1. Brainstorming & Project Management
Objectives:
After completing this lesson the students should be able to:
Participate in a brainstorming session
Prepare a Project Schedule for tracking progress

2. Brainstorming Definition Proposing new ideas
Free flowing exchange of ideas
No judgment
No decisions
Build on others’ ideas
Silly is good – Can trigger creativeness
A note-taker is needed

3. Brainstorming Exercise
A company has built a new, clean factory on some land it owns. Unfortunately, …
Brainstorming is fun – one of the best parts of being an engineer. Let’s assume the whole class is a team and do some brainstorming on this project. A very old factory is run down and is a major polluter. A town has grown up around the factory and almost all of the factory workers live there.
The company has built a new, clean factory on some land it owns. Unfortunately,….
OLD FACTORY
NEW FACTORY

4. Brainstorming Exercise
…there is a river between the town and the new factory.
To bridge
- 50 miles
RIVER
…there is a river between the town and the new factory. The problem is how to get the workers to the new factory.
When you are brainstorming, all ideas are accepted. We can analyze the concepts later by seeing how well each one meets the requirements and constraints. We ought to be able to generate atleast 20 ideas. Let students tell you their ideas. You may out student ideas on a blank overhead. You may also want to make a list of requirements, constraints and information needs they identify.
To bridge
- 60 miles
OLD FACTORY
NEW FACTORY

5. Project Management Definition
Project Management is an important function used in projects to plan and manage the cost and schedule of projects.

6. Project Management Project Management Cycle Define project Create plan
Implement plan
Monitor progress
Complete and document
This is not equivalent to a complete “Project Cycle” as shown in TTD. Here we are only focusing on the project management aspect of a project.

7. Project Management Main Tasks Create a Project Plan
Anticipate problems
Make a Project Schedule
Solve problems
Track the schedule
Meet the deadlines
Revise the schedule
Organize all documentation in a Project Notebook
Hold team meetings

8. Create a Project Plan Step 1: Identify all tasks
Read the project description document.
Look at course website to see what your weekly assignments will be.
Brainstorm in your group the tasks your project will require.
After you have identified these tasks, break them down into small enough parts to be able to measure progress weekly.

9. Sample Task Breakdown Etc. - add additional tasks as needed Project
Determine
Requirements
Design
Build
Document
Test
This represents a good starting point for the students. It gets them pointed in the right direction. They need to use this and
expand upon it to include all appropriate tasks to allow them to track their progress.
No information about schedule or timeframe is involved in this step.
Read project
description
Brainstorm
Initial Paper
Design
Etc. - add additional
tasks as needed
P. 9

10. Create a Project Plan - Sample Schedule
Group X Roller Coaster Project Schedule
Last updated: 9/27/2014
Task
Assigned Person
Planned Start
Actual Start
Planned Complete
Actual Complete
Completion Percent (%)
Browse course website and read project description
All
9/12/2014
9/14/2014
9/16/2014
100%
First team design brainstorming session
9/28/2014
9/27/2014
90%
Start project notebook
R. L. K
10/1/2014
Initial paper design
10/11/2014
10/16/2014
Etc.
This is what we expect from students in their project notebook. The instructional staff needs to check this weekly to reinforce the
importance of continuous monitoring of the plan. This is due at the beginning of lab 5.
P. 10

11. Project Schedule Updating Schedule Weekly
Update and revise your schedule weekly.
Instructional staff will check these updates weekly when they check your notebook. (for points!)
If the project schedule begins to fall too far behind, you should re-plan the remaining tasks to complete on time.
The constant monitoring of the plan is the best way to identify schedule difficulties as early as possible. This maximizes the opportunity to
make corrections and maintain the project schedule. This goes in direct conflict with the students’ proclivity toward procrastination.

12. Project Notebook To Start…. Use a 3-ring binder.
Provide clearly labeled tabs for each section.
Assign a project manager to maintain the notebook throughout the semester.

13. Project Notebook Notebook Content Create the following (8) sections:
Table of Contents – List of sections organized and labeled properly.
Project Description Document – Copy of Project Description Document.
Team Working Agreement – Signed copy of agreement (created at beginning of project).
Project Schedule – More details to come….

14. Project Notebook Notebook Content
Initial Design & Documentation – Include the graded Initial Concept Design and all initial brainstorming records.
Lab Documentation – This section should be organized sequentially and include the following:
Graded lab assignments (memos, performance test summaries, etc.)
Meeting notes – member attendance, date, time, duration, tasks, discussion
Brainstorming
Sketches

15. Project Notebook Notebook Content
Final Design & Documentation – Include copies of Final Report Draft and Final Report (including final drawings).
Handouts – Any handouts or research done for this project not included in other sections.

16. Project Notebook Updating Notebook Weekly
Record all weekly meeting notes.
Collect and organize all graded lab assignments, graded design
documentation, and handouts
received that week.
Update the project schedule based
on work done that week and work to be completed.
Have your notebook checked weekly.

17. Assignments PROJECT NOTEBOOK PROJECT SCHEDULE
Bring notebook to lab every week since circuit prototyping lab
Final notebook due before the oral presentation lab
PROJECT SCHEDULE
Initial schedule due per course website
Bring to lab weekly in notebook