Technical Report

Individual Technical Report
Introduction
For this assignment, you are to imagine that you work for a company, university or a government office in the UAE. You have responsibility for purchasing, finance and procurement. Your manager has asked you to write a report in which you compare and contrast among three possible options for buying some equipment for your office or business (e.g., laptops, printers, cameras, software, or another product). The cyclical economy, the environment and sustainability are personal interests of your manager as well as the entity you both work for. You will need to go to the product’s website and download specifications, find customer reviews, and possibly test different models of the product you are reviewing. Based on your research on this product, you will then write a report that ends with a recommendation to purchase one of the products you reviewed. This assignment is worth 40% of your final grade.
Identifying the Topic
You will work individually on this report. Your first task is to identify the product you will be reviewing. It may be, again, something used in an office (a laptop; software; a printer), or it might be a product used in research (a microscope; a spectrometer), or it could be a larger piece of equipment used in construction or agriculture (a pump; a grader; a tractor; an all-terrain vehicle). Be sure to choose a product that is produced by at least three companies, and that these companies have data available in the form of manuals, specifications, etc.
Researching the Product
The next step is to collect the data you will need to do your analysis. You will need to visit the product’s website to download all available materials. You should also do some research on the history of the product you are researching. What is the history of its development? How up-to-date is each of the products you have chosen? Do a search to find customer and product reviews. Assemble these materials first, before you begin your analysis.
Create a Description of Your Organization’s Needs
Typically, in an organization, the uses of the product and the organization’s needs will be already in place. However, in this assignment, you will need to imagine what the use of the product will be. Imagine what the product will need to do and how much it will need to do it. Who will use this product? How much training will they need? How long will you need the product? Is this something you will use constantly or only on one project or occasionally?
Analysis
Once you have collected your materials, you need to analyze it using the description of your organization’s needs. Construct a chart for comparing among the three models you are reviewing. Create specific criteria for the analysis. These should include the price, the durability of the product, its reputation in the field, the amount of training and support that is offered, its specifications, and the specific needs of your organization. If you are considering a product from a company outside the UAE, you will also need to consider aspects such as shipping, support within the UAE, and possible government restrictions and licenses.
Once you have assembled all your data into a chart, then you can begin to compare and contrast among the three models, noting the strengths and weaknesses of each product relative to your organization’s needs. Graphic images and models (3D and other) may be included, as well as in-text and ex-text hyperlinks. Remember, your recommendation must be persuasive, but based on hard data.
The Written Report
The report that you write should be 1000 to 1500 words in length. It should include the following:
1. A cover page with the title of your project and your name on it.
2. A brief introduction of the product and your analysis (an abstract and short introduction)
3. A description of the needs of your organization for the product.
4. A description of your process for choosing three models and reviewing the product.
5. A chart summarizing the findings of your research and a description of your findings.
6. A comparative/contrastive analysis of the three products.
7. A summary of your analysis, leading to a recommendation for one of the three models.
8. A list of all the references you cited in your work.
9. Any relevant appendices.