Project #1 — Variance

We will begin a three stage project.

Phase I: Planning and Research 

Phase II: Document Creation

Phase III: Submission to Boss for review.

Note: this project will simulate being given a specific task by a supervisor to include alterations in normal procedures or a specific project.  The students’ goal is to craft a five page document that professionally mimics what would actually be produced in the workplace.  Students will also gather supporting material to include in the document packet.  This will be the first of several technical documents throughout the semester. 

Phase I: This phase the students will work with Professor Pajak to select and begin the development for a plan of the creation of a five (5) page document discussing an alteration or variance to a current procedure.  Students will select a project through discussion with group members and then finalize their project in a one-on-one discussion with Professor Pajak.  This project will directly relate to each students’ individual area of interest.  Students who do not have a direct interest in a specific field of study will then be placed in a business model as that stands as the base general model for most documentation.

Phase II: This is the crafting and writing phase.  In this phase, students will perform research to add schematics to their documents.  These documents will simulate actual schematics that they would have been given by a supervisor.  Thus, they do not have to match the student’s project.  The student is using these schematics to illustrate their ability to properly insert external documents into the the document they are creating.  The drawings do not have to be professional and may be merely created by the student as the external documents will not be part of the grade.  Although, the manner in which they are included will as that will stand as testament to the student’s ability to properly insert documentation they did not create into their own documents.  (yes, I know I did not need to say “own”, but I did so to stress the fact that I will be judging the students’ documents and nothing else.—so nayh! 😛 

Phase III: Students will submit their documents to their supervisor and explain in detail the outcome of the alteration, its effects, and the expected results.  This will stand as the students’ exhibition of their skills to promote and support their reasoning to an authority figure.  This oral presentation will be judged and be included as part of their grade.  Technical Communication includes the ability to effectively present documentation to an audience.

Note: Effects can include exterior forces not included in the original plan.  These things need to be factored into the overall alteration and an examination and discussion of them must ensue.

Note: Audience includes groupings such as 1) a single supervisor, a small committee, a board room of executives, colleagues, experts encountered at a conference, government officials, military personnel, civic leaders, the community at large, corporation representatives, or international leaders.

Assignment:  I will post the actual assignment where students will receive the grade at a later date.  I want to see how this project perfects before determining the grade weight of this assignment.

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Phase I

Phase I

Phase I: This phase the students will work with Professor Pajak to select and begin the development for a plan of the creation of a five (5) page document discussing an alteration or variance to a current procedure.  Students will select a project through discussion with group members and then finalize their project in a one-on-one discussion with Professor Pajak.  This project will directly relate to each students’ individual area of interest.  Students who do not have a direct interest in a specific field of study will then be placed in a business model as that stands as the base general model for most documentation.  

Procedure:

1. Form groups of two to four students. Students should attempt to craft groups that have similar interests.
2. Discuss possible concepts that could be used in a fictitious task, process, or procedure as a normal part activity. Each task, process, or procedure needs to match each student’s area of specialization.
3. Students will describe this normal operating procedure, process, or task on page one of the document. This one page will stand in for the actual documentation and procedural manual that would normally be quite large.  Thus, students will need to craft a complete summary of this process, procedure, or task in one page.  This is to allow the assessor (i.e. the supervisor, government agency, research institute, etc.)
4. Starting on page two students will identify irregularities that cause a need for alteration of the normal activity. This should be a complete discussion of this anomaly.  
5. Beginning on page three, students will craft a complete document that discusses, in totality, what needs to be altered in the normal process, the effects of doing so, and the ramifications. Here students can also insert technical schematics, blueprints, and documents, to mimic research that will have occurred had this been real.  Students are to act AS IF this is real.  This bundle of documents will serve as support and backing for their conclusion as to how the proper alteration will occur. 
6. The conclusion will be crafted in Phase II.

Phase II

Phase II: This is the crafting and writing phase.  In this phase, students will perform research to add schematics to their documents.  These documents will simulate actual schematics that they would have been given by a supervisor.  Thus, they do not have to match the student’s project.  The student is using these schematics to illustrate their ability to properly insert external documents into the the document they are creating.  The drawings do not have to be professional and may be merely created by the student as the external documents will not be part of the grade.  Although, the manner in which they are included will as that will stand as testament to the student’s ability to properly insert documentation they did not create into their own documents.  (yes, I know I did not need to say “own”, but I did so to stress the fact that I will be judging the students’ documents and nothing else.—so nayh! 😛  

Procedure:

1. Students will design alterations to the normal procedure, task, or process. This need not be involved but should have enough substance to indicate true alteration or deviation from the original methodology.  
2. Students will craft a five-page technical communication document that will discuss and detail the reasoning behind this alteration. This paper should be crafted as if it is a document requested by a supervisor, team lead, or boss.  In this case, the supervisor, team lead, or boss is gathering information to present to others.  The student will be acting as the information gather and subordinate assistant.  The student has been tasked with the creation of this document and gathering of supporting materials so that the boss can present it to his superiors.
3. Students must be mindful that this is a formal document and will be directly used to assist the supervisor, team lead, or boss to prove that the alteration should and must occur.

Phase III

Phase III

Phase III: Students will submit their documents to their supervisor and explain in detail the outcome of the alteration, its effects, and the expected results.  This will stand as the students’ exhibition of their skills to promote and support their reasoning to an authority figure.  This oral presentation will be judged and be included as part of their grade.  Technical Communication includes the ability to effectively present documentation to an audience.

Procedure:

• Students will present to their supervisor their findings and defend their assessment. The supervisor may ask probing questions to clarify and discover information or concepts overlooked.  Professor, or some other person will act as the assessor of success for the documentation and oral presentation of findings.
• Students will be picked at random and allowed a ten minute presentation only. Students should aim to have their discussion targeted and completed as close to the ten minute mark as possible.  Taking considerably less time will harm a student’s grade as will going substantially over the time limit.

Students will create three documents of which the five page document arguing for a variance or alteration in normal procedures will constitute sixty to seventy percent of the overall grade.  The grade breakdown is as follows:

0-10 points = 1 page document

0-20 points = supporting documentation

0-70 points = five page variance document

total points =100

Points directly correlate to a zero to 100 percentage scale.