BTEC Assignment Brief

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Engineering

Qualification Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in
Engineering
Unit number and title Unit 5: A Specialist Engineering Project

Learning aim(s) (For NQF A: Investigate an engineering project in a relevant specialist

only) area

Assignment title
Investigating an Engineering Project
Assessor

Issue date

Hand in deadline

You are working as a final year engineering apprentice with

a large engineering organisation that operate within the
electrical and electronic/manufacturing sector.
Your supervisor is pleased with the work that you have
done, and is impressed by your understanding of ways in
which problems can be solved effectively.
Vocational Scenario or
As a result, your supervisor has asked you to investigate a
Context
product, within the organisation that can be improved. You
have been asked to research the engineering problem and
to generate alternative solutions to the problem, and to
suggest a preferred idea. There is a possibility that the
solution may be implemented later if it is an improvement
and feasible.

Task 1 You are going to investigate and evaluate an engineering

project/problem on a given theme in order to produce a
range of three possible solutions. You will initially research
the engineering project/problem before producing a
specification which scopes out potential technical solutions.

To do this:

Your tutor will provide you with a case study for an

engineering product, where there is an opportunity for you
to be able to improve the product.
 You need to:

● Conduct and record your initial research so that you

can clarify the details of the engineering project and
identify the problem(s) to be solved. Your research
should make use of a wide range of suitable and
relevant resources that will assist you in solving the
problem.
● You should then document your use of a range
of appropriate creativity tools to help you come
up with three potential solutions for the given
engineering project/problem. This could be
done through a combination of different
approaches.
● Finally, use your research/creative thinking to
produce a technical specification from which you can
establish the key design features needed to scope
out possible technical solutions. Your technical
specification should include information including
graphical solutions to the problem, an outline of the
required processes and costings and initial technical
information.

Having completed your research and devised a technical

specification for the solution to your given engineering
project/problem, you are now to produce a feasibility study
on the three alternative solutions. You should use the
results of your feasibility study to justify a preferred
solution to the project/problem.

You need to:

Identify the criteria on which to base your feasibility study

of the three alternative solutions to the engineering
project/problem. Your feasibility study should consider a
range of factors, and provide information on:
● the potential size and complexity of the
problem to be solved
● the potential size of the benefits and
performance improvements the solutions
will bring to the problem
● The cost and time that would be needed to

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 develop each solution
● any specialist expertise which is required to
develop the solutions
● the risks in developing the solutions
● sustainability issues
● legal constraints which are relevant to the
solutions

Finally, you should analyse your designs through the use of

feasibility assessments and by considering the iterative
steps which you followed. You should then justify a
preferred solution to the engineering project/problem by
carrying out objective testing of each of the proposals.

Having identified a preferred solution through your

feasibility study/testing, you should get your tutor to sign
off your preferred solution as being possible and achievable
given the constraints of both time and resources in your
centre.
Checklist of evidence Research report which includes evidence of investigating
required initial ideas and possible solutions. Alternative technical
solutions should be scoped out and a feasibility study report
of the possible solutions included. Other related documents
may include diagrams, sketches, photographs, costings and
spreadsheets.
Criteria covered by this task:
Unit/Criteria
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
reference
5/A.D1 Evaluate, using language that is technically correct and of a high
standard, at least three realistic solutions to an engineering problem on
a given theme and justify a preferred solution.
5/A.M1 Assess consistently at least three solutions to an engineering problem
on a given theme and recommend a preferred solution.
Research an engineering problem based on a given theme and scope
5/A.P1
out at least three alternative solutions.
Outline at least three alternative solutions to an engineering problem
5/A.P2
and select a preferred solution.

Sources of information Books

to support you with De Bono, E.; Six Thinking Hats; Penguin 2010; ISBN
this Assignment 9780141033051

Websites
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 https://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_TMC.htm
problem solving techniques
http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php
https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/elements-of-a-good-
feasibility-study.php

Above are some examples of websites. Further

useful resources may be found at
http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/publishe
d-resources.html#step1
Other assessment
materials attached to
this Assignment Brief

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