Engineering Design: A Survival Guide to Senior Capstone

Support for this Textbook
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Examples
List of Common Pit Falls
List of Industry Point of Views
PART I
	1: Introduction to Senior Design
		1.1 Developing ``Soft´´ Engineering Skills
		EXAMPLE 1.1 Importance of Soft Skills
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 1.1 Keep an Open Mind
		Industry Point of View 1.1 Soft Skills Are Important
		1.2 A Case for Project Management
		EXAMPLE 1.2 Examples of Projects
		Industry Point of View 1.2 Project Management Is Important
		1.3 The Engineering Design Life-Cycle
		1.4 Chapter Summary
	2: Introduction of Case Study Teams
		2.1 Augmented Reality Sandbox
		2.2 Smart Flow Rate Valve
		2.3 Robotic ESD Testing Apparatus
		2.4 Chapter Summary
PART II
	3: Choosing Your Design Project
		3.1 How Organizations Start Projects
		Industry Point of View 3.1 Select Your Opportunities Carefully
		3.2 Choosing Your Senior Design Project
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 3.1 Selecting Your Senior Project
		3.3 Chapter Summary
		3.4 Case Studies
	4: The Engineering Design Team
		4.1 Definition of an Engineering Team
		Industry Point of View 4.1: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
		4.2 SWOT Analysis
		EXAMPLE 4.1: Personal SWOT Analysis
		EXAMPLE 4.2: Team SWOT Analysis
		4.3 Expectations of Effective Teammates
		4.4 Project Time Commitments
		EXAMPLE 4.3: Allotting Time to the Project
		4.5 Running an Efficient Team Meeting
		EXAMPLE 4.4: Recommended Agenda (Template)
		EXAMPLE 4.5: Suggested Agenda for First Team Meeting
		EXAMPLE 4.6: Suggested Agenda for First Advisor Meeting
		EXAMPLE 4.7: Suggested Agenda for Weekly Advisor Meetings
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 4.1: Discussing Technical Issues
		Industry Point of View 4.2: Running Efficient Meetings
		EXAMPLE 4.8: Suggested Agenda for First Sponsor Meeting
		4.6 Chapter Summary
	5: Project Documentation
		5.1 Project Notebook Background
		EXAMPLE 5.1: Example of Handwritten Journal Page
		5.2 Electronic Notebook Guidelines
		5.3 Primary Types of Notebook Entries
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 5.1: Doubling Documentation Efforts
		EXAMPLE 5.2: Proper Titles for Meeting Minutes
		EXAMPLE 5.3: Possible Purposes of Meetings
		EXAMPLE 5.4: Proper Meeting Minutes #1
		EXAMPLE 5.5: Proper Meeting Minutes #2
		EXAMPLE 5.6: Proper Technical Entry Titles
		EXAMPLE 5.7: Project Relationship References
		EXAMPLE 5.8: Potential Technical Content
		EXAMPLE 5.9: Poor Technical Entry
		EXAMPLE 5.10: Proper Technical Entry
		EXAMPLE 5.11: Action Item Report Titles
		5.4 Chapter Summary
		EXAMPLE 5.12: Proper Action Item Reports
		5.5 Case Studies
PART III
	6: The Problem Statement
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 6.1 Focus on the Problem
		6.1 Project Motivation Statements
		EXAMPLE 6.1 Clear Motivations
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 6.2 Accurately Determine Motives
		Industry Point of View 6.1 Project Motivations Dictate Solutions
		6.2 Project Goal Statements
		EXAMPLE 6.2 Motivations Drive the Goal Statement
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 6.3 Write Excellent Goal Statements
		6.3 Project Objectives
		EXAMPLE 6.3 Objectives Further Define the Goal Statement
		6.4 Summarizing the Problem Statement
		EXAMPLE 6.4 Finalizing the Problem Statement
		Industry Point of View 6.2 Problem Statements
		6.5 Concept Check
		EXAMPLE 6.5 Problem Statement for a Nameplate Reading System
		EXAMPLE 6.6 Problem Statement for a Mars Rover Exhibit
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 6.4 Focus on the Problem!
