The Project Toolkit
Simple, editable starting points for real student work.
Download and adapt
These original templates are provided as Markdown and CSV files so they can be edited in common text editors, RStudio, and spreadsheet applications. They are educational aids, not ABET-prescribed forms.
| Resource | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Project brief | Define the need, scope, sponsor role, and feasibility. |
| Requirements and verification matrix | Link each requirement to an evaluation method and result. |
| Sample project schedule | Practice task dependencies and critical-path reasoning. |
| Risk register | Track issues, mitigations, ownership, and review dates. |
| Cost estimate | Build a documented bill of materials and recurring-cost estimate. |
| Assumption-test worksheet | Convert untested beliefs into a small evidence-gathering plan. |
| Design review checklist | Prepare a review that examines decisions and evidence. |
Recommended use
Create a working copy for each team. Add version dates, owners, and faculty-approved expectations. Keep confidential sponsor information in an approved university system rather than a public website. These templates do not submit, synchronize, or store project data online.
Eight short learning sessions
- Finding needs and writing measurable requirements.
- Engineering ethics, safety, and professional responsibility.
- Concept generation and evidence-based selection.
- Standards, constraints, and design documentation.
- Project scheduling, dependencies, and risk.
- Engineering economics and lifecycle costs.
- Experiments, uncertainty, and design verification.
- Technical communication, review, and handoff.
Each session can combine a short student-led explanation with an application to the current project. Faculty should align depth and assessment with course objectives.
Collaborative project planning
Faculty-industry-student collaboration explains how to develop a shared project brief and review feasibility together. Download the four-page fillable PDF for sponsor information and faculty feasibility review.
Capital and business partners
Seeking Capital provides a practical guide to reasons for raising money, funding trade-offs, partner alignment, and decision-making authority, with perspectives from the SBA, SEC, BDC, and Y Combinator.