Engineering Students' Project Management: SOTA Reports, Presentations, Formatting, Summaries of Design

Download Engineering Students' Project Management: SOTA Reports, Presentations, Formatting and more Summaries Design in PDF only on Docsity! 1 | P a g e School of Engineering and Materials Science MAT7400 2019-2020 Research and Design Team project handbook for students on the 4th Year MEng programme 1. Overview of the MEng project .......................... p.3 1.1. Project Key Stages ..................................................... p.3 1.2. Details of structure & methods of assessment ........... p.4 1.3. Overview of taught component ...................................p.5 2. Project management .......................................... p.7 2.1. Project history files ..................................................... p.7 2.2. Lab book .................................................................... p.7 3. Student Support ................................................. p.8 3.1 Support and training workshops ................................. p.8 3.2 Technical .................................................................... p.8 3.3 Manufacturing ........................................................... p.8 3.4 Finance ..................................................................... p.8 4. Reports.............................................................. p.10 4.1 Layout of State of the Art report ............................... p.10 4.2 Layout of the final technical report ........................... p.10 4.3 Use of Appendices ................................................... p.11 4.4 Preparation and submission of all reports ................ p.12 4.5 Plagiarism ................................................................ p.12 5. Publicity ............................................................ p.13 6. Viva .................................................................... p.13 7. Learning Outcomes & assessment criteria .... p.14 2 | P a g e 1. Overview of the MEng project. Welcome to the fourth year and the MEng project! Your project should be the exciting culmination of your degree, allowing you to apply the knowledge you have gained during your studies to a real research or industrial problem. The project provides you with the opportunity to further develop and showcase your skills in project management, teamwork, and identifying and solving problems with an engineering approach. Your project supervisor is your primary resource to help you progress your project, but this is not a passive process. You are now Masters students, and you must drive your project and take responsibility for its progression and success. This handbook outlines the range of taught sessions provided to support you in the management of your group work and crucial detailed information on the way in which you will be assessed and other administrative aspects of the project. Please read this handbook carefully, keep a copy to hand and refer to it during your studies. Remember: The project has a value of 4 course units (60 credits) and therefore should account for half your working time this year. In order to make sufficient progress you should spend around 18 hours per week engaged in project work. 5 | P a g e 1.3 Overview of taught component There is a two hour weekly “lecture” slot associated with MAT7400. You would be right in thinking these are not usual lectures, but workshops and support sessions to help you build the skills set you need to succeed in your project and future lives. We do not run activities every week, but they are concentrated at the start, then morph into drop in help sessions. The schedule is outlined below, with learning outcomes from each session. Please use this table to see what is coming up. NOTE: There is a column on progression tasks for the next week – these are things you need to do and prepare each week to make the most of the taught sessions. They should not be time consuming or arduous, they should be things you are doing anyway! Please follow this to assist your progress. Week Focus/Topic Session plan (2 hours) Taught Session Outcomes for MEng Group 1 Group work General Intro to projects Beginning your RAO Managing group work  Mini task circuit to consider key group skills.  Introduction to MEng: project aspects and what to expect  Getting started – RAO: importance of clarity and identifying goals  Introduction to Belbin - implications for team development and project outcomes.  Some fun getting to know each other and thinking what is important to make a team functional.  Understanding team work & your team: An introduction to teamwork continued in more depth during week 1  Leave thinking about the potential impact of your MEng project and what you can contribute.  Start work towards a one-page draft of the project Rationale, Aims and Objectives (RAO) to submit to supervisors to discuss.  Understanding of group dynamics; individual & team strengths and weaknesses; 2 Project Management Team Meetings, Project Files and Recording Progress  Importance of meetings - how to conduct them and manage actions  Importance of meetings with supervisors – how to run these to get most out of the time  Tools to assist project management  Being prepared for meetings with supervisors and conducting team meetings; asking the right questions; recording progress and identifying next steps successfully.  Generate clear and focussed queries and questions for the supervisor.  First Gantt chart, thinking about whole project, individual roles and combining the two to reach objectives 3 Research, literature reviews and managing data as a team  Research for your SOTA; using the library and successfully integrating group resources  Clarity of best practise with research and reference  Understanding the use of library facilities and support to assist with literature reviews, research and projects 6 | P a g e 4 Presentations of RAO to groups (practise for supervisor assessed presentations in week 5) Each group presents their RAO to all others. All groups have a feedback form to reflect on every other group on clarity / explanation of project / engagements etc Small group of staff present for session to ask questions about project and help you improve clarity / understanding  Presentation practise and feedback on work, ready for supervisor assessed presentation (week 5)  Understanding the use of library facilities and support to assist with literature reviews, research and projects  Understanding the use of library facilities and support to assist with literature reviews, research and projects 5 Managing practical work Ordering procedures within SEMS  Where you can do practical work and when.  