An Overview of Industry Sponsored Projects
General
Industry-sponsored projects begin in autumn semester and continue thru spring semester. Each project follows a defined design process (see Capstone Design Process Flowchart in Course Background & Learning Outcomes) and each process step has related assignments—typically a written document and/or an oral presentation as noted on the design steps. The teams interact with the industry sponsor several times during the project including regularly scheduled weekly meetings and major milestone presentations. Weekly meetings include the students, industry liaison, and project advisor. Weekly meetings may be a teleconference, video conference, or other means of communication. In order to protect sponsor information exchanged during the project, all students sign a Student Participation Agreement at the beginning of the project.
Documentation
Documentation is a key factor to the success of the project. Each team maintains an ongoing record (Design Document) of the project in either hardcopy or electronic form. Documentation includes all submitted assignments, meeting minutes, research results, technical design documentation, trip visit summary reports, etc. At the end of the project, each team submits two copies of the Design Document. Each team member submits (when applicable) an Intellectual Property Notebook.
Written Assignments
Written documents must follow the format identified in the following respective assignment descriptions. Due to the wide range of project types, some sections of the assignment description may require modification to fit the project. (The team works with their project advisor to identify these changes.) Project advisors and program coordinators assess each deliverable, making extensive comments. Teams are expected to respond to comments and incorporate feedback when turning in the next assignment.
Oral Presentations
Presentations are to be delivered following professional presentation delivery conventions and to include a well-designed PowerPoint. Project advisors review each presentation prior to presentation to the class or industry contact. Strong preference is for teams to present the major four deliverables to the client. Project advisors and the program coordinators assess and make comments on the presentation.
Design Review Phases
There are four Design Review Phases that require formal presentations to the industry-sponsors and/or Capstone program coordinators/advisors: Problem Identification Review, Preliminary Design Review, Detail Design Review, and Final Design Review.
Final Design Report
The Final Design Report is a formal design document written by the team as a compilation of all previous design assignments and includes results of prototype build and validation phases. This report documents the entire design process and is written in a step-wise fashion throughout the two semesters with each chapter transitioning smoothly from the previous one. The Final Design Report also includes a one-page executive summary, final test results, recommendations for future action, and all required product/process documentation. Teams submit two spiral-bound (no three ring binders) color copies of the Final Design Report at the end of the project, one of which is submitted to the client.