This section should be no more than one (1) page in the format provided and including one graphic (NOT counting the stakeholder table if it is more than 5 rows; this is rare, but sometimes a well-thought-out table is longer than that).

1     Paragraph 1

This first paragraph will be written before the executive summary is written.  However, given the content expected for the first paragraph of the executive summary, there is a risk that this paragraph could be very similar to it.  This is often a potential pitfall in documents — similarity in the executive summary and an introduction section of the main document.  What is also common, and expected by the audience, is that the author has taken the time to not verbatim copy and paste from one to the other.  They will often be read in immediate sequence.  Reading the exact same thing again here after reading it in the executive summary would be, as you might imagine, pretty annoying.  Don’t do that to your audience.  Don’t do that to yourselves; that is, putting your audience in a less-than-favorable frame of mind at the outset.  You want to put your best foot forward here (along with the executive summary), not set the stage with annoyance through laziness.

As such, consider this first paragraph to include one sentence (per item) covering each of the following numbered items in the stated order:

1. Identify the problem domain including reference to a relevant graphic, annotated to focus the reader’s attention to the few important elements in the graphic. To help you place graphics in Google Docs with captions that remain attached, a link to a source having a figure+caption placeholder, a table+caption placeholder, and instructions for their use is linked via the comment on the cover page along with the link to this guidance.
2. Describe the “pain” or “gain.” You will expand upon this in the next subsections.
3. Identify your customer and the general nature, or general idea, of the solution they are seeking.
4. Identify the end-user(s) and how they will benefit from the solution.
5. Identify your team by listing names of student members, your Primary Advisor, and your customer technical contact.

Select “START HERE-OVERVIEW1” and begin typing.

2     Stakeholder List

After the first paragraph, the template provides a sentence “The project stakeholders are summarized as follows” after which is a formatted two-column list.  Keep the sentence as is then fill in the list.  The first row is your customer.  Provide a concise reason for their inclusion, that is, their “interest or concern” in the project and its outcome.  For each stakeholder, the “reason” is not what they do, or their responsibilities; it is a description of why this matters to that individual or organization, how they will be affected by the outcome of the project.  The final row is for “your business”, that is, the ME-EM SCD Program.  That has been entered for you.  This must be the last row; other stakeholders are always higher priority, but still it is important to recognize “your business” does have an interest and concern in the outcome of the project.

The rows in between your customer and your business must include (second to your customer) end-user(s).  If your customer has helped you identify more than one end-user (class), include them all.  If not, don’t; that is, don’t make things up.  But there is always at least one end-user (class).

Beyond obvious end-users, this becomes an important thinking exercise to get you realizing this project is much more about others than yourselves, and who those others are and why it is important to them.  There is likely one or more other personas/parties significantly affected and, thus, having an interest or concern in the outcome of the project; note that they may not even be aware of the project.  Be thoughtful; this is neither a hoop to jump through nor a place to write fluff.  Recall from the book, there are various stakeholders, such as but not limited to those who manufacture, maintain, repair, and sell the product or process.

Space has been provided for one stakeholder between your customer and the SCD Program.  If you need more rows (and you generally will), select one of the middle rows (not the title row, first row, or last row!) by clicking just to the left of the left column at that row, right-click, and select ‘Insert   ►’, then ‘Insert Rows Above’ or ‘Insert Rows Below’.  By following these instructions you will preserve the provided formatting.  Finally, while you as individuals are indeed stakeholders, and/or is your team as a combination of you as individuals, this is not a place to state that.  The focus here is on others than the team and its members.

3     Paragraph 2

Conclude this section with the two project constraints that are common to all projects, and the big-picture describing what defines success.  Those two constraints are time and money.  Thus, begin the paragraph with a single sentence stating (1) by when the project must be completed and (2) the monetary budget allocated.  Follow that with how you define success at (1) the end of the first term and (2) at the end of the project; one sentence for each of the noted items.  This should be one short focused paragraph of three sentences.  Select “START HERE-OVERVIEW2” and begin typing.

Give “success” some solid thought — great, well-thought-out success statements, versus so-so or even simply good success statements, goes a long way to establishing, from the start, (1) your credibility and (2) others’ level of confidence in you.

In regard to articulating it in written (or spoken) words, try to find a way to state it without explicitly using the word “defined.”  That is, avoid writing “Success at the end of term-I is defined as…”  Not only try to avoid the explicit use of the word “define,” but also try to frame it not in a status of your work, but in what you will have accomplished or will do/execute.  Use bold, definitive words/phrases, not weak ones like “we wish to” or “hope to.”   Rather, “we will…”  For example, “At the end of Term-I we will…” then state the action like “deliver” or the accomplishment like “have completed.”  Go ahead here and use first person.  First person should be used sparingly, and that actually makes it more powerful when used in a place like this.  “By the end of the project we will deliver a tested, functioning prototype and all supporting documentation” is way better than “By the end of the project a prototype should be complete along with a final report.”  There are differences both in person (first versus third) and voice (active versus passive) and definitiveness (will versus should).  Note that this all applies to paragraph 5 of the Executive Summary when you get to writing that.