What equipment is available  How to get items manufactured; how to get lab support; how to get computing support.  How to place orders and overview of process  Ensuring you know where your group will be working and the resources available.  Understanding of how to deal with manufacturing, laboratory or computing requirements  Understanding how to order for project and what to expect 6 Thinking beyond your MEng  Learning how to market your skills to employers  Getting a deeper insight into the labour market  Understanding of how can you evidence the transferable skills from your project and showcase your strengths  Improved understanding of how the labour market operates and what to expect when applying for positions  Creating project portfolios, preparing for interviews, networking and seeking out opportunities 7 NOTE: From week 8 onwards, we will run open office hours during the lecture slot where we will be available, so please come along for a chat or to discuss any issues Thursdays 3-5. 7 | P a g e 2. Project management 2.1 Project history files You will be able to setup a team directory on QM+ Hub. Please use this, or a system you prefer to organise all your files so that they cover documents on: - Project management e.g. agendas & action points from meetings; Gantt charts - Administration e.g. financial planning; risk assessments - Literature e.g. papers and reports you find pertaining to the project - Draft submission documents Please ensure you keep all your documents together and up to date. Not only is it appropriate project management, but your supervisors, the company you are working with, or even the external examiners for our degree programmes may all ask to see these as evidence of how your project is progressing. The files will be reviewed as part of the assessment of your team working skills and project management. 2.2 Lab book You should keep a record of all your project work in a hardbound A4 book. It should include for example, concepts, sketches, equations, illustrations, calculations, protocols, optimisation/methods, raw data and results. You may wish to include discussions from papers you have read and record the outcomes of meetings with your supervisors or others from whom you seek advice. You should carry this book with you all the time! You should be referring to it in meetings, showing your supervisors and you will be expected to bring the lab book to the viva as evidence to showcase your project activities. Keeping a detailed laboratory book / design book is standard industrial practise and increasingly important in academia also. It is evidence of how you completed any practical work, and demonstrates the procedures and processes you followed. 10 | P a g e 4. Reports For support and podcasts on writing Masters level projects, visit: http://www.thinkingwriting.qmul.ac.uk/wishees/collections/universitymenu/57070.html 4.1 Layout of State of the Art report The State of the Art (SOTA) report should give enough information on previous and new research to let the reader understand the rationale for the project. The report should be written in a coherent and logical manger with arguments justified and supported by relevant references. In general, the SOTA consists of a review of the research/technologies and ends by posing the aims and objectives. The review sets the context for the research/design technologies drawing together existing information from published sources. It should review the research/technologies and discuss and compare earlier work (where and why of the research/designs) and explain why the research/designs are necessary (the gap in the current knowledge). This report should explain what the work is trying to achieve and ends by asking the research questions (A&O). The SOTA report should include a content page and references, and all sections must be attributed to the relevant main author, in the main text as well as in the Table of Contents. It should contain a maximum of 3000 words per student (~12 pages per student). You are additionally asked to submit a PART A: Short overview of your project with your SOTA. This should include an introduction / overview which is roughly 3-4 pages long:  1-2 page introduction  overall aims & objectives (finalised from your RAO presentation)  details of the breakdown of your project into individual components  key outcomes and Gantt charts for each component. 4.2 Layout of the final technical report The Technical Report is a concise document used to demonstrate each students contribution and whether the group has fulfilled the project aims and objectives, met deliverables/milestones, satisfied project outcomes, discussed findings and drawn relevant conclusions. There is no specific format for the technical report. However, it should include the sections: Part A: 2-3 page summary of key project outcomes. This should introduce the research problem, define the aims and objectives of the project, outline the methods adopted followed by principal findings, outcomes and conclusions. Part B: Detailed report covering work completed by the team in the most appropriate format for your project It is crucial you discuss this with your supervisor to clarify what they want. Commonly the report may include: 11 | P a g e  Contents page: A list of key headings and subheadings with the corresponding page numbers to describe each section in the report.  Work package flowchart (allocation of work distribution)  Contribution statements: During your literature search, you may come across articles that disclose at their end the specific contributions of each author to the body of research presented. Science is hardly ever an individual effort, and in your project you will receive support, materials or even experimental data from postgraduates and postdoctoral fellows working in your supervisor’s laboratory. In this section, you will need to provide a full declaration of what experiments were done (or shadowed) by you, and which were done by others (please indicate who abbreviating with initials). Also explain whether results were provided to you as raw or fully processed data and whether you were responsible for data extraction/analysis.  