Write a basis of design narrative for an engineering project
A clear basis of design document that records design criteria, assumptions, codes, and system choices for client and team review.
The prompt
Help me write a basis of design (BOD) narrative for an engineering project.
Project: [type, size, location, occupancy or use]
Discipline(s): [e.g. "mechanical and plumbing", "structural", "civil and stormwater", "electrical"]
Owner's project requirements: [PASTE or summarize - performance goals, budget, sustainability targets, maintenance preferences]
Design criteria: [e.g. design temperatures, loads, occupancy, rainfall event, soil bearing values from the geotechnical report, redundancy requirements]
Codes, standards, and guidelines: [list with editions, as adopted by the jurisdiction]
Systems selected and alternatives considered: [WHAT and WHY]
Assumptions and open items: [LIST]
Audience: [owner, commissioning agent, permitting authority, internal team]
Write the BOD with these sections:
1. Project overview and purpose of this document.
2. Design criteria, in a table with values, units, and source (owner, code, report, or engineering judgment).
3. Codes and standards list with editions.
4. System descriptions: what each system is, how it works, and why it was chosen over alternatives, in plain language.
5. Assumptions, with who must confirm each and by when.
6. Interfaces with other disciplines.
7. Open items and decisions needed from the owner.
8. Revision history.
Keep the writing plain enough for a non-engineer owner to follow. Use only values I provide - mark anything missing [ENGINEER TO PROVIDE] and never fill in design values, loads, or code requirements from memory. Final content must be reviewed by the engineer of record.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Writing & Editing prompts
What to fill in
- type, size, location, occupancy or use
- list with editions, as adopted by the jurisdiction
- WHAT and WHY
- LIST
- ENGINEER TO PROVIDE
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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