Notes

Outline

Engineering Design Manage the Design ® Be successful Dr Ahmed Kovacevic

speaking as a designer committed to building better product better = more efficient “a better learning experience” “learning-from-working” “working-to-learn”

Useful Reading

Design can be artistic or technical

Abstract design

Aesthetic design

Functional design

Aesthetic and functional design

Engineers - Designers Engineers: Provide ways to meet needs and wants of society Invent or design new products and processes Improve existing products and processes Work in teams throughout the design process Bottom line: ENGINEERS ARE DESIGNERS

What is DESIGN in Engineering? Design is: Systematic Process by which solution to the needs of humankind are obtained and communicated Essence of Engineering Structured problem solving activity Engineering Design Process is: Multidisciplinary task which contains: Technological factors Social factors Team iterative work

Engineering & Mechanical Design Engineering design process an iterative decision making activity, to produce plans by which resources are converted, preferably optimally with due consideration for environment into systems and devices (products) to meet human needs. (Woodson.T.T ) Mechanical design process is the use of scientific principles and technical information along with innovations, ingenuity or imagination in the definition of a machine, mechanical device or system (product) to perform pre specified functions with maximum economy and efficiency. (Engineering Design Council, UK)

City Formula Student Results 2002  joined competition for the first time. R02 Finished  39th out of 40. Photo 2003 motivated and supported by the university. R03 Finished in 32nd place out of 38, 24th in design Photo 2004 well supported by both university and external sponsors.  R04 Finished 44th out of 54 with shared 37th place in design Photo Problems: Poor understanding of team member/officer duties Confusion over who was responsible for work Lack of communication, Not equal share of the work No schedule of tasks or understanding of the dependence of tasks Budget problems?! Project Management & Understanding of the Design Process Expectations for the future:?!

OBJECTIVES Formula Student Team To develop following skills: Project management Team behavior Decision making Communication Collaboration

Engineering Design Process Design – structured problem solving activity Process – phenomenon of making changes to achieve a required result Design Process – cyclic continuous activity

Design Process Timing All projects have time constraints An adequate planning leads to a satisfactory project finish

Customer (Examiner) Satisfaction

Communication of Design Design has to be delivered in a form understandable to those who make or approve an artefact

All designs start with sketches

Generation of ideas

The Engineering Design Process

Teamwork and Personality Preferences Working in Teams Today, most new products, systems and processes are produced by teams Teams bring together people with different strengths to generate a better product Individually created items tend to be from a past era Most of products are multidisciplinary

Influence of activity styles

Working in teams  Stages in Team Development  Team Member Responsibilities  Team Leadership Structures

Team Development Stages

Team Development Stages

Team Development Stages

Team Development Stages

Team Members Role: Each member of a team has a specific role to play and must fulfill his/her role in order to make the team successful…

Team Member Roles: Team Leader Team Member Recorder (AKA Team Scribe) Treasurer Design Engineer CAD Technician

Team Leader Responsibilities: Track team’s goals and achievements Communicate team’s progress and needs to both the team and management (instructor) Remove barriers in team progression Take care of logistics (arrange for meeting rooms, time, group supplies) Run all meetings Help to resolve conflict

Recorder (Scribe) Responsibilities: Take meeting minutes Maintain Design Notebook (will be discussed) Maintain copies of all pertinent paperwork Assist Team Leader as needed Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork!

Treasurer Responsibilities: Handle all financial issues Receive check Cash check Maintain funds Keep team leader informed of financial status Keep team members informed of financial status Maintain all receipts for purchases of materials, supplies, etc.

Team Member Responsibilities: Focus on the purpose of the team Focus on team goals vs. personal goals Work to develop an atmosphere of trust and respect Listen more than you talk Communicate clearly Participate fully Make realistic commitments and keep them Respect (not necessarily like) your fellow team members

Team Member Responsibilities: Be open to others’ ideas Give others your full attention Actively listen Don’t get mad if the team doesn’t use your idea If you have an idea, be able to support that idea Criticize constructively Accept constructive criticism

Team Leadership Structures (AKA Organizational Charts)

Team documents and meetings Design notebook Team working agreement Meeting agendas and minutes Design memos Planning and conducting meetings

Design Notebook Used for documentation of project Example items for Design Notebook Disk with all information Copies of all pertinent information Meeting agendas Meeting minutes Team working agreement

Team Working Agreement (Team Ground Rules) Referring to the agreement made at the formation of a team All members of the team should sign and date the agreement Keep this agreement in your Design Notebook with your graded work and other materials Expand your working agreement later if the need arises

