Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

Step 1: Understand the Assignment Requirements

The assignment requires you to write a memo that outlines and compares two candidate designs for your group’s project. It should present key characteristics of both designs, discuss the design process, and provide insight into the impact of the design review process.

Here’s a breakdown of what you need to include in your memo:

1. Opening Section (Introduction and Comparison of Designs)

   • Briefly describe both candidate designs.
   • Compare and contrast these designs, highlighting their defining characteristics. Make sure to emphasize key differences and similarities that will help your boss understand each design’s value and approach.

2. Middle Section (Design Process, Customer Needs, and Engineering Specifications)

   • Discuss your group’s design process in detail.
   • Present your customer needs and engineering specifications. These should be clearly defined, and you should explain how these influenced the design choices.
   • Discuss the design review process: Provide insights into how the review process shaped the designs. If it didn’t affect the designs, explain why that was the case.

3. Closing Section (Call to Action)

   • Ask your boss for action. This could be asking for approval, feedback, or further instructions on how to proceed with the designs.

4. Appendix (Page 2 and beyond)

   • The appendix should include:
     • A table of customer needs, engineering specifications, and candidate designs.
     • Figures and tables must be centered, and each should have a descriptive label.
     • Tables should be labeled above (e.g., “Table 1: Customer Needs”), and figures should be labeled below (e.g., “Figure 1: Design Concept”).

Step 2: Structure Your Memo

Here’s how you can structure your memo:

1. Header Section:

   • This includes the To, From, Date, and Subject lines. Ensure that the format follows any specific requirements from your professor or guidelines provided.

2. Opening Section:

   • Start by briefly describing the two candidate designs.
   • Then compare and contrast the designs in a structured way, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each. Use bullet points or short paragraphs for clarity.
   • Example:
     • Candidate Design A: [Brief Description]
     • Candidate Design B: [Brief Description]
     • Comparison: [Key differences/similarities]

3. Middle Section:

   • Design Process: Describe how your team approached the design process.
   • Customer Needs and Engineering Specifications: Present the table and explain how these elements guided the design.
   • Impact of Design Review: Reflect on how the design review process affected the designs or explain why it didn’t. Be sure to be clear and detailed.

4. Closing Section:

   • Ask your boss to take the next steps based on the designs and the information you presented. You could ask for feedback or decision-making on which design to move forward with.

5. Appendix:

   • Include your table of customer needs and specifications.
   • Include figures or tables (as needed), clearly labeled, centered, and formatted correctly.

Step 3: Formatting Tips

• Use Arial font, size 11-12 point.
• Single or 1.5 line spacing for easy reading.
• 0.5-inch margins all around the page.
• Ensure your memo fits on one page, with the appendix starting on the second page.

Step 4: Create Your Table and Figures

• Customer Needs Table: Ensure this table clearly outlines what the customer expects from the design. For instance, you can list the specific features or attributes the design must have.
• Engineering Specifications Table: This should detail the technical specifications the design must meet.
• Candidate Designs Table: This should compare the two designs with columns for their defining characteristics (e.g., materials used, cost, sustainability, etc.).
• Ensure each figure and table is clearly labeled and well formatted. Use descriptive labels like:
  • Table 1: Comparison of Candidate Designs
  • Figure 1: Prototype Sketch of Design A

Step 5: Review Your Memo

Once you’ve written the memo, go through it to check for:

• Clarity: Make sure each section is clear and easy to understand.
• Grammar: Use grammatically correct sentences. Ensure there are no spelling mistakes or awkward sentence structures.
• Formatting: Ensure the document follows the required formatting guidelines (Arial, margins, etc.).
• Call to Action: Ensure your closing section clearly asks your boss to take action.

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By following this guide, you will be able to create a well-organized and clear memo that compares and contrasts your group’s candidate designs, discusses the design process, and provides the necessary details for your boss to take the next steps. Good luck with your assignment!