Assignment Description – Innovation Proposal (30%)
ENCS 282 – Technical Writing and Communication
For this assignment, you will work in small groups to propose an innovative solution to a clearly
identified engineering or computer science problem. The proposal will be “unsolicited,” meaning
that the receiver—a company, agency, or organization—has not formally requested the
proposal. This means that the responsibility lies with your team to convince the receiver that a
solvable problem does, in fact, exist and that you have a well-thought-out solution worth
pursuing.
You may choose to propose a new product or system. You could also propose a solution to make
an existing technology greener, safer, faster, cheaper, smarter, more user friendly, or more
efficient. To do this, you will argue for and defend
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a refinement or improvement;
a new combination of technologies; or
the adaptation of an existing technology to a new context or environment.
In all cases, you are expected to carefully research the problem and survey the “state of the art”
in order to propose a convincing solution. Note, too, that the innovation process rarely jumps
from proposed solution to full implementation. Next deliverables in the process often include
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design reports to more fully develop solution concepts;
project management plans; or
feasibility studies or recommendation reports.
So, your goal will likely be to convince the proposal receiver to move to one of these subsequent
steps— tasks that you and your team can presumably complete.
Important: The innovation proposal is NOT an advertisement. It must clearly demonstrate that
your team understands the problem and can successfully complete the tasks you are proposing.
Problems should be sufficiently complex to justify a formal proposal.
The document should be structured as follows:
Front matter:
• Letter of transmittal
• Cover page
• Table of contents
• List of figures
• Executive summary
Body:
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Introduction and background (statement of need / potential solutions considered)
Plan of action with schedule of work (in the form of a Gantt Chart)
Itemized budget
Qualifications of team members
Conclusion
Press statement
End matter:
• Information sources
Formatting for the written proposal:
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Times New Roman 12-point font for body text
Numbered pages (Note: Start with Roman numerals [e.g., "i, ii, iii"] for the front matter
and then switch to Arabic numerals [e.g., "1, 2, 3"] for the body of the proposal.)
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Double-spaced text in body paragraphs
• Properly labelled and referenced tables and figures
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Please note that three deliverables are evaluated:
• Minutes based on four scheduled group meetings (5%)
• A 15-minute oral presentation of key content of the proposal (in tutorial / 10%)
• A formal written proposal that provides a detailed description of the problem and
defends a proposed solution (1500-2000 words not including the cover page,
table of contents, and references / 15%)