Technical chapters: Each student should present technical chapters as either experimental, computational or design with sections corresponding to the literature and referenced appropriately. In general, the experimental chapters consist of author[s], introduction, aims and objectives, methods, results and discussion. If the project is largely design, the report should describe how the students have evaluated the final designs and justified the design process.  Final discussion and future work: The technical report should end with a short discussion which summarises the overall key findings of the teams work. You may wish to include a section on future work.  Acknowledgement: Acknowledge anyone who has assisted in the work  References Important points to consider:  The technical report should end with a final discussion chapter which critically evaluates the key findings.  The technical report is not a repetition of the SOTA.  Any non-essential information, which can be referred to by the reader, will be submitted as a separate appendix.  The technical report should contain an absolute maximum of 7500 words per student.  All sections must be attributed to the relevant main author, in the main text as well as in the Table of Contents. 4.3 Use of Appendices A report should be both concise, from the point of view of the reader (examiner), but also complete so that someone can pick up the work easily in a continuing project. Appendices are used to tackle this particular dilemma. This gives a choice as to whether a reader wants (needs) to read the detail or not. Appendices should include: - Developments of previous research that are crucial to your work and need recording - Raw data, processed data - Data from test runs that could be archived for further analysis 12 | P a g e - Full communication of lengthy analytic developments, whose inclusion in the main body of the work would detract the reader - Descriptive information eg. definitions, basic textbook information - Listings of computer code, flow diagrams, etc. - Any non-essential information, which can be referred to by the reader 4.4 Preparation and submission of all reports Students are advised to adhere as much as possible to the following general recommendations for preparing their project reports. These follow standard practice in report presentation. You are advised to discuss the contents and presentation of your draft report with supervisors. - The report should be printed or typed on A4 size paper with at least 1.5 lines spacing. - The report could be printed on reverse pages. - Allow margins of 2 cm for the sides, top and bottom of the A4 sheet. All sections should be given sequential numbers. - SI units should be adopted throughout the report. Units of other systems, if used, should be placed within parentheses after the equivalent SI units. - Symbols of a mathematical equation should be adequately defined. - Care should be given in writing superscripts and subscripts. - The front cover should contain the project title, authors, date and details of project supervisors / industrial collaboration. Team logo/name could also be included. - At least two copies of the report should be submitted to the Schools office. All copies will be retained in the School for reference. They should be bound with a card cover front and back, bearing the School design. 4.5 Plagiarism Plagiarism is a serious examination offence. It can lead to suspension of the student from the College or, in extreme cases, expulsion from the College. Plagiarism is defined as the copying of material, text of figures, from another source without attribution. All photocopied, scanned or copied figures or text must have the source acknowledged. The literature review must be expressed in the student’s own words and contain a significant contribution with reference to sources. The project report must not consist of other author’s work cut and pasted. 15 | P a g e Table A: Details of project descriptors with MEng benchmark statements Project criteria outputs Skills for continuing professional development Generic criteria Knowledge and understanding Intellectual abilities Transferable Practical  Provide a greater range and depth of specialist knowledge within a research/industrial environment, and a broader and more general educational base, to provide both a foundation for leadership, and a wider appreciation of the content of engineering/materials.  Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.  Ability to generate an innovative design for products, systems, components or processes to fulfil new needs.  The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.  A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the scientific principles of engineering and material disciplines and an appreciation of their limitations.  A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of maths/computer models relevant to engineering and material disciplines and an appreciation of their limitations.  The ability to learn new theories, concepts and methods in unfamiliar situations.  An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside own specialization, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering/material projects.  An awareness of developing technologies and ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.  Ability to develop, monitor and update a plan, to reflect a changing operating environment.  Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar solution and apply its solution using engineering and material tools and assess the limitations of particular cases.  The ability to work individually and in collaboration with others in a team.  Ability to manage time and resources.  An understanding of different roles within a team, and the ability to exercise leadership  Communicate effectively in writing, presentation and with graphics to a range of audiences.  Problem-solving and creativity.  Acquire extensive new knowledge and understanding of a wide range of engineering materials and components.  Ability to apply engineering techniques taking account of a range of commercial and industrial constraints.  