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To learn about the ECE design process, to acquire knowledge of project planning
and proposal writing, to perform preliminary design work and write a formal
technical proposal for continued design effort next Fall, to develop skills in
working on a team. The minimum outcome expected from students is to be able
to perform the following in a team setting:

Develop design requirements and specifications for an open-ended design project.

Learn and apply techniques for development and evaluation of design
alternatives, including ethical considerations and professional responsibilities in
engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the
impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal
contexts and relevant standards.

Learn and apply techniques for elementary program planning, scheduling, and
management.

Write an acceptable proposal for the design of a system, machine, or other which
incorporates the first three items above, and successfully defend the proposal in
an oral presentation.

\textbf{Oral AND Written Proposals will include (but are not limited to):}

\textbf{Background and State-of-the-Art} Help the audience understand what you are doing and
why you are doing it. Describe the proposed project. Describe why you selected the
proposed design as your capstone project(challenge, interest, talent, importance to a
“customer”, etc.) Describe any history or background of related work you or other have
done in the past. Describe the state of the art of the technology related to your project.
Use well defined references to papers, books and web sources.

\textbf{Design Specifications} Develop functional and performance specifications for the
proposed design. What will the design do? How well will it do it? Clearly identify
“required” vs “desired” specifications. These specifications will be used as a checklist in
your senior year to determine if you have reached your goals on the project, and will have
a major impact on your grade in senior year.

\textbf{Preliminary Designs} Present at least two configurations for your design. Describe how
your team evaluated the configurations and how you settled on a final design approach.
Include a clear description of calculations, simulations, experiments, comparisons,
surveys, prototypes, etc. you use in evaluating the alternative designs and selecting the
final design.

\textbf{Statement of Work.} Develop the list of tasks your team will perform to create the design
and a working prototype that meets the specifications. Describe the work that will be
performed to accomplish each task. Convince the audience that each task is logical and
your team can complete the tasks. Include descriptions of proposed research, analysis,
experiments, prototypes, etc. that will be used in the conduct of the design, construction,
assembly, test and refinement.

\textbf{Resources, Schedule and Milestones} Determine the duration of each task and the
relationship of the tasks to one another versus time. Typically, at least ten tasks are
required for a significant project. Develop an estimated person-power analysis detailing
who is to do what and when. Develop a list of resources needed, including parts, and
services; include estimated cost. Develop a list of clear, realistic, measurable milestones
to provide an indication of progress.

\textbf{\emph{A detailed proposal outline will be provided during the semester.}}

\textbf{Progress Reports and Meetings:}

Once projects have been selected, team will be required to meet with their advisors on a schedule
defined by the advisor. It is strongly suggested that these meetings occur every week. In
addition, biweekly progress reports will be submitted to the course instructors via Blackboard
and to the project advisor(s). A format will be provided.

\textbf{Out-of-Class Senior Design Project Work.}

Each student is expected to spend a bare minimum of 60 hours outside of class on just the
technical work of the project to receive a non-zero grade for the Technical Progress portion of
the course grade. Consult with your advisor for specific requirements regarding the Technical
Progress portion of the course grade.

\textbf{Deadlines.}

Late submission of any assignment may be subject to a deduction of 2 percentage points from the
grade for the late assignment per business day per assignment. This penalty will be deducted from
the assignment grade as determined by the other course requirements.
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