Professional and Technical
Written Communication for
Engineers
Session Eight
Test Procedure and
Discussion of Results
Prototype Demonstration
• 6 minutes/ per group + 2 minutes for
Q&A
• You need to cover:
• Rationale for the prototype toy
• Materials used
• How the prototype works
Test Procedure
• Readers of the report need to know how
rigorous the team has been in testing the
quality of the prototype. The way the device
has been tested is written in the same was as
other procedure sections
• in PAST TENSE, 3rd PERSON and using
PASSIVE VOICE.
• Test Procedure instead of Test ProcedureS
• You may use point form or write it in
paragraphs.
Test Procedure
To test the reliability of the
mousetrap, a series of tests on the
working mechanism of the system
were conducted. The system’s
working mechanism includes the
gate, the switching on of the light
bulb and the dropping of the
mousetrap sign. A hockey ball was
used to substitute for a real mouse
since it could simulate the size and
mass of a mouse as well as travel
along the inclined plane of the base
as a mouse might travel.
• Introduction of
the mechanism
/ parts tested
• PAST TENSE
is used except
“includes”
which
represents
factual
information
Test Procedure
The hockey ball was dropped onto the
system (as though the mouse crawled
there to eat the bait) initially ten times.
The gate closed and the light bulb was
activated each time. The mousetrap sign
failed to drop down four out of ten tests.
An examination of the tracks which held
the signs showed that the sign was too
large and caused friction of the
movement. To tackle this problem, the
sign was made smaller by 5mm and
lubricated by smoothing the edges with
sandpaper. A further ten tests showed
that the entire mechanism worked well.
Test results are shown in tables A and B.
• Describing the test
conducted
• Test results
• Problems arisen
• Modification to the
original design based
on the first test results
• Second test conducted
Critique Task
Results
After testing the mousetrap, it did
what it was expected when a mouse
was attracted by the bait. It would
come under the tin can and ate the
mouse bait. The mouse was trapped
inside afterward as expected. Sound
and light were then activated to
indicate a mouse had been trapped
inside. It showed that the trap worked
properly.
It is not adequate
because the
reader cannot tell
• what was done
in the tests,
• what the specific
results were,
and
• what the
significance of
the results was.
Discussion of Test Results
• Not only do you need to present the results,
discussion of results is also important.
• This section demonstrates to the reader that
the results have been analyzed in terms
of the accuracy of the findings and the
implications of the results.
• Brief summary of the results  specific
results  more general comments, inferences
and predictions.
Discussion of Test Results
• Analysis may include one or more of the following
perspectives:
•
•
•
•
Comparing the results with accepted and standard values
Explaining how the engineering theory had an impact on the results
Explaining errors in the results and the possible causes
Commenting on the suitability of the test procedure or other
procedure
• Dealing with problems which arose during the project
• The tense used in this section is predominantly past
tense.
Discussion of Test Results
Once the components of the mousetrap were
cut to specified sizes, the pieces all fit
together so that there was a smooth operation
of the system. The initial poor performance of
the sliding sign showed how precisely these
components needed to be cut and placed. This
suggests that the kit would need to make sure
that all the dimensions of the parts would need
to be carefully measured beforehand, or, that
the instructions included in the kit would make
suggestions to the kit builder about such
problems in a troubleshooting section.
• PAST TENSE
throughout EXCEPT
‘suggests” – which
indicates a general
finding / problem
• Discuss the results
with reference to the
design, engineering
The tests also confirmed that the simple and
principles, test
straightforward design had few problems and
procedure, etc.
would be able to stand up with frequent use.
Practice Task 2
The system was set
up and overall tests
were carried out ten
times. In the tests an
orange (mouse) was
dropped into the door
and the results are
shown in table 2.5.1.
• Too simple
• No mention of which
parts / mechanism
tested
• No mention of
modification to the
original design
despite the animation
failure
Practice Task 2
According to the results shown in Table 2.5.1, the net could
always trap the mouse and sound could be produced in all
the tests. The light bulb lighted up in 82% of the tests (9 out
of 11) and the animation started in 91% (10 out of 11) of the
tests. The light bulb failed to light up twice while the
animation failed to start once. The former was found to be
the result of dislocation of the tin plate under the net. This
could be remedied by using a larger tin plate. The latter
was due to the poor adjustment of the position of the net.
This could be remedied by carrying out the independent
adjustment before every testing. Although there were some
failures, the mousetrap was generally effective and reliable
since it could always trap the mouse tightly by the net and
then produce at least one kind of signal to inform the user.
Practice Task 2
According to the results shown in Table 2.5.1, the net could
always trap the mouse and sound could be produced in all
the tests. The light bulb lighted up in 82% of the tests (9 out
of 11) and the animation started in 91% (10 out of 11) of the
tests. The light bulb failed to light up twice while the
animation failed to start once. The former was found to be
the result of dislocation of the tin plate under the net. This
could be remedied by using a larger tin plate. The latter
was due to the poor adjustment of the position of the net.
This could be remedied by carrying out the independent
adjustment before every testing. Although there were
some failures, the mousetrap was generally effective and
reliable since it could always trap the mouse tightly by the
net and then produce at least one kind of signal to inform
the user.
Practice Task 2
• The former  The occurrence of the former
situation…/ the failure in making the light
bulb glow…
• The latter  As regards the reason of the
inactivation of animation, it was…
• Although there were some failures  too
negative, can be omitted.
Practice Task 3
• Discuss how you will report on the test
procedure of your invention.
• How will you record the results?
• Once you have the results, you will
need to interpret them so that you can
provide the reader with an analysis.
• What is the significance of the results you
obtained?
Reminder
• Hand in a hard copy of the Test
Procedure + Results + Discussion of
Results in class next week
• Make sure each member has a hard
copy of the drafts of the sections of the
report as you will need them to write
the conclusion and recommendations
individually in class in Session 10.