Examples of Ground Rules How decisions will be made (i.e. majority, consensus, team leader, etc.) Attendance at team activities (meetings, regular schedule class periods, etc.) How work will be divided Consequences of failed actions

Example Team Working Agreement

Meeting Agenda Items Items to be discussed Person or people leading the discussion for each item Desired outcome of each item List of ideas or options Shared understanding Priorities Decision or recommendation Action Steps Estimated time for each item Meeting Evaluation

Design Memos Memos (memorandums) are one of the primary means of communication between employees and supervisors Two primary reasons to develop good memo writing skills: Communicate information clearly and logically Have clearly written sentences Avoid features that detract from the content (e.g., misspellings, incorrect grammar, rambling statements…) Present a positive impression of yourself and your abilities This may be the only “meeting” with you that your reader has Format of an appropriate design memo is next…

Slide 43

Team Meeting Process (5-Steps) Plan Start Conduct Close Follow-Up

Team Leader Role at Meeting Open the meeting Review agenda and make changes as needed Have recorder/scribe track notes and time Facilitate discussions Guide team Lead meeting evaluation Gather ideas for next meeting Close the meeting

Managing Design – Project Management Design is an activity that can consume significant time and resources This lecture outlines various techniques that allow a team to manage and control a design project The 3Ss of project management: Scope To know the goals and to accomplish them Spending To complete the project within the specified budget Scheduling To finish the project “on time”

Project Management Approach Managing the design process consists of four functions: Planning Define scope, schedule and spending (the 3Ss) Organizing Determine who is responsible for each project task Leading - Motivate team by showing that 1) tasks are fair 2) division of work is fair and 3) level of work produces satisfactory progress toward goals Controlling Relies on a sound plan to measure progress and take corrective actions

Project Management Tools Work breakdown structures (planning, organizing) Determines scope of activities Hierarchical representation (like a family tree) of all tasks Work is “broken down” into pieces small enough to estimate resources (£, number of persons) and time required Team calendar (planning) Shows time available to the team Highlights deadlines Gantt chart (planning, organizing) Horizontal bar graph mapping design activities (and their duration) against a timeline Shows parties responsible for activities

Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) WBS is considered the most important management tool for design projects. It decomposes overall task into smaller, more manageable subtasks. As a simple example, consider a spacecraft design:

Work Breakdown Structures (1) Observation 1: Each item that you take to a lower level should be always broken into two or more subtasks

Work Breakdown Structures (2) Observation 2: Break down an activity until you can determine > how long it will take and > who will do it

Work Breakdown Structures (3) Observation 3: WBS should be complete in the sense that any activity that consumes resources or time is included Observation 4: Any part of the hierarchy of tasks should add up

Team Calendars A mapping of deadlines (given to you) onto a traditional calendar Also include team -generated deadlines for tasks in the WBS Becomes an extension of the team working agreement Include recurring or routine activities such as team meetings

Team Calendars Points to keep in mind: Team calendar should be reviewed at each meeting Times on calendar should be consistent with WBS

Gantt Charts The Gantt chart is named after a well known industrial   engineer, Henry Laurence Gantt During World War I (1910s), he studied manufacturing processes and labor utilization to improve the productivity of munitions factories A Gantt chart is an easy-to-use, valuable Project Management tool   It shows, in one table: Tasks to be completed Persons responsible Start, duration, and end times/dates Activity precedence (what has to be done first, in what order)

Gantt Chart Example For scheduling, it is critical to understand the precedence relationships between tasks Sequential tasks - Task 1 must be finished before Task 3 can begin Parallel tasks - Tasks 3 and 4 can be undertaken simultaneously (or in parallel)

Budget: Show Me the Money Design project budgets consist of: Research expenses Materials for prototypes Materials for your “final” product (really, it is still a prototype)  Value of design team time

Value of Design Team Time A simple algorithm to estimate value of design team time Costteam = Moverhead * Costdirect Moverhead is a multiplier that covers fringe benefits, supervision, profit and facilities costs to the organization Costdirect is the money/pay that you, the designer, would see in a paycheck Typical values: Moverhead = 2 – 4 Costdirect = £15 – 50 /hr Even at a minimal wage (£5/hr) for a design team of five for ten hours a week for ten weeks, the cost is £5000-10,000

Conclusion on Budgets Make initial estimates of your budget for Research expenses Materials for prototypes Materials for your “final” product For value of team time, keep records of hours spent on the project throughout the semester The bottom line on the value of design team time:

10 Minutes BREAK