Idea Transcript
Phase 2-Conceptual Design The material provided herein is intended to aid your design team in successfully completing the stated requirements of Phase 2, under Requirements/Evaluation Criteria. In this conceptual design phase, concepts or schemes of candidate designs are generated. Typically, the inputs for this phase include a revised problem statement, refined objectives, constraints, user requirements, and function. The tasks are to establish specifications and generate alternatives. The primary outputs are the conceptual design(s), design specifications, project schedule, cost estimate, design review, and required Proposal Report. Competitive products are additional sources of information for conceptual design. Methods include the performance specifications method, quality function deployment (QFD), and morphological charts. Means include brainstorming, synectics and analogies, benchmarking, and reverse engineering. Brainstorming techniques may be found it the Resource Section of this web site. An excellent web site to visit for creative problem solving techniques is http://www.mycoted.com and then open the Processes and/or Idea Generation pages. Evidence of application of creative problem solving technique(s) is to be communicated to you advisor. While the Proof of Concept design is developed in subsequence phases, it is not too soon to consider at this time. Especially, as the proof of concept demonstration will require that data be gathered and analyzed to demonstrate that the technical performance measures have been satisfied (note: design to cost may be included as a performance measure). Therefore, consideration of the instrumentation and software required for acquisition and analyzing data, as well as, the cost to produce the proof of concept devise, shall be included in the design concept. Clarification: For the purposes of the Senior Project, two different designs may need to be considered and developed. They are the production design and the proof of concept design. Several possibilities exist for different projects: (1) The proof of concept design may replicate the production design. (2) The proof of concept design may be different from the production design. (3) The proof of concept design may be a sub-system of the production design. (4) The proof of concept design may be a test apparatus to validate an underlining concept. To this end, the following list of design considerations may be adjusted (or tailored) to suit your particular project: 1. Project Definition- General Description, operational requirements, maintenance concept, functional analysis, allocation of requirements, and functional interfaces.
2. Design Characteristics- Performance characteristics, physical characteristics, effectiveness requirements, reliability, maintainability, usability (i.e., ergonomics), and cost. 3. Design and Construction- CAD/CAM requirements, Materials and parts, safety, testability, economic feasibility 4. Logistics- Personnel, test and support equipment, facilities and equipment, and computer resources. 5. Project Management- Project schedule, milestones (from MEEG401 Calendar), work breakdown schedule, resource allocations, and project management. Note: your design will be greatly influenced by the time allowed for completing each phase of the project: therefore, in preparing your work breakdown schedule, you will need to make realistic estimates of time, cost, and resources required to complete the tasks. Schedule and monitor your time carefully and revise schedule as necessary. An excellent program, Microsoft Project, is available for this purpose. An expanded definition of Project Management is provided in the Resource Section of this web site. 6. Documentation- See Phase 2 Performance Guidelines for Reporting Requirements and Grading. Note that a Project Proposal is due at the completion of this phase in accordance with Phase 2 Proposal requirements. All Senior Project vary in scope and complexity. The key to a successful project completion is a well thought out list of candidate design concepts and a realistic project schedule. Easy on, as in the first two phased, there is usually time to correct for any miscues; however, as the project progresses, the time for project remediation is minimal, if at all. Therefore, put a lot of thought into this phase to avoid unforeseen problems as the project nears completion at the end of this very busy semester. References: Blanchard, B. and W. Fabrycky, 1998, Systems Engineering and Analysis, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall. Budynas, R. and J. Nisbett, 2008, Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design, 8th edition, McGraw Hill. Dym, C. and P. Little, 2004, Engineering Design – A Project Based Instruction, 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons. Meredith, J. and S. Mantel, 2003, Project Management – A Managerial Approach, 5th edition, John Wiley and Sons. Mycoted Science and Technology. 21 April 2006, Creativity & Innovation, http://www.mycoted.com .