Unit 4004 Managing a Professional Engineering Project (L/651/0712) Assignment Brief 2026

Unit 4004 Managing a Professional Engineering Project Assignment Brief

Vocational Scenario

Your previous UniCourse assignment briefs have included vocational scenarios that provide context to the questions; despite these scenarios being technically fictional, they have reflected real life engineering. The purpose of this unit is to manage a Professional Engineering Project; it is therefore recommended, if possible and appropriate, to consider your current employment situation as your vocational scenario and to use a real project you will manage as the subject for your submissions. If it is not possible or appropriate to use your current employment or a real project for your submissions, then you will need to develop and conduct your own theoretical project.

Throughout this unit, you will demonstrate the completion of every stage of a quality engineering project, delivered and presented using a variety of media and to a professional standard. Each question in this unit involves producing a required digital file in strict compliance to a specification. The files produced for each question must remain separate.

Additionally, your submission for this assignment specifically needs to be approved for use before you may proceed to Assignment 2, regardless of your achieved grade. You have three attempts to complete this assignment. 

If your first attempt is not approved: You will receive written feedback explaining why your proposal was not approved, mandating changes and providing advice regarding to research you should conduct before proceeding with your next attempt.

If your second attempt is not approved: You will be invited to attend a video call ‘Go/No go’ meeting; during which, it will be explained how you did not fully address the feedback previously given, and you will be advised on how to bring your Project Proposal Report up to the necessary standard in terms of its content and presentation.

If your third attempt is not approved: You will be referred for this assignment.

Keep in mind that the feedback for any attempt may involve anything from a minor amendment to a complete rewrite of your submissions. No consolation will be given by the tutor regarding your time; therefore, it is in your best interest to produce each required digital file in strict compliance to its specification. Precisely what you need to do is explained below. Do not make requests for support to ask the tutor if deviating from the specification is permitted. As an adult distance learner and aspiring or actual engineer, it is expected of you to resolve any issues you have related to the submission of the required files. You may however submit a request for support to ask for advice relating to the resolution of issues related to this assignment.

Task 1: Project Proposal Report (5000 word limit, including the Title page, Contents list, and References).

The first stage of a quality engineering project involves fully defining its purpose and intended outcomes. The purpose of any engineering project is to satisfy the demand for an engineered solution to a problem. A project proposal defines the problem, and describes and justifies an optimal method for solving said problem. Your first task is to write a Project Proposal in the form of a report in PDF file format that includes the following sections:

Title page: This must only include:

• The title of your project proposal.
• The unit number and title.
• The unit code.
• Your full name.
• The date of submission.
• The attempt number.
• The documents word count.
• At least half a page of blank space for assessor feedback.

Contents list: A list of every section and subsection given in your report, and the first page they begin on, in numerical order (be sure to include page numbers throughout the whole document, ideally beginning at the Introduction section).

AI Declaration: You must produce an AI declaration in compliance with the assignment brief submission format specification (see page 4). Detection of a large amount of undeclared use of AI in your report will be questioned by the tutor before grading; it is recommended to keep the contribution of AI towards your written content below 40%. It is recommended to use a free AI checker before submitting your work if AI was used at all, such as AI Detector – Quillbot AI

Introduction: A brief description of the problem your project aims to solve, or the demand your project aims to satisfy, essentially setting the overall theme of your project. Your project may involve one of the following themes:

• Creating a product/service for internal or external customers (for example, but not limited to fabricating a product, producing equipment test or training facilities, or developing software/systems for an engineering application).
• Engineering management project (for example, but not limited to re-organisation of a workshop layout, or implementation of a Planned Preventative Maintenance system).
• Operational change and development (for example, but not limited to Organisational systems or process change, or introducing new technology applications to traditional processes).

Aims and Objectives: Your project aim should be a single sentence that describes precisely what the work of the project will achieve; a summary of your projects purpose. You should not include in your aim the intention to achieve other general outcomes such as to save energy or reduce waste (as these would likely be the indicators of your aims successful achievement; also known as other dimensional successes). Your objectives should describe sequential outcomes proposed to achieve the aim only, written strictly as 3 to 5 bullet pointed sentences. You must not include design related activities or project management related activities in your objectives. Remember that the Engineering Design Unit has already assessed your design related skills and knowledge. Also consider how the objective of a project is to achieve its aim, not to ‘do a project’.

Background Research: An engineering project manager should be an authority on the topic of their project to validate their opinions regarding their proposed project methods and their analysis of the projects results. You must therefore conduct research relating to the following points (I recommend making a subsection for each):

• The general topic of your aim (potentially describing any relevant historical information, and evidence for the potential/predictable effects of your project if successfully completed).
• A variety of available methods for completing your proposed objectives.
• Any internal and external boundaries, limitations, and mandates related to your project (Tip: read the assignment distinction criteria for ideas).
• The Pearson-set theme for this year: Artificial Intelligence (AI).