		6.6 Chapter Summary
		6.7 Case Studies
	7: Requirement Documents
		7.1 Project Requirements
		EXAMPLE 7.1 Common Requirements
		EXAMPLE 7.2 Requirements Define Objectives
		7.2 Project Specifications
		EXAMPLE 7.3 Common Specifications
		EXAMPLE 7.4 Specifications Quantitatively Define Requirements
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 7.1 Not Enough Specifications
		EXAMPLE 7.5 Software Exceptions to the Requirements Rule
		7.3 Project Constraints
		EXAMPLE 7.6 Common Constraints
		EXAMPLE 7.7 Constraints Versus Requirements/Specifications
		7.4 Building the Requirements Document
		EXAMPLE 7.8 Format of a Requirements Document
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 7.2 Completing Your Requirements Document
		7.5 Requirements Gathering
		EXAMPLE 7.9 Requirements Gathering Process #1
		EXAMPLE 7.10 Requirements Gathering Process #2
		EXAMPLE 7.11 Requirements Gathering Process #3
		EXAMPLE 7.12 Requirements Gathering Process #4
		Industry Point of View 7.1 Requirements Define all the Details
		Industry Point of View 7.2 Keep Asking ``Why´´
		7.6 Concept Check
		EXAMPLE 7.13 Requirements Document for Mars Rover Exhibit
		EXAMPLE 7.14 Requirements Document for a Nameplate Reading System
		EXAMPLE 7.15 Requirements Documents for the Mars Rover Exhibit
		EXAMPLE 7.16 Structuring the Req. Doc. for the Nameplate Reader
		7.7 Chapter Summary
		7.8 Case Studies
	8: Final INITIATING Processes
		8.1 Literature Reviews
		EXAMPLE 8.1 Potential Background Topics
		EXAMPLE 8.2 Potential Background Topics #2
		EXAMPLE 8.3 Potential State-of-the-Art Topics
		8.2 Using a Gantt Chart
		EXAMPLE 8.4 Using a Gantt Chart #1
		EXAMPLE 8.5 Using a Gantt Chart #2
		Industry Point of View 8.1: Schedule Management by Everyone
		8.3 Block Diagrams
		EXAMPLE 8.6 Block Diagram #1
		EXAMPLE 8.7 Block Diagram #2
		8.4 Chapter Summary
		8.5 Case Studies
	9: Project Kickoff Meetings
		9.1 Purpose of a Project Kickoff Meeting
		9.2 Formatting a Project Kickoff Meeting
		9.3 Effective Use of Templates
		EXAMPLE 9.1 Modifying the Order of Template Slides
		9.4 A Project Kickoff Meeting Template
		9.5 Advanced Presentation Techniques
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 9.1: Avoid Cumbersome Slide Transitions
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 9.2: Avoid Using Pronouns
		Industry Point of View 9.1: Kickoff Meetings
		9.6 Chapter Summary
	10: Project Charters
		10.1 Basic Technical Writing Strategies
		EXAMPLE 10.1: Effective Use of Figures
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 10.1: Introduce All Lists
		EXAMPLE 10.2: Leading the Witness
		EXAMPLE 10.3: Applying Antecedent Method #1
		EXAMPLE 10.4: Applying Antecedent Method #2
		EXAMPLE 10.5: Applying Antecedent Method #3
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 10.2: Choosing Your References
		10.2 Helpful Formatting Tips
		10.3 A Template for a Project Charter
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 10.3: Distinct Motivation and Description
		EXAMPLE 10.6: Additional Project Concerns
		10.4 Chapter Summary
PART IV
	11: Developing Gantt Charts
		11.1 Use a General Framework as a Guide
		11.2 Scheduling Detailed Tasks
		EXAMPLE 11.1: Alternative Selection and Subsystem Design Gantt Chart
		EXAMPLE 11.2: Preliminary Prototype Development Gantt Chart
		11.3 Schedule Management Process
		EXAMPLE 11.3: Progress Updates to a Gantt Chart
		EXAMPLE 11.4: Modifying a Task´s Schedule
		EXAMPLE 11.5: Using a Gantt Chart to Mitigate Slippage
		11.4 Chapter Summary
		11.5 Case Studies
	12: Alternatives Selection Process
		12.1 Identifying Critical Components
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 12.1: Avoid ``Poor´´ Selection Choices
		EXAMPLE 12.1: Component Selection to Reduce Technical Risk
		EXAMPLE12.2: Component Selection to Reduce Complete Project Failure
		EXAMPLE 12.3: Component Selection to Reduce Lack of Knowledge
		12.2 Engineering Alternatives Analysis
		EXAMPLE 12.4: Economic Decision Trees
		EXAMPLE 12.5: Radar Charts
		EXAMPLE 12.6: Pugh Charts
		12.3 Final Alternatives Selection
