Write a project report in Word

Start Microsoft Word and create a new, blank document. This is where you will build up your whole project assignment from scratch.

Go to the 'Insert' tab at the top of the menu bar and click 'Cover Page'. Choose one of the predefined cover page templates. Fill in the date, document title (e.g. 'Project assignment – Ventilation extension'), your name and company name in the relevant fields.

If the template's default image is not relevant to your assignment, click on it and press 'Delete' to remove it. Then use the Windows Snipping Tool to take a snippet from, e.g., your PDF drawing. Copy the snippet and paste it on the front page via right-click. Use 'Text wrapping – Square' so you can move and scale the image freely.

Go to the first text page after the cover page. Write the heading 'Introduction' and below it describe what the assignment is about. Explain, for example, that you have been given the task of carrying out a ventilation calculation, and that you have received a scaled drawing in A1 format as the basis. Remember the text must be understandable to a person without a technical background.

Under a new heading, 'Problem statement', describe precisely what you will calculate and which method you will use. State, for example, that the drawing scale is 1:50, that you will measure all ducts divided by dimension (both rectangular and round), and that you will then multiply the measured millimetres by 50 and divide by 1,000 to convert to metres.

A scale of 1:50 means that each millimetre measured on the drawing corresponds to 50 mm in reality.

Under the heading 'Main discussion', divide the content into subsections for each duct dimension, e.g. 'Measurement – Diameter 100 mm'. Use these subheadings consistently for all the dimensions you cover. This is where you describe the measuring process and the intermediate calculations for that dimension.

Go to 'Insert' and click 'Table'. Create a table with a suitable number of columns and rows — e.g. the columns 'Diameter', 'Length (mm)', 'Times 50' and 'In metres'. Fill in the table with your measured data for each size. Adjust the column widths by dragging the edges if the text is too cramped.

Calculate the cold loss for the whole installation in year-round use. Note that we are working with cold loss and not heat loss, because the medium temperature (15 °C) is lower than the ambient temperature (20 °C). It is the temperature of 15 °C that is the design basis, as it is the most expensive to produce. Show all intermediate calculations for each individual size.

At the end of the assignment you must state the total energy consumption for the entire installation as well as a calculated saving — both with and without waste. These results are placed at the end and must be clearly stated.

End the assignment with a section headed 'Conclusion', in which you summarise your results and calculations. The conclusion must answer the assignment's problem statement and present the key figures in a clear way.

Select each heading in the document and assign it the right level via the 'Home' tab: use 'Heading 1' for main sections (e.g. Introduction, Main body, Conclusion) and 'Heading 2' for subsections (e.g. Measurement – Diameter 100 mm). This is necessary for the table of contents to work correctly.

Place the cursor at the top of the document, before the introduction. If necessary, insert a page break so the table of contents gets its own page. Go to the 'References' tab, click 'Table of Contents' and choose the desired style. Then update the table of contents, and the correct headings and page numbers are inserted automatically.

If you want to elaborate on a particular concept or calculation method without interrupting the flow of the text, you can insert a footnote. Go to 'References' and click 'Insert footnote'. A number is automatically placed in the text, and at the bottom of the page you can write your explanation — e.g. 'Scale 1:50 means that all millimetres on the drawing are multiplied by 50'.

Read through the whole document and correct any marked words. A red underline means the word is not recognised by the dictionary — check the spelling and correct if necessary. A blue underline means Word has a formatting suggestion, e.g. whether a compound word should be written as one word. Right-click to see and accept the suggestions.

Read through the whole assignment and check that all requirements are met: the assignment is written on a PC, has a cover page, table of contents, introduction, main body with illustrations and table, and a conclusion with total consumption and savings calculation. Also confirm that a person without a technical background would be able to understand everything written.