Unit 1 Engineering Design (K/615/1475) Assignment 1, 2026

Unit 1 Engineering Design Assignment 1

Vocational Scenario

You work as a junior design engineer at an engineering firm. You have been approached with a design project that is closely related to the specific discipline you have studied, making you familiar with the component/system, which leaves you well placed to be the one to tackle the client’s brief. You are keen to take on this project which is closely related to your expertise and will bolster your experience by allowing you to conduct planning, design and presentation activities in a self-led project that you can deliver to your team.

Please Read This Brief Carefully Before You Start This Assignment

Before you start this unit, you need to decide on a component or system you want to design. It would be beneficial if this was related to your workplace. It is imperative that your design idea is approved by your unit tutor to ensure that what you’re proposing is suitable and achievable and that you have a clear understanding of the requirements.

Tips:

• Consider things you encounter in your day-to-day role, this may be something you feel needs upgrading, has poor functionality, breaks down often, is unsafe to use, or generally inconvenient.
• Preferably, you will keep this narrow to either an aspect of a system or an individual component, so that your report doesn’t end up an unmanageable size. It is key that your project is an engineering design activity and does not encroach into project management, planning, installation or implementation territory.
• With your initial idea in mind – read through Task 2 below and consider whether your design idea offers enough scope to provide all the required details.

Employing the AIAS 2 – AI Planning should not be required here as this relates to your workplace. However, AI tools can be used to plan the specific aspect of the chosen project you wish to use and help you narrow your focus.

Activity to complete: Propose an idea for what you would like to design

This should be done by completing the first activity on Totara. Your proposal should briefly explain the intended component or system you want to design and your plan. You should first state what your programme of study is, as it is essential that we can identify whether this work is within your remit and corresponds to your chosen discipline.

Depending on whether your proposed idea sounds suitable for this unit assignment, this activity will be marked as either Accepted or Not Accepted.

Note: If your proposal is accepted, you will unlock the Task 1 activity on Totara. If your proposal is not accepted, you will be provided with details on why we believe this would not work for this assignment and allowed to submit another. Support can also be arranged at this point if this is required.

What To Hand In For The Initial Idea Proposal

• Complete the first Totara activity with your programme of study clearly stated.
• Briefly identify the component or system you propose to design and explain your plan.
• Show that the proposal is an engineering design activity within your discipline and has sufficient, manageable scope for the later tasks.

Approval Checkpoint

Your unit tutor must accept the Initial Idea Proposal before Task 1 unlocks. If it is not accepted, use the feedback and support offered to revise and resubmit the proposal.

Task 1: Project Specification and Planning

The starting point for a design project is the initial interpretation of the client brief and the development of a working specification that would meet this brief. Once the specification has been established it will be necessary to plan and schedule the activities and resources to deliver the final design.

Firstly, you will assume the role of the client and develop the design brief, then in your role as a design engineer you will develop a detailed design specification, after which you will need to compare your specification with a typical published guide on preparing an industrial design specification.

Finally, you will need to research project management techniques and develop a Gantt chart (indicating the critical path) for the design activities to be undertaken in Task 2.

To achieve the above you need to produce a report which addresses the activities detailed in sections 1 to 7 below:

1. Design Brief – Assuming the role of the client you are required to formulate a design brief for the product/system. The design brief will be the main starting point for the design process and will describe in enough detail the essential elements of the design and its main function that the design is intended to address.
2. Design Specification – Develop a detailed design specification, this should typically include the functional & performance requirements, environmental operational conditions and applicable published standards.
3. Specification Justification – Deliver a short explanation of exactly how the client’s design brief was used to inform the decisions made in your design specification.
4. Comparison with ACCESS-FM – Comment on the similarities or differences between your specification (2.0) and an industry standard method of preparing a specification such as ACCESS-FM. Ask yourself whether the specification developed in section 2.0 addresses (or otherwise) the topics suggested by ACCESS-FM.
5. Planning Techniques – Give a brief overview two different project planning techniques that may be used in the design phase of the project (task 2) and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Explain which of these two techniques you have chosen for the design phase of your project and justify your reasons for doing so. (Do not use a Gantt chart as one of your techniques, as it is already required below)
6. Gantt chart and Critical Path – Create a detailed Gantt chart using ‘Gantt project’ (link below) for the design phase of the project (task 2), your Gantt chart should clearly demonstrate the critical path.
7. Critical Path Analysis – Discuss the importance of the critical path when managing a project of this kind with specific reference to the critical path of your Gantt chart.

What To Hand In For Task 1

• A Task 1 report addressing all seven numbered activities: design brief, design specification, specification justification, ACCESS-FM comparison, planning techniques, Gantt chart and critical path analysis.
• A detailed design specification covering functional and performance requirements, operating conditions and applicable published standards.
• A comparison with ACCESS-FM and an evaluation of two planning techniques, excluding the Gantt chart itself from those two techniques, with the chosen method justified.
• A detailed GanttProject chart for Task 2 that clearly shows the critical path, together with analysis of its importance for this project.
• The report uploaded to the second Totara activity for formative review; advised word count 2,000 words, excluding contents, references, appendices and diagrams.

Task 2: Formal Design Report

During Your Completion Of Task Two, If You Have Any Questions, Or Require Assistance Please Use The ‘Need Help?’ Request Form On Totara. This Will Be Forwarded To The Unit Tutor, Who Will Contact You To Arrange Suitable Support.

With the design specification and project plan in place from Task 1, it is now time for the practical aspects of the design project to begin. You should now develop the design to completion and produce a detailed design report and presentation.

To achieve the above you need to produce a ‘Design Report’ it is suggested that you base your report on the following structure addressing the topics as detailed below:

Title page, this should feature the project title, your name and assignment title – optionally, a graphic can be included (no page number on this sheet).

