Technical Specifications Assignment

Worth: 3 points

Format: Individual or group work

Overview

Throughout this week, you have explored the structure, terminology, and purpose of technical specifications across various industries. You’ve analyzed translation specifications based on ASTM F2575 standards and examined how specifications serve as foundational documents that eliminate ambiguity, establish clear expectations, and guide project execution.

Now you’ll apply this knowledge by creating your own comprehensive specifications template and filling it out for a specific project scenario. This assignment simulates real-world professional practice where you must scope projects accurately, communicate requirements precisely, and establish clear parameters for successful delivery.

Your work will demonstrate your understanding of how specifications function as critical business documents that serve multiple stakeholders throughout a project’s lifecycle—from initial planning through final delivery and quality assurance.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this assignment, you will be able to:

Design comprehensive specifications templates that capture essential project parameters for your chosen industry
Apply technical writing principles to create clear, scannable, and professionally formatted documentation
Analyze project requirements systematically, considering people, processes, and technology components
Demonstrate precision in language use while maintaining accessibility for diverse stakeholder audiences

Assignment Instructions

Step 1: Select the product/service for which you’ll develop your specifications

In the last activity, you found example specifications from an industry of interest. Assuming that you’ll continue your work in that industry for this assignment, now is the time to decide on the specific customized product or service you’ll develop specifications for. Here is some advice that may help you to pick a product/service:

If you’d like to build on past experiences, that will help you to write specifications that are more accurate. For example, let’s say you have experience producing social media campaigns. That experience will help you to design specifications that capture all of the necessary details.
Exploring a new area of interest is also a great idea. Is there a product that falls into your skill area that you’ve been thinking about developing? Here’s an opportunity to do an initial exploration to determine what delivering that product would actual take.
Ideally, write for usability. The template you’ll develop is a useful professional tool. The value you get out of what you’ve designed is dependent on the effort you put into it.
Write knowing that revisions will be ongoing. As you put the template to use in production, you discover revisions that can be made. Work on the document iteratively. Establish a foundation in this assignment, and then build upon it.

Step 2: Do some more research - what parameters do specifications for that product/service type typically include?

You’ve already studied a few examples of specifications. Do some more research.

Are there best practices you’ll need to follow for specific product/service you’ve decided to develop?
What parameters do experienced practitioners include in their specifications for the specific product type?
What do you like / not like about the specifications you’ve worked with? You’re designing the document for your use, after all, so you might as well design in a way that you’ll like working with it.

Step 3: Create your specifications template - save a separate copy of this

Organize your ideas about the parameters that should be included in specifications for the product/service into a template document. The idea here is that you’ll create a blank template that you’ll have ready to be filled out each time a client requests that specific product/service from you.

Please keep in mind these requirements when formatting your template:

Must be developed in MS Word (to facilitate grading)
Use headers/tables/lists to make the document more readable
Produce a template of no more than two pages
Make sure your work reflects professionalism

Save a separate copy of this document under the file name indicated. The template is your first of two deliverables for this assignment.

File naming conventions: LastNames_LastNames_[ProductType]-Specifications-template.docx

Note: In the next step you’ll fill in your specifications. When you actually fill in the specifications, you’ll notice adjustments that are needed to the template. Please plan to work on this part of the assignment iteratively.

Step 4: Fill in the specifications for the specific product development you’re planning - edit your template as necessary as you go

In this step, you’ll begin to use your specifications, filling them in as if you were scoping a specific project with a client.

Tips for Filling Out Your Specifications

Fill in the specifications as if this were the real deal. Throughout your careers, you’ll need to scope projects, so take this opportunity to get practice.
Be precise in the specifications you establish. This will seem like contradictory advice, but be detailed, just not too detailed. The document should facilitate scanning.

Again, as you fill out the specifications, you’ll notice areas for improvement. Do plan to work on steps 3 and 4 together and iteratively until you’ve arrived at a first official version that you’re happy with. When you’re happy with your deliverables, go ahead and collect this second document under the indicated file name.

File naming conventions: LastNames_LastNames_[ProductType]-Specifications-Project1.docx

Step 5: Do a final sanity check and submit your assignment

Before submitting your assignment, do a final sanity check to ensure that your deliverables:

Are free from typos/misspellings
Meet the requirements of this assignment
Are named correctly
And so on

Over the course of this unit, you’ll study project management, production processes and quality management systems in detail. That said, we’ll cover sanity checks again. Specifications are the start of production processes, so with a solid understanding of specifications, you’re off to a great start.

Submission Details

As a reminder, here is a delivery summary:

File format: Two matching MS Word documents in .docx format
- Template file naming: LastNames1_LastNames2_[ProductType]-Specifications-template.docx
- Filled-in specifications file naming: LastNames1_LastNames2_[ProductType]-Specifications-Project1.docx
Due date: End of week

How Your Work Will be Graded

Category	Points	Characteristics of effectiveness
Specifications Template	1 point	• Comprehensive coverage of essential parameters (people, processes, technology) • Clear, logical organization with effective use of headers, tables, and lists • Professional formatting that facilitates scanning and usability • Appropriate level of detail for template flexibility
Filled-in Specifications	1 point	• Realistic and detailed project scenario with specific, measurable requirements • Precise language that eliminates ambiguity while remaining accessible • Evidence of systematic thinking about project scope and deliverables • Consistency between template structure and filled-in content
Professionalism	1 point	• Error-free writing with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation • Adherence to assignment requirements including formatting and file naming • Document design reflects industry standards and best practices • Evidence of iterative refinement and attention to detail

Reflection Questions

Consider these questions as you work:

How does the use of specifications set me apart from other professionals?
How can I verbalize the value of specifications to potential employers and clients?
How can I get stakeholder buy-in on the specifications I’ve developed?

📥 Download this Content

Find this file on our repo and download it.

🤖 GAI Study Prompts

Copy the downloaded content and try it with these prompts:

“Help me identify potential gaps or missing parameters in my specifications template for [your chosen industry]”
“What do I do when I learn that the specifications I have for a project need to change?”
“Generate realistic client scenarios that would require modifications to my specifications template”
“What are the most common mistakes professionals make when writing specifications, and how can I avoid them?”
“How can I effectively communicate the value of detailed specifications to clients who want to skip this step?”
“What strategies can I use to ensure all stakeholders understand and agree to the specifications before project start?”

Week 7 Complete! Next week we’ll explore Production Processes & Project Management