Writing a professional product

What is a professional product?

With a professional product, you can make a concrete and practical contribution to your client. You are encouraged to think constructively about practical situations and to ‘organically’ link research to practical action. You work methodically to solve issues presented by a client. You thoroughly analyze the practical problem given to you by your graduation company and formulate a series of partial products and a final product to provide a solution to this problem. Instead of a traditional thesis, you deliver a series of professional products.

Why are more and more students writing a professional product?

The aim is to make graduation products more relevant to practice and to better prepare you for the real issues you will encounter in your future career. By carrying out multiple assignments that together form a solution to a practical problem, you can make a concrete contribution to your field and create a valuable product for your client. Some institutions allow you to write several professional products during your studies, which often become part of your portfolio.

Examples of professional products include:

• An instructional film for healthcare staff.
• A training program aimed at students.
• A social media strategy for a fashion store.
• Advice and a prototype of a new website.

What are the specific differences compared to a traditional thesis?

In a traditional thesis, you conduct research to answer your central research question, with the emphasis often on recommendations; however, concrete implementation is often lacking. On the other hand, in the case of a professional product, you submit several assignments that together form your final thesis, resulting in a series of products. As a result, the graduation process does not culminate in a traditional thesis, but rather in a tangible professional product.

What types of professional products are there?

Analysis

With an analytical professional product, you can analyze an issue in a structured manner to provide in-depth insights. Sometimes, this requires extensive research, while other times a thorough calculation is sufficient - of course, based on thorough research. This form of a professional product has similarities with a traditional research report. Consult the guidelines of your training to determine which elements are important for your analytical professional product.

Advice

When creating professional advice, it is important to focus on possible improvements for your client’s product or service. This professional product form has similarities to an advisory report, so it is recommended to consult your education to determine the specific components required for your advisory professional product.

Design

When you need to create a design or a product, such as a visual or schematic representation of a product or service, this design constitutes your professional product. This often results in a tangible end product, as opposed to an extensive report full of analyses and calculations.

Action

With an action as a professional, you show that you can act professionally in a professional situation, for example, by having a difficult conversation. To do this, you use various skills that you have developed during your training. You may also need to write a reflective report in which you look back on the conversation and what you learned from it.

What is the structure of a professional product?

It is important to build your professional product properly so that it meets the requirements of both the program and the client. What should your professional product ideally look like? What are the essential components that should not be missing?

Cover page and summary

A professional document in proper format naturally begins with a cover page, followed by a summary that presents essential information without necessitating the reader to read the whole document. The summary should only be written after the professional product has been finalized. Subsequently, an overview of the different chapters and their corresponding page numbers is provided in the table of contents.

Preface

The foreword is an introduction to you as a writer and your involvement in the subject. It should be written after the content of your professional product has been completed. Here, you will share how you arrived at the topic and your personal experience during the writing process. The foreword also allows you to express gratitude towards people who have guided or supported you. Keep it concise and personal.

Introduction

In the introduction, you introduce the content of your professional product to your readers. Here, you state the reason for your research and outline the context. What is the central issue, and how will you address it? It can be useful to divide the main question into sub-questions that you will answer later. Also, explain what the reader can expect from the content of your professional product.

Literature study

This chapter provides an overview of the existing knowledge regarding your issue. It aims to offer a comprehensive picture of the research that has already been conducted, which is relevant to your topic. The objective is to integrate these results into the theoretical framework of your professional product.

Research methods

Describe here how you worked as a researcher and explain your choice of research methods.

Research results

Present the most important results of your research in a clear and concise manner.

Conclusions

Draw conclusions based on your literature study and personal research, and provide answers to the main question as well as any sub-questions you posed in your professional study.

Advice and recommendations

Now is the time to present your recommendations. Your professional product is more than just research; it offers practical solutions to your client’s problem. Describe clearly and step-by-step how the client can implement your advice for optimal results.

Tips for graduating with a professional product

Here are some tips to successfully graduate with a professional product:

• Take the time to thoroughly analyze the real-world problem that your graduate company has given you. Ensure that you fully understand the issue before beginning.
• Use a structured approach to address the issue. Formulate a clear problem definition and work towards a solution step by step.
• If needed, conduct extensive research to analyze the issue and support your solutions with relevant literature and data.
• Always consider the practical aspect when developing your professional product. Make sure your solutions can be immediately applied in practice and provide value to the client.
• Create a realistic schedule for writing your professional product and stick to it. Divide your work into manageable tasks and allow enough time for revision and improvement.
• Ensure that your professional product meets the requirements and guidelines of your training program and the client.
• Regularly check if you are on the right track and seek feedback if necessary.
• Reflect on your actions and learning experiences throughout the process. Consider what went well and what could be improved, and use these insights to enhance your professional product.

Is writing your professional product difficult?

Are you stuck in the process of creating your professional product? Our experienced thesis coaches are ready to help you. Together, they ensure that your professional product is well put together and meets all requirements and expectations.