		Avoiding Common Pitfalls 12.2: Incompatible Alternative Selections
		Industry Point of View 12.1: Consider All the Alternatives
		12.4 Chapter Summary
		12.5 Case Studies
	13: Preliminary Design Process
		13.1 Identifying Subsystems
		EXAMPLE 13.1: Identifying Subsystems
		EXAMPLE 13.2: Assigning Subsystems to Individual Members
		EXAMPLE 13.3: Assigning Subsystems to Small Groups
		13.2 Critical Subsystems Design
		EXAMPLE 13.4: Design vs. Ideation of a Subsystem
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 13.1: Produce a ``Finalized´´ Design
		EXAMPLE 13.5: Nearly-Finalized Subsystem Designs
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 13.2: Circuit Diagrams
		Industry Point of View 13.1: Systems Engineering
		13.3 Preliminary System Designs
		13.4 Chapter Summary
		13.5 Case Studies
	14: Preliminary Design Review
		14.1 Formatting a PDR
		14.2 A PDR Template
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 14.1: Circuit vs. Pin Diagrams (again)
		14.3 PDR Feedback
		Example 14.1: Clarifying Questions
		Example 14.2: ``Deeper Level´´ Concerns
		Industry Point of View 14.1: Use Evidence to Improve Communication
		14.4 Chapter Summary
	15: Preliminary Prototyping Process
		15.1 Purpose of the Preliminary Prototype
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 15.1: Selecting a Preliminary Prototype
		15.2 Identifying Useful Prototypes
		Industry Point of View 15.1: Subsystem Prototypes Reduce Risk
		Example 15.1: Useful Preliminary Prototypes
		15.3 Exceptions to the Rule
		15.4 Formatting a Prototype Proposal
		15.5 Template for Prelim: Prototype Demos
		15.6 Chapter Summary
		15.7 Case Studies
	16: Critical Design Process
		16.1 Overview of the Design Life-Cycle
		16.2 Finalized System-Level Designs
		16.3 Fabrication and Verification Processes
		16.4 Fabrication Planning Process
		EXAMPLE 16.1: Execution Plan Using a Gantt Chart
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 16.1: Organized Fabrication Plans
		16.5 Verification Planning Process
		EXAMPLE 16.2: Examples of Pass Criteria for Specifications
		16.6 Rudimentary Risk Analysis
		EXAMPLE 16.3: Examples of Pass Criteria for Requirements
		EXAMPLE 16.4: Four Categories of Risks
		EXAMPLE 16.5: Articulating a Risk
		16.7 Chapter Summary
		Industry Point of View 16.1: Risk Analysis Considers Cause and Effect
		16.8 Case Studies
	17: Critical Design Review
		17.1 Formatting a CDR
		17.2 A CDR Template
		17.3 Chapter Summary
PART V
	18: Fabrication and Verification Process
		18.1 Synergy of the Design Life-Cycle
		18.2 Modifying Requirement Documents
		Example 18.1: Reasons to Modify a Req Doc
		18.3 Req Docs Drive Verification Plans
		18.4 Verification Plans Drive the Schedule
		18.5 Schedules Drive Action Item Reports
		18.6 Tips for the Fabrication Process
		18.7 Tips for the Verification Process
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 18.1: Misleading Trendlines
		Avoiding Common Pit Falls 18.2: Presenting the ``Correct´´ Answer
		18.8 Chapter Summary
		18.9 Case Studies
	19: System Prototyping Process
		19.1 System Prototyping Process
		19.2 System Prototype Demonstration
		Example 19.1: Acceptably Complete Systems at SPD
		19.3 Completing the System Prototyping Process
		19.4 Chapter Summary
		19.5 Case Studies
	20: Final Design Review
		20.1 Successes, Attempts, and Failures
		20.2 Formatting an FDR
		20.3 An FDR Template
PART VI
	21: Closing Phase Overview
		21.1 Confirmation of Project Completion
		21.2 Completion of Paperwork
		21.3 Transfer of Deliverables
		21.4 After-Action Retrospective Meetings
		21.5 Archiving Information
		Industry Point of View 21.1: Formally Close All Projects
		21.6 Releasing of Resources
		21.7 Chapter Summary
	22: CLOSING Processes (Completion)
		22.1 Final Project Reports
		Example 22.1: Amount of Implementation Details in an FPR
		22.2 The Design Fair
		22.3 Deliverables Meeting
		22.4 Case Studies
	23: CLOSING Processes (Retention)
		23.1 After-Action Retrospective Meetings
		23.2 A Senior Design After-Action Retrospective
	24: The Final Process - Celebration
References
Index