All projects completed in compliance with this assignment brief must demonstrate their consideration of AI at the planning stage of your project. Despite it not being one of the assessment criteria, failure to involve the Pearson-set theme in your project proposal report by your third attempt will result in a referral. If you have not already, you must read the AI section of Workbook 1 of 2 for this unit; afterwards, research one or more of the eight examples of how AI may be used when managing a professional engineering project mentioned there that are relevant to your project.

All citations must be written to the required format for this assignment brief.

Feasibility Study: A feasibility study is necessary to demonstrate the optimisation of the projects selected overall methodology (a good understanding of the available options should be demonstrated in the Background Research). You must propose two or three methodologies or processes to complete all or some of your project’s objectives (depending on whether there are non-negotiable elements to your project), and compare TELOS analyses for each proposed method or process using a Pugh decision matrix. You may need to research what a TELOS analysis and a Pugh decision matrix is if you are not familiar.

Project Plan: This section should involve the three following subsections:

• Project Methodology Plan: A succinct written description of your projects optimized overall methodology (as identified with your Feasibility Study), and all the individuals who will be involved in the project and their roles (at least three people including yourself). You should determine four or five distinct tasks for holistically achieving each objective, which can be described with a single sentence each.
• Project Financial Plan: A declaration of the budget for your project and a budget sheet that presents the projects expected expenditure (be as complete and precise as you can, but approximate costs may be used).
• Project Analysis Plan: You should research critical analysis techniques that may be implemented to critically analyse your project objective outcomes, and identify potential sources of quantitative/qualitative data/evidence that may be collected during your project that may be fed into critical analyses. From this early stage of your project you should consider how you are going to describe the success of your project beyond simply stating that the planned project tasks were carried out (I recommend reading Workbook 2 of 2 for this unit). (Tip: a good place to start when considering what data you should collect would be to think about what numerical values represent a state before your project, that will change after your project.)

Hazard Identification: You should research the Hazard Identification (HAZID) Analysis method and produce a HAZID Analysis Worksheet for your project.

Risk Assessment: Conduct a risk assessment using a standard risk assessment technique (several are described in IEC 301010 Risk management – Risk assessment techniques) addressing each risk related to the hazards identified in your HAZID Analysis from your Project Proposal Report and describing how they were mitigated.

References: You must comply with the assignment briefs referencing standards.

Please name your Project Proposal Report PDF file as (replacing with brackets with what is described within): Surname_Firstname_Unit(unit number)_A1_Project Proposal_attempt(attempt number).pdf

AI use for Task 1: This task focuses on planning activities such as topic exploration, outlining, and initial research. AI may be used to support this process, and the quality of planning and idea development is assessed whether or not AI was used.

Task 2: Project Plan Gantt Chart

Use the Project Plan section of your Project Proposal Report to produce a Gantt Chart using industry standard software. It is recommended that you research Gantt charts before proceeding (one common misconception is that Gantt charts are not time schedules indicating when tasks are planned to be conducted; they allocate the maximum amount of time each task can feasibly take). Your Gantt Chart should involve between 12 and

20 tasks, and have a clear critical path. Apply a cost to each task and produce a Resources Chart to communicate the proportion of time each project member will spend on each task if your software is capable. Options for Industry Standard Software for producing Gantt Charts and corresponding Resources Charts include:

GanttProject: This is the best free option, but requires downloading software available from this link: https://www.ganttproject.biz/. You must submit a Gantt chart made with GanttProject as a .gan file.

Microsoft Project: This is the best option if you are using a computer that is subscribed to use the software as part of its Microsoft 365 licence. You must submit a Gantt chart made with Microsoft Project as a .mpp file.

Online Gantt: This option should only be considered if the above two options are not possible. Online Gantt allows you to produce a Gantt chart in your internet browser at: Free Online Gantt Chart Software. You must submit a Gantt chart made with Online Gantt as a .gantt file.

Please name your Gantt Chart file as (replacing with brackets with what is described within):

Surname_Firstname_Unit(unit number)_A1_Gantt chart_attempt(attempt number).(correct file extension)

Your submission will not be graded, and will instead be reverted back to draft without notification or an explanation for why if:

• The submission is within 20 days of the deadline.
• The files are incorrectly named.
• The files are in an unacceptable format.
• A title page is not in compliance with the specification.

A wordcount exceeds the limit.

AI use for Task 2: This task focuses on planning activities such as topic exploration, outlining, and initial research. AI may be used to support this process, and the quality of planning and idea development is assessed whether or not AI was used.

 Assessment Criteria and Learning Outcomes

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