This section is specific to design reports. At some point in your career you may be asked to evaluate specifications from other engineers or to decide what specifications are needed by the Armed Forces personnel. This is the main task of any project manager. Conversely as a project manager you may be asked to ensure that the design specifications have been met by the product that is being purchased.
The Design Specification section lays out exactly what has to be made. General objectives are not enough. The exact specifications that are going to be met must be listed here. If they were not expressly dictated by the client they must be determined and approved by the client. The easiest way to accomplish this is to follow the scheme proposed in your design course (MEE303).
Include in the Design Specification section a complete list of the properties of the technical system. This list can be lengthy and a table is usually appropriate. Table 4.2 gives a short example of the possible properties of a pen. Do not list why the client wished such properties for the technical system. Mont Blanc and Bic pens are respectively, expensive and inexpensive because that is what those manufacturers wished to produce. These are marketing decisions that do not belong in a technical report.
| # | Class of | Properties | Field of | Category |
| application | ||||
| 1 | Function | Erasable writing tool with | ||
| Effect | rechargeable adjustable lead | Aim | ||
| 2 | Functionally | Writes | ||
| determined | Erases | |||
| Use with one hand | ||||
| 3 | Operational | Functions daily | ||
| The user is the source of energy | ||||
| Inserts into pocket | ||||
| Easy to reload | ||||
| 4 | Manufacturing | Few parts | ||
| Easy to manufacture | ||||
| for your company | ||||
| 5 | Distribution | Small easy to ship | Life cycle | |
| in large quantities | ||||
| Long shelf life | ||||
| 6 | Delivery and | Depends on business plan | ||
| Planning | limited = expensive (Mont Blanc) | |||
| millions = cheap (BIC) | ||||
| 7 | Liquidation | Metal and plastic recyclable | External | |
| but at what price? | ||||
| 8 | Ergonomic | Used like other pencils | ||
| Small but real learning curve | ||||
| 9 | Aesthetic | Choice of colours | Humans and | |
| Warm to the touch | society | |||
| Light but not too light | ||||
| 10 | Law | Ink non-toxic | ||
| conformance | Patents | |||
| 11 | Economic | Low operational costs | ||
| Manufacturing costs | ||||
| great or small (depending) | ||||
| Requires special tooling | ||||
| 12 | Design | The engineer must decide these! | Design | Internal |