Unit 34 Research Project, Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher Diploma in Engineering (RQF)

Assignment - Project Proposal & Literature Review

LO1 Conduct the preliminary stages involved in the creation of an engineering research project.

LO2 Examine the analytical techniques used to work on all stages of the project and strategies required to overcome the challenges involved in a research project

Assignment Brief:

Case Scenario:
You have recently been hired as a junior researcher for ‘The Archimedes' a third-party organisation who provide a project consultancy service for small to medium Engineering companies. Their services range from; carrying out research prior to projects start, to assisting with the management and evaluation of projects during and after their life cycle. This can include market and technological research, or the provision of additional manpower and tailored plans to achieve objectives.

As part of your initiation, you have been tasked with conducting a research project for the newest client of ‘The Archimedes' (this research project can be for an organisation with which you are familiar).

You will need to clearly define a research question or hypothesis and include a range of key objectives for the research relating to the practices of your chosen organisation.

Task 1:
Produce an initial research project proposal that will define why you have selected this path for research. Identify the resource requirements and the estimated project time. What are the key research project objectives relevant to your research project?

Discuss what goals you expect to achieve from your research project. Explain how you expect to achieve these goals.

Identify and discuss the risks that will be present during the project. What is the probability and severity of each risk, and how will these considerations be mitigated?

Expand on your initial proposal from Question 1 to produce a formal project proposal that discusses the following, as a minimum:

The topic of the research project.
The problem that you are hoping to solve with the research.
The significance of conducting this research project.
What resources will be used (both primary/secondary).
Any limitations that the project may have.
The research methods that will be used, including justification of the methods selected.

Task 2:
Following the approval of your research project proposal, the next stage of your project should be to review the literature surrounding the chosen field and discuss the most important theories, models and texts that surround and influence your research questions, conveying your understanding and awareness of the key issues and debates.

It should focus on the theoretical and practical knowledge gaps that your work aims to address, as this ultimately justifies the need for your project.
The purpose of a literature review is for you to summarise key theories, models, hypotheses, research findings-and more. For this section of your assignment, you will.