Abstract, this is a self-contained summary of the complete report, this should be less than half a page (page number i).

Acknowledgements, this is where you acknowledge support from colleagues, friends, other organisations etc (page number ii).

Contents table, this lists each section in the document and the page number where that section begins (page number iii).

1.0   Introduction – The introduction states the purpose and goals of your report. A few short paragraphs will suffice here (this is always section 1, and numbered page 1).

2.0   Specification – This could be an overview of the specification from task 1, you can also refer to the design specification in task 1.

3.0   Literature Review – In this section you need to demonstrate that you have undertaken research in the subject area, this could include underpinning theory, books, journals, trade publications, component manufactures web sites, similar work by others etc.

The literature review should enable you to establish three possible design solutions, which are to be presented in section 4.0. Importantly, the information delivered and context set in the literature review gives you the authority to justify the decisions presented in the subsequent sections. This section should not simply be a source list, and instead a critical evaluation of the relevant literature in a narrative form, summarising key concepts and offering an analysis. This should always relate back to your design and any gaps in knowledge can be identified.

4.0  Design Options and Decision Matrix – This should be a shortlist and brief description of three potential design options that you have developed, with a final, justified selection of the design you wish to put forward (use a Pugh engineering decision matrix).

5.0    Detail design,

Your detailed design needs to demonstrate:

• Any modelling (physical tests, calculations, software simulations etc) that you have done in developing your design.
• Any evidence of how your design manifests (detailed dimensions, sketches, CAD models/drawings, prototypes etc).
• Verification of decisions that you made such as material selection, component selection etc.
• How the design links back to the design specification, comparing the specification and the design.

• That you have considered how the component/system can be manufactured or installed.
• How the design complies with industry standards, and health and safety policies, with consideration towards environmental impact.
• The risks to the completion of the design phase, this can be evaluated using a ‘Cause-and-Effect Diagram’ which should be inserted into Appendix A.

6.0   Design Review – Review your final design in terms of both its positives and negatives, consider:

• Any limitations to the design that would need future consideration.
• Whether the design choices were constrained by the original client brief.
• Areas that you would recommend for further work.

7.0    Conclusion – this needs to be a clear statement towards the fact that in developing the design you have accomplished the requirements of the design brief and specification.

References (no section number), you must reference all the sources of information that you have used in the report.

Appendices, the appendices can contain any other relevant information you would like to include, you may have as many appendices as you want, each labelled Appendix A, B, C—– etc. Avoid populating the appendices with lengthy data sheets, product documentation or internal company documents. The information from these can be summarised and analysed in your above report.

Note

Recommended wordcount for task 2:   – 5000  (this count excludes, contents, references, appendices, diagrams)

What To Hand In For Task 2

• A formal design report using the complete structure specified in Task 2, including the title page, abstract, acknowledgements, contents, Sections 1.0 to 7.0, references and appendices.
• A critical literature review that supports three design options and the subsequent design decisions.
• Three developed design options and a Pugh engineering decision matrix with a justified final selection.
• Complete detailed-design evidence, including relevant calculations, modelling, testing, simulation, drawings, CAD models or prototypes; decision verification; specification comparison; manufacture or installation; standards, safety, environmental impact and design-phase risk evidence.
• A balanced design review and conclusion; advised word count 5,000 words, excluding contents, references, appendices and diagrams.

Task 3: Presentation and Debrief

Your manager requires you to present your design report to your colleagues, they are likely to have many questions and suggestions for your design, it is important to be prepared for a Q&A session at the end of your presentation.

a) Produce a professional engineering presentation for your colleagues (typically 10 slides).

b) Formally present your work to your colleagues, you are also required to produce a video or videos of yourself presenting, the duration of the presentation should be about 10 minutes plus additional time for Q&A. This Presentation should be treated as the final ‘pitch’ of your design report, it should include sufficient detail to explain your approach and reasoning for your design choices.

Note: It is important that you can be identified on the video, so please ensure that you can be seen and heard. MP4 format is preferable, and please ensure that your file size(s) are not overly large (less than 300 MB). A Q&A slide and answering must occur in your video.

c) Now that the project has concluded your manager wants a short debrief report of the project. Your debrief report must answer the following:

i. Anything that you would have changed if you had not been restricted by the specification and industry standards. In your answer, explain why design specifications and industry standards are important when producing a finished product. ii. Read and evaluate your own report, with consideration towards your reports effectiveness towards producing a final, finished product.

ii. Explore different methods you could have used to communicate your ideas to the audience and stakeholders. Reflect on whether the presentation was the most effective way to communicate and offer consideration towards alternative ways to communicate your design to others.

iii. Consider what you may do differently in future projects. Based on the feedback given by your colleagues, and your own personal reflection, explain any recommendations you would make if the project was to carry on further.

What To Hand In For Task 3

• A professional engineering presentation of approximately 10 slides that explains the design approach and reasons for the design choices.
• A video of you delivering the presentation for about 10 minutes plus Q&A; you must be identifiable, seen and heard, and the recording must include a Q&A slide and your answers. Use MP4 where possible and keep each file below 300 MB.
• A short debrief addressing every reflection, evaluation, communication and improvement question listed in Task 3.
• The Task 3 debrief appended to the formal design report after the appendices, together with Task 1, as required by the source brief.
• The presentation slides included as an appendix to the main PDF and the video uploaded separately through Totara.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

LO1: Plan a design solution and prepare an engineering design specification in response to a stakeholder’s design brief and requirements

LO2: Formulate possible technical solutions to address the student-prepared design specification

LO3: Prepare an industry-standard engineering technical design report

LO4: Present to an audience a design solution based on the design report and evaluate the solution/presentation