Ability to monitor and adjust a personal programme of work on an ongoing basis.  Good judgment, independent-learning and improving performance.  Acquire analytical skills and use technologies competently to investigate unfamiliar problems.  Use information constructively and critically evaluate the reliability of different sources of information.  Extensive knowledge and understanding of management and business practices, and their limitations, and how these may be applied appropriately to strategic and tactical issues. 16 | P a g e Table B: Grade-related assessment criteria for a 60 credit project Degree class (Grade) Generic criteria Presentation criteria Computational report criteria Research report criteria Design report criteria 1 (A)  Displays a critical approach to an extensive range of literature with clear and logical presentation  Uses the structure of the report to enhance the presentation of argument rather than simply as a framework from guidelines  Uses taught courses as a starting point for development of advanced comprehension of complex issues and shows originality in either approach or analysis  Conclusions drawn are relevant, valid, appropriate and critically evaluated  The report is appropriately and clearly written  The student has developed the project independently, using the supervisor for advice and regular reporting of progress  Writes an appropriate and clear report.  Uses the structure of the report to enhance the presentation of arguments, rather than simply as a framework from guidelines  Uses illustrations and diagrams to enhance the report and verbal presentation.  Shows excellent judgement in the choice of written and verbal material for presentation, and the level of detail.  Presents clear and accurate engineering drawings.  Integrates presentational techniques and the information to be presented for maximum impact.  Successfully deploys a suitable computer programme and shows critical insight into the way in which the programme works.  Draws valid conclusions from outputs  Moves beyond a comprehensive literature review to draw novel conclusions or to present comparative data in an innovative way  Selects and applies appropriate mathematical methods for modelling and analysing novel situations.  Displays analytical insight in the presentation of experimental data.  Adapts test and measurement techniques for unfamiliar situations.  Draws conclusions that are relevant, valid, appropriate and critically evaluated.  Presents an analytical and detailed understanding of the benefits and limitations of the design using a range of presentational devices  Presents a well-argued conclusion with discussions about the implications and relevance of the design  Develops and tests a prototype for the proposed design through experimentation, design modelling or design simulation methods  Demonstrates a realisation of design concepts by means of a scaled representation in an appropriate format  Proposes a manufacturing and business plan for the production, sales and marketing of the new design 2.1 (B)  Uses material covered in taught courses to develop comprehension of the issues involved in the project and applies this material to the approach and analysis of the problem  Presents a comprehensive literature review  Writes an appropriate and clear report.  Uses the framework for the report appropriately  Uses appropriate illustrations and diagrams  Is able to select appropriate verbal and written material  Presents clear engineering Successfully deploys a suitable computer programme and shows understanding of the ways in which the chosen programme works and of the Critical inputs.  Presents a comprehensive literature review  Applies mathematical models appropriately to project situations  Conducts accurate analysis of experimental data  Uses appropriate tests and measurement techniques  Presents high quality 2D and 3D drawings and assembly diagrams for the proposed design  Presents characteristics of the design such as material, proposed manufacturing process, life span, energy produced and viability. 17 | P a g e  Applies mathematical models appropriately to project situations  Successfully deploys a suitable computer programme  Conducts accurate analysis of experimental data  Uses appropriate tests and measurement techniques  Draws relevant, valid and appropriate conclusions drawings  Integrates presentational techniques and the information to be presented appropriately  Draws relevant, valid and appropriate conclusions  Presents some information towards the business viability such as cost of the prototype and mass produced product  Performs further assessment on the design such as Product Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) or Finite Element Analysis (FEA) 2.2 (C)  Uses material covered in taught courses to develop comprehension of the issues involved in the project and applies this material to the approach and analysis of the problem  Includes a literature review which covers the suggested sources  Attempts to apply mathematical models for the project  Is partially successful in deploying a computer programme  Uses suggested tests and measurement techniques  Draws some relevant and valid conclusions  Writes a coherent report  Report fits guidelines produced  Uses adequate illustrations and diagrams  Is generally able to select appropriate verbal and written material  Presents adequate engineering drawings  Integrates presentational techniques and the information to be presented adequately Is partially successful in deploying a computer programme without understanding its operation and without relevant result  Includes a literature review which covers the suggested sources  Attempts to apply mathematical models for the project  Uses suggested tests and measurement techniques  Draws some relevant and valid conclusions  Presents 4 or 5 ideas for a new design and studies the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.  Identifies best designs by means of decision matrix  Redefines and develops ideas further and identification of an optimal design  Presents fair 2D and 3D drawings and assembly To be awarded a D (3rd class) grade, students would have shown significant weaknesses in a number of the areas covered at C grade above. To be awarded a fail, students would have shown significant weaknesses in the majority of the areas covered at C grade above.