Page 23 - Anatomy of a Robot

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8 CHAPTER ONE
Write the proposal so someone unacquainted with the project could understand it.
Describe what the robot project is, how it can be accomplished, and what resources are
required. It should not take longer than eight hours of actual work (perhaps one week
of elapsed time) for the interviews and for writing the proposal. The proposal is gener-
ally three to six pages long. The project proposal should have the following sections:
Title page This would be something like “Project Proposal XYZ.”
Project description Describe to a general audience what type of robot project
is needed and why it is being done. In a few paragraphs, try to describe the entire
project. A simple graphic helps greatly. This section is often a page or two long,
and a simple concept sketch of the robot would be appreciated.
Assumptions List all the assumptions you are making that must be met for the
project to go as you expect it to. This might include the existence of off-the-shelf
software, timely deliveries from third parties, enabling technology, and so on. If
some of these assumptions are incorrect, those reviewing your proposal can gauge
your chance for success. Often, a half-dozen items are included on this list.
Statement of work List all the work that will be performed during the project,
with an emphasis on the largest blocks of work. The object is to acquaint the
reviewers with the nature and scope of the effort required. Mention all the efforts
from the initial system engineering through all the work required to finish the
robot and document the design. Often two dozen elements make up this list.
Deliverables for the project For most engineering projects, this will be the list
of documents necessary to build the robot. Making this list in advance is a great
way to gauge the scope of the project and to make a checklist of deliverables you
can aim for. For each deliverable, estimate the delivery time when it will be fin-
ished (such as “week 7”). This will often be a list of 5 to 10 deliverables.
Personnel resources This will be a spreadsheet of the people that will be needed
and the total amount of labor needed from each person. The PM should pad these
numbers to include the possibility that interruptions might occur. The spreadsheet
should look like the following example:

PERSONNEL WEEKS NEEDED
Hardware engineers 16
Software engineers 4
Test engineers 3
Total 23

Expenses A spreadsheet should forecast any new purchases, rentals, outside
expenses, and so on. It’s used to budget and allocate cash flow during the project.
It should look like the following example: