steve Teoh

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman © 2007 Page 1 of 3

Sample Guide for Project Proposal Report
The following is a sample outline that contains vital elements in a student’s project proposal.
Note that all questions for a section may not apply to all students, and should be used as a
general guide only. You do not have to follow it 100%. You can present the report in another
manner but please ensure the important elements are in your report if you wish to do well in
your final year project.
1. Cover Page with Title, Author’s Name, Supervisor’s Name, Date
2. Problem Definitions/ Introduction (1 or 2 paragraphs)
• Summarize the problem
• Describe format/outline of the proposal (sections, etc.)
3. Preliminary Background Study (1 to 3 paragraphs)
• What is the history of the problem?
• Why is this problem interesting?
• When and why does the problem occur?
• Is the problem already solved? What is done now?
4. Project Objectives and Scopes (1 paragraph)
• What in general will this project achieve? (Do not delve into details or
timelines.)
5. Project Details
• General Work Procedures (1-2 paragraphs + figures)
o A brief statement of the methodology for the realization of the project.
It could define the general approach to how the project and its output(s)
will be realized.
• Implementation Issues and Challenges (1-2 paragraphs)
o What will be the most difficult issues and challenges in the
implementation?
o What makes your project unique?
• Timeline (1 paragraph – Gantt Chart form)
o Provide an estimated timeline of project deliverables and important
dates.
FINAL YEAR PROJECT PRIMER By Steve Teoh
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman © 2007 Page 2 of 3
6. Conclusion (1 paragraph)
• Summarize the project including the problem, motivation, and proposed
solution (if any).
7. References
• List references used to compile proposal and references that will be used for
project (if already known).
Sample Guide for Progress Report
Progress reports are written in this course to keep the supervisors informed about the
progress of the project in terms of work completed, problems encountered and work
remaining. Even though progress reports are often in the form of a memo, the writer should
be careful to write formal, standard prose.
Progress reports represent not only the writer's work but the writer's organizational and
communication skills. Below is proposed outline on writing a progress report. The outline
should be taken as a general guide only.
Heading:
The heading should contain the following standard elements:
o Progress Report #: Indicate what number the report is.
o Reporting Period: Identify the time period covered by the report
o Submittal Date: Indicate the date that the report is sent
o Project Name: Indicate the name of the project
o Student Name: Indicate the student’s name
o Supervisor Name: Indicate the supervisor’s name and co – supervisor (if any)
o Subject: A clear phrase that focuses on the subject
Background:
This is where the student gives the reader (supervisor) some background information. Tell
the reader what the project is and clarify its purpose and time scale. If there have been earlier
progress reports, you might make a brief reference to them.
FINAL YEAR PROJECT PRIMER By Steve Teoh
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman © 2007 Page 3 of 3
Work Completed:
This section of a progress report explains what work has been done during the reporting
period. You might arrange this section chronologically (following the actual sequence of the
tasks being completed), or you might divide this section into subparts of the larger project
and report on each subpart in sequence. Whatever pattern you use, please be consistent.
Problems:
If the reader is likely to be interested in the glitches you have encountered along the way,
mention the problems you have encountered and explain how you have solved them. If there
are problems you have not yet been able to solve, explain your strategy for solving them and
give tell the reader when you think you will have them solved.
Work Schedule:
Specify the dates of the next segment of time in the project and line out a schedule of the
work you expect to get accomplished during the period. It is often a good idea to arrange this
section by dates, which stand for deadlines. To finish the progress report, you might add a
sentence evaluating your progress thus far.
Appendices:
Include relevant appendices if necessary.