Task: Write a Business Plan for starting an Engineering-related business of your choice.

The plan should be of a quality that it can be used potentially for obtaining necessary finance for the business, and can serve as a guide for continuing on with the start of the business and its subsequent operations. It may contain the following sections (taken from Hatten 2010, for details, consult the book):

1) Cover Page

2) Table of Contents

3) Executive Summary

4) Business Information

5) Environmental and Industry Analysis

6) Products and Services Planned

7) Marketing Research and Evaluation

8) Business Operations Plan

9) Marketing Plan and Future Directions

10) Management Plan

11) Financial Plan

12) Exit Strategy

13) Benefits to the Community

14) Critical Risks and Assumptions

15) Timeline

16) Appendix

In addition, the submitted report should contain:

1. A diary of all meetings and individual work performed in carrying out this project.

2. A set of power point slides that may be used to present the plan to an examining audience (students can use these power points for their oral presentation).

3. An indication of individual team member's contribution towards different sections of the report.

4. A personal/team reflection on the completion of the project, and the problems faced.

Size of the Report: The report should normally be about 30 A4 pages, typed, single spaced, font size 12, without the Appendix, and the references. A report less than 25 pages or more than 35 pages may not be accepted, unless there are specific convincing reasons.