Sustainability Design Report: Objectives, Analysis, and Team Operations

Objectives of the Previously Submitted Proposal

Topic

All teams should choose to continue and develop the objectives from the previously submitted proposal covering a sustainable design topic.

Fully clarify the focus of your sustainability within the chosen product or design. Use references to legislation and demonstrate the benefits of your idea through calculations and visuals. Demonstrate an understanding of technical, resource and cost considerations. Conclude with a summary of how your idea could impact the environment and potential reasons why it may not be adopted.

In your report, you need to provide some sustainability analysis. For your topic, you need to cover applicable sections: life-cycle assessment, economic analysis, green chemistry, energy conversion management analysis and others. You as the designer of a product / service / facility should be able to provide these analyses in your production line to inform any future entrepreneur that your idea is both practical and useful. You will be marked for your quality of your analysis not necessarily on whether you find your product is sustainable. Thus, what is important for teams to consider is analysis and consideration of impact and potential benefits.

Team Operation

Demonstrate progress with minutes of meetings, division of tasks and overall management utilising a Gantt Chart and meeting records etc.

Report Structure

Your Main Report should be of a professional standard with a Title page, contents, introduction, main body (addressing the topics above), conclusion and references. We can support you with this in the tutorials. Appendices to the report can be used to support the sections above. Marks will be awarded for quality of presentation, report structure and use of appropriate references.

Briefly, describe your consultancy company and your intended product or design. Describe using references what is meant by the term ‘sustainability’ and the benefits of addressing sustainability at the design stage. Your report should particularly focus on the benefits of design for sustainability of your selected design.

Describe how your team will operate. This could include the following sections:

What is the role of each individual in your team?

How you can ensure you team is efficient?

How frequently will you meet and how will you communicate between meetings?

How will meeting decisions and actions be recorded and shared?

Who is responsible for leading the team? Arranging meetings? Minuting meetings?

How will you ensure that everyone does their fair share of work?

How will you handle any conflict or difference of opinion within the group? In answering these questions, consider the handout ‘Establishing your Team’ and discuss with your team members.

Referring to the Belbin Model, does your team have any obvious ‘gaps’ or ‘surpluses’ of team roles.

This is where an individual team role is under- or over-represented in your team. How might this affect the team and how might you overcome this issue?

Report Structure and Presentation (20 marks of the Proposal)

Your report should be of a professional standard with a Title page, contents, introduction, main body (addressing the topics above), conclusion and references. We can support you with this in the tutorials.

Appendices to the report can be used to support the sections above. Marks will be awarded for quality of presentation, report structure and use of appropriate references.