Project Summary: Design, Analysis, and Solutions

1. From a List of Facts to a Compelling Story

As a design engineer, you make countless decisions and perform various analyses. Simply listing them chronologically is not effective. Your goal is to tell a story that answers four fundamental questions for your audience (e.g., a hiring manager or a project lead):

1. The Problem (Why?): What was the objective? What were the critical design requirements?
2. The Solution (What?): What did you ultimately design to solve the problem?
3. The Process (How?): What was your design process? What key decisions did you make, and what analyses (like FEA or FMEA) did you use to justify them?
4. The Result (So What?): How did your design perform against the requirements? How do you know it works? This is where you present the outcomes of your analyses.

This structure is a simplified version of a formal design report, which typically contains three main parts: a description of the problem, a description of the design, and an evaluation of the design. All three are essential to communicate a solution effectively.

2. A Practical Framework: What, How, and Results

For a portfolio, one of the most effective and widely used structures is the "What, How, and Results" framework. It's concise, clear, and focuses on what a potential employer wants to see: what you did, the skills you used, and the impact you had.

This video is an excellent guide to building a portfolio and clearly explains this framework.

Here's a static example from the video, showing the framework in action.

3. Elevating Your Summary with Storytelling: The SCR Framework

To make your summary even more compelling, especially in a design review presentation, you can use a narrative structure popular in top consulting and business environments: Situation, Complication, Resolution (SCR).

This framework transforms your summary from a report into a story of you as a problem-solver.

• Situation: The initial context and goal.
  • Example: "The project required a linear motion system for a desktop CNC capable of a 200N load with a positioning accuracy of 0.1mm."
• Complication: The key challenge or problem that arose during the design process. This is the perfect place to introduce your analysis findings.
  • Example: "Initial FEA on the motor bracket revealed stress concentrations exceeding the material's yield strength. Furthermore, an FMEA identified dust contamination as a high-risk failure mode (RPN=168) that could lead to premature bearing wear."
• Resolution: Your solution and the evidence that it works.
  • Example: "The bracket was redesigned with reinforcing ribs, and a follow-up FEA confirmed the Factor of Safety increased to 3.5. To address contamination, a protective bellows was added, reducing the failure mode's RPN by 70% to 56."

This video explains the SCR framework and, crucially, introduces a professional technique for outlining your story before you start making slides.

4. Your Task: Create a "Dot-Dash" Outline for Project 1

Your assignment is to synthesize everything you've done on Project 1 into a structured summary. Using the "dot-dash" method you just learned is the most effective way to do this.

Open a text editor or word processor and create an outline for your linear motion system project. This outline should have 3-5 main points ("dots") that tell the story of your project. Under each dot, add supporting data and evidence ("dashes").

Here is a template to guide you. Fill it in with the specific details from your project.

Project Title: Design of a Linear Motion System

• Dot 1: The project goal was to design a robust linear motion system for a specified load and speed.

  • Dash: Requirement: Axial load capacity > 200 N.
  • Dash: Requirement: Max speed > 150 mm/s.
  • Dash: Requirement: Factor of Safety on structural components > 2.0.

• Dot 2: Key components were selected and designed to meet performance and cost targets.

  • Dash: A ball screw was chosen over a lead screw for its high efficiency, enabling the use of a smaller motor.
  • Dash: Sizing calculations were performed to select a 16mm diameter ball screw.
  • Dash: Standard linear guide rails and bearing blocks were selected from a supplier catalog based on load capacity.

• Dot 3: Structural components were designed in OnShape and validated using FEA.

  • Dash: Custom mounting brackets for the motor and end-supports were designed.
  • Dash: FEA on the initial motor bracket design showed a FoS of 1.5 under full load, which was below the requirement.
  • Dash: The bracket was redesigned with stiffening ribs, and subsequent FEA confirmed the FoS increased to 3.5.

• Dot 4: A risk assessment (FMEA) was conducted to identify and mitigate potential failures.

  • Dash: FMEA identified contamination of the guide rails as a high-risk failure mode (RPN = [Your calculated RPN]).
  • Dash: A mitigation strategy of adding a protective bellows cover was proposed.
  • Dash: This action is projected to reduce the Occurrence rating from [Your O] to [Your New O], lowering the RPN to [Your New RPN].

• Dot 5: The final design meets all key requirements and is documented in a complete CAD assembly and BOM.

  • Dash: The top-level assembly in OnShape includes all components and mates.
  • Dash: A preliminary Bill of Materials has been generated, estimating a total component cost of [Your estimate].

This outline is now the definitive summary of your project.

Conclusion

Today you've learned how to structure and articulate the story of your engineering project. This is not just an academic exercise; it's a core professional competency. You now have two powerful frameworks—"What, How, Results" and "SCR"—and a practical method—the "dot-dash" outline—to prepare your work for any audience.

Key Takeaways:

• A project summary should be a narrative, not just a list of facts.
• The "What, How, Results" framework is ideal for concise portfolio entries.
• The "SCR" (Situation, Complication, Resolution) framework helps you tell a compelling story of engineering problem-solving.
• The "dot-dash" method is a professional-grade technique for building your story with claims supported by evidence.

Preview of the Next Lesson:

The outline you just created is the perfect script for your design review. In our next lesson, you will create a complete design review presentation for the linear motion system project. We will take your dot-dash outline and translate it directly into a professional PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation, focusing on visual communication and effective delivery.