Organization of a Design Report

I. Letter of Transmittal

The purpose of the letter of transmittal is to refer to the original instructions or

developments that have made the report necessary. The letter should be brief, but it can
call the reader’s attention to certain pertinent sections of the report or give definite
results which are particularly important. The writer should express any personal opinions
in the letter of transmittal rather than in the report itself. Personal pronouns and an
informal business style of writing may be used.

II. Title Page

III. Table of Contents

In addition to the title of the report, a title page usually indicates other basic
information, such as the name and organization of the people submitting the report and
the date of submittal. A table of contents may not be necessary for a short report of only
6 to 8 pages, but for longer reports, it is a convenient guide for the reader and indicates
the scope of the report. The titles and subheadings in the written text should be shown,
as well as the appropriate page numbers. Indentations can be used to indicate the
relationships of various subheadings. A list of tables, figures, and graphs should be
presented separately at the end of the table of contents.

IV. Summary

The summary is probably the most important part of a report, since it is referred to
most frequently and is often the only part of the report that is read. Its purpose is to give
the reader the entire contents of the report in one or two pages. It covers all phases of
the design project, but it does not go into detail on any particular phase. All statements
must be concise and give a minimum of general qualitative information. The aim of the
summary is to present a precise quantitative information and final conclusions with no
unnecessary details.

The following outline shows what should be included in a summary:

1. A statement introducing the reader to the subject matter
2. What was done and what the report covers
3. How the final results were obtained
4. The important results including quantitative information, major conclusions
and recommendations

An ideal summary can be completed on one typewritten page. If the summary must
be longer than two pages, it may be advisable to precede the summary by an ​abstract​,
which merely indicates the subject matter, what was done and a brief statement of the
major results.
V. Body of the Report

The first section in the body of the report is the ​introduction​. It states the purpose and
scope of the report and indicates why the design project originally appeared to be
feasible or necessary. The relationship of the information presented in the report to the
other phases of the company’s operations can be covered, and the effects of future
developments may be worthy of mention. References to previous work can be discussed
in the introduction, or a separate section can be presented dealing with literature-survey
results and other previous work.

A description of the methods used for developing the proposed design is presented in
the next section under the heading of ​discussion​. Here the writer shows the reader the
methods used in reaching the final conclusions. The validity of the methods must be
made apparent, but the writer should not present an annoying or distracting amount of
detail. Any assumptions or limitations on the results should be discussed in this section.

The next section presents the ​recommended ​designs, ​complete with figures and tables
giving all necessary qualitative and quantitative data. An analysis of the cost and profit
potential of the proposed process should accompany the description of the
recommended design.

The body of the design report often includes a section giving a detailed discussion of
all ​conclusions ​and ​recommendations. ​When applicable, sections covering
acknowledgement, table of nomenclature, ​and ​literature references​ may be added.

A. Introduction
B. Previous Work
C. Discussion
i. Method of attack on project and design basis
ii. Graphs, tables and figures essential for understanding the discussion
iii. Technical matters of importance
iv. Assumptions made and reasons
v. Possible sources of errors
vi. General discussion of results and proposed design
D. Final design with appropriate data
i. Drawings of proposed design
1. Qualitative flowsheet
2. Quantitative flowsheet
3. Combined-detailed flowsheets
ii. Table listings of equipment and specifications
iii. Tables for material and energy balances
iv. Process economics (costs, profits and return of investment)
E. Conclusions and recommendations
F. Acknowledgements
G. Table of Nomenclature
H. References to literature
VI. Appendix

In order to make the written part of a report more readable, the details of calculating
methods, experimental data, reference data, certain types of derivations, and similar
items are often included as separate appendixes to the report. This information is thus
available to anyone who wishes to make a complete check on the work; yet the
descriptive part of the report is not made ineffective because of excess information.

A. Sample calculations
B. Derivation of equations essential to understanding the report
C. Tables of data employed with reference to the source
D. Laboratory tests
 Check List for the Final Report

Before submitting the final draft, the writer should make a critical analysis of the report.
Following is a list of questions the writer should ask when evaluating the report. These questions
cover the important considerations in report writing and can serve as a guide for both
experienced and inexperienced writers.

1. Does the report fulfill its purpose?

2. Will it be understandable to the principal readers?
3. Does the report attempt to cover too broad a subject?
4. Is sufficient information presented?
5. Is too much detail included in the body of the report?
6. Are the objectives stated clearly?
7. Is the reason for the report indicated?
8. Is the summary concise? Is it clear? Does it give important results, conclusions and
recommendations? Is it a true summary of the entire report?
9. Is there adequate description of the work done?
10. Are the important assumptions and the degree of accuracy indicated?
11. Are the conclusions and recommendations valid?
12. Are sufficient data included to support the conclusions and recommendations?
13. Have previous data and earlier studies in the field been considered?
14. Is the report well organized?
15. Is the style of writing readable and interesting?
16. Has the manuscript been rewritten and edited ruthlessly?
17. Is the appendix complete?
18. Are tables, graphs, and illustrations presented in a neat, readable, and organized form?
Is all necessary information shown?
19. Has the report neem proofread? Are pages, tables, and figures numbered correctly?
20. Is the report ready for submittal on time?