Notes on Capstone Course Design
Understanding Course Expectations
In this activity you will search for best practices in an open-ended real-world project and study the relationship between these and the capstone course grading system. You should gain an appreciation of the many challenges associated with the course and gain confidence that the course is structured to help you develop needed skills for project success.
Group Discussion
Form teams of 4-5 beginning capstone design students around designated second semester students who will serve as captains for this exercise. Assign roles of time keeper, spokesperson, and recorder. Teams should have members from at least two disciplines (ME, ECE, BAE).
Skim at least one set of prior project reports and logbooks. Review the list of best practices for open-ended design projects inventoried by previous seniors. Answer the following questions related to the grading page in the syllabus and the design team commitment rubric.
- What is open communication and who should be involved in this?
- What is customer satisfaction and how should this be measured?
- What are two pieces of evidence for a quality design product, strong documentation, strong team processes, and good personal performance?
- What minimum level of design team commitment is necessary for project success? What is the optimum level? Why?
- What are three ways capstone projects can be enhanced by expertise
developed in prior courses?
Answer the following questions related to the best practices cited by previous
capstone students.
- What are the top five best practices cited/used by former students that you want to learn more about? How can each of these add value to your capstone design experience?
- What is your two most burning questions about capstone design that you would like answered?
Synthesis of Class Feedback (15 Discussion Groups) – Winter 2006
Which design tools/practices added greatest value to your projects last term?
Workbreakdown – defines roles, responsibilities, and accountability for next period
CAD Tools – used Solidworks and PSPICE for clearer design communication
Meeting Agendas – maximized added value of time together, avoided rambling discussions that neither expanded understanding nor finalized important decisions
Meeting Minutes – summarized key decisions and their rationale, reminded all
about individual responsibilities/deadlines
Email Alias – simplified client communication, kept all members informed
Web Page – allowed team and client to visualize ideas and decision-making
Logbooks – allowed members to play with ideas, develop visuals and calculations,
and efficiently share insights/ideas for design development
Needs and Specs – defined these with client feedback to know when we are done
Team Building – took time to understand background, personal needs/goals,
building friendship as a basis for project performance
Assessing Performance – reflecting on personal/team accomplishments, extracting lessons learned, and charting future actions for improved efficiency/effectiveness
What individuals outside your team added most value to your projects last term?
Clients – asking questions, consulting advice, providing reference materials, sharing
in-house practices/conventions, authorizing additional resources (money & equipment)
Technical Advisors – assisted with model development, making suggestions that upgraded technical presentations and reports
Mentors – shared lessons learned by previous teams, facilitated early prototyping and drawing package development
Professional Staff – provided expertise on design for manufacturing, circuit board design, data acquisition, purchasing
Instructors – used email, informal visits, and formal team meetings to remind teams
of upcoming milestones and course expectations, and provide feedback on progress
Outside Instructors – machine design, microprocessor selection/programming
Vendors – understanding of hardware/software features, cost-effective component selection and sizing matched to needs of project
Peers – many valuable project insights surfaced in design reviews and Snapshot days
What are your best ideas for exceeding the expectations of your client this term?
Ambitious Goals – stretch yourself and your team to deliver a little more than you think is possible, pushing each other to higher professional standards in your work
Validation – use multiple methods for proof of concept (research, experiment,
engineering analysis, drawings/sketches, rapid prototyping, design reviews, client calls)
Intermediate Prototypes – nothing rivals an interesting piece of meaningful hardware as a tool for generating a lively and insightful discussion about your project
Aesthetics – good looking product that does its job with simple elegance
Schedule – share deadlines and show that they are met
Communication – regular updates (email, calls, visits), show excitement
Design Report – show off design features while demonstrating engineering rigor
Teamwide Effort – worthwhile, synergistic contributions from all team members
What are your best ideas for increasing the level of performance of a problem (non-contributing) team member?
Respect – focus on what they can contribute, dialogue about problems as they are
perceived (not after they blow up), keep interaction positive/productive
Teaming – work alongside a partner on an important task, measure success
Modified Structure – reassign responsibilities for better skill/interest match/visibility
Ownership – give everyone meaningful tasks, celebrate success, learn from failures
Take Action – performance never improves by ignoring a problem, hoping that it will go away (usually it gets worse); seek external advice if no common ground is found
Consequences – establish clear tasks, report on assignments while they are in progress and agree on course of action if tasks are untimely or of low quality
External Coaching – seek help from mentors and instructors AFTER you have raised awareness about issue within the team environment
What are the biggest challenges you expect this term and what actions by design teams/instructors would be effective in overcoming these?
Skill Deficits – identify these early and get someone up to speed so these can be used in the window when they can add value (i.e. drawings, shop, CNC coding, board layout)
Planning Paralysis – know when to stop planning and start building/experimenting without compromising engineering integrity, don’t be afraid to pull the trigger
Mission Creep – put goals in writing, review these in conversations with client, don’t make promises you can’t keep, don’t be too hasty to expand scope after a success
Design Errors – ask team members, mentors, and instructors to double check critical calculations, call-outs, and modeling assumptions.
Missing Parts – make sure purchased parts will be compatible, initiate purchasing early, track orders before they are late, and test performance after delivery
Shop Time – get trained early, request feedback from mentors/Russ on design for manufacturability, develop a comprehensive production plan with contingencies
Troubleshooting – getting mechanical and electrical components to work together can take considerable time after hardware and software is assembled, plan for it by debugging subsystems off-line
Waning Vision/Attitude – avoid this by re-evaluating and reinvigorating team goals, reveling in engineering problem solving (we exist because there are problems to solve)
Inadequate Budget – get this on your client’s radar early, negotiate trade-offs in performance versus cost, avoid going back multiple times to adjust budget
Instructor/Client Freeze Out – proceeding without external communication until you hit a major roadblock can lead to disaster; don’t go there