Project Proposal Support Notes
(Software Engineering Version)
Introduction
The following notes supplement the material provided in the dissertation support lectures (by Iain Craig) providing additional specific pointers for SE students. 
The first project deliverable (e.g. the abstract) provided a brief synopsis of your proposed project.
The project proposal should expand upon the ideas outlined in the abstract and give the reader a more detailed account of the project problem and the steps that you will be undertaking in order to achieve meaningful project problem resolution
A typical Software Engineering proposal should include the following essential content :-
■ Title Page
■ Contents Page
■ The Report Body (with several key sub-sections)
■ Bibliography/References
■ Appendix 1 – Project Gantt Chart
■ Additional Appendices (Where appropriate)
The following sections will examine each of these essential components
1) Title Page
The proposal title page should include the following information
a) Title
b) Name
c) Degree Title
d) Year
e) University Name
A good example can be found in Appendix A
2) Contents Page
The contents page should provide a clearly labelled list of the sections (and sub-sections) with page numbers, for each part of the proposal.
A good example can be found in Appendix B
3) The Report Body
The report body will likely include the following essential sections and content, as illustrated in Table 1.1 – Typical Proposal Body Content.
Table 1.1 – Typical Proposal Body Content
|
Section |
Summary of Content/Issues Addressed |
|---|---|
|
Introduction |
A brief overview of the relevant background information to provide the reader with the knowledge required to understand the context in which the problem exists. For example, details of the organisation/business/realm/area in which the problem resides. |
|
Rationale |
A synopsis of the problem(s) to be examined including the reason(s) why the problem is worth solving and the perceived benefits of problem resolution. For example, an organisation currently employs an ineffective business model. Some aspects of operation are dysfunctional leading to a loss of materials/resources/time/money/user dissatisfaction etc. An investigation into the development of a new business model, featuring a new software tool/system, could theoretically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation and result in several benefits including…… <list> The problem(s) should be spelled out clearly to the reader (e.g. if it’s not clear what you are trying to solve then you’ve got it wrong and it needs to be rewritten.) Make sure there is strong justification for your work (e.g. there should be a clear, perceivable, benefit from your work.) |
|
Aims and Objectives |
A concise summary of the aims/objectives of the work based on your previously stated rationale. For example, for the business based problem above, you could state… “With the fundamental objective of the proposed research being the redesign and redevelopment of the organisations order processing model and it’s supporting software framework, the following research goals are seen as appropriate:- 1) A detailed evaluation of existing business practices. 2) A review of existing business models and the software support solution utilised within comparable organisations. 3) etc… <List> |
|---|---|
|
Research Methodology |
The research methodology section should outline the steps that you are going to take in order to carry out your research. For a standard SE project, that involves a software development, you should typically address the following areas:- a) Problem domain investigation. – What areas/topics/technologies will you need to investigate? What’s already been developed/used? b) Software requirements engineering and solution specification – How will you collect/formulate the relevant system requirements data. c) System analysis and design – What techniques/tools/methods will you use to design your system? d) System construction – What programming environment(s)/language(s) will you employ to develop your software solution? e) System testing – What strategy will you employ to test your solution system? f) System evaluation – What evaluation techniques will you use to evaluate if the original problem has actually been solved? In each case, justification for approach selection is advantageous Comment on alternative approaches that could have been utilised is also valuable. |
|
The level of detail included at this stage need not be excessive. The use of several sub-sections within this section of the report can be utilised, for example:- 4 Research Methodology 4.1 Project Activity Overview 4.2 Problem Domain Investigation 4.3 Software Requirements Engineering 4.4 etc. (See Appendix B for one possible example) Examples of other possible sub-sections common to the research methodology include:- a) Algorithm Development b) Database Development c) Experimental Trial Strategy Obviously, the final selection of sub-sections used will depend on the type of project you are working on. |
|
|---|---|
|
Ethical Considerations |
This section of you report should outline any relevant ethical considerations that must be addressed during your research. For example, where experimental volunteers are to be used during your research, how will participants be recruited? How will you treat the volunteers during the experimental trials? How can you ensure impartiality? Could the experimental trials have any negative effects on the trial subjects? Etc. |
|
Legal Considerations |
This section of the report should address any relevant legal considerations that should be taken into account during the project. Typical examples include:- a) The data protection act. b) The disability discrimination act. c) Any other subject specific legislation. |
4) References
All references sited in your proposal should be refernced in this section. 
The Harvard reference style should be employed throughout the work. (See additional notes available on NILE)
5) Appendix 1 – Project Plan Gantt Chart
A Project Plan Gantt Chart should be submitted as the first appendix to your proposal. It should list all project milestones and deliverables and establish a clear timescale for the work to be completed.
6) Additional Appendices
Additional appendices can be included for other relevant subject/topics.
Common appendices included with proposals include, provisional system specifciation and designs.
Appendix A – Example Proposal Title Page
CSY 4010 Computing Dissertation
Project Proposal
A STRATEGY FOR THE EFFECTIVE SCHEDULING OF UNSOCIABLE OPENING HOURS FOR DUTY CHEMIST SHOPS
By
Simon James-Jones
A proposal submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bsc Computing (Software Engineering)
The University Northampton
2007
Appendix B – Example Proposal Contents Page
Contents
1 Background 1 2 Project Rationale 2 3 Project Aims and Objectives 3 4 Research Methodology 4
4.1 Research Activity Overview 5 4.2 Problem Domain Investigation 6 4.3 Requirements Engineering 7 4.4 System Analysis and Design 8 4.5 System Construction Strategy 9 4.6 System Test Strategy 10
4.7 System Evaluation Strategy 11 5 Ethical/Legal Considerations 12 6 References 13 Appendix
Appendix 1 – Project Plan Gantt Chart 15 Appendix 2 – Provisional System Specification 16 Appendix 3 – Provisional System Designs 17
Appendix C- Example Project Aims and Objects
With the design, development and evaluation of the Dyslexics User’s Interface Support Tool (DUIST) framework representing the fundamental objective of the proposed research, the identification of implicit research goals is appropriate. These research goals include: –
1) Identification of the design limitations of conventionally built interfaces for dyslexic users.
2) The formulation of a set of design principles for the effective construction of interfaces for dyslexic users.
3) An examination of emergent interface technology, including adaptive interface techniques, for evaluation and possible utilisation within the DUIST framework.
4) The formulation of a strategy to facilitate framework portability, for derived interface modifications
5) The design of suitable underlying models of dyslexia symptoms and interface specific symptom alleviation strategies.
6) The derivation of a suitable strategy for interface performance evaluation.
7) The development of a robust, reliable, user-friendly software environment to support dyslexic computer users and facilitate the evaluation of the performance impact of the previously formulated embedded system models
Appendix D- Example Project Gantt Chart
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