Your supervisor will play a crucial role as your project develops and you should be aware of what this role is and what you should expect from him/her.
In general, you should consult your supervisor for his or her opinion or advice rather than seeking instructions. The supervisor is there to provide you with general guidance and an expert view on your chosen topic/project. The onus is on you to organise your work, to take any necessary decisions and to consult your supervisor so that he/she is aware of what you are doing.Your assigned supervisor will meet with you periodically during the project period. You should make full use of the limited time given to you, by coming to meetings fully prepared and to be prepared to actively participate in the discussion.
All ground rules laid down by the supervisor for meetings and e-mails must be strictly adhered to. Supervisors can call for meetings at their own discretion.You must show professionalism at all times during these meetings, as you have to bear in mind that you are indirectly being assessed for your conduct of the project.
At the beginning of the project, your supervisor will discuss with you the project specification and may give you some ideas on how to start. As the work progresses, however, more of the ideas should come from you. Your supervisor will certainly not expect to (and may not be able to) solve your problems! It is your work, therefore you are expected to do it; not your supervisor. Obviously in experimental projects your decisions must meet the approval of your supervisor and technical staff for safety and other reasons.
Supervisors can provide general idea and guidance for the structure of the dissertation. However, they are not expected to proof read your dissertation.
Your project may involve you having to work with one or more of your colleagues, either sharing the same equipment or working on the same general problem or subject area using different methods. The strategy of such a project will be outlined to you at the outset by your supervisor. You should bear in mind that all aspects of dissertation assessment will be on an individual basis; you will be required to write a distinctively separate dissertation from that of your colleagues.
(Source - University of Aberdeen School of Engineering Project Guidelines for Students)
