Triton Team
Lab V
SBIR/Grant Proposal
May 5, 2008
Triton Lab V – SBIR/Grant Proposal Outline
Table of Contents
1. Team Dynamics ..................................................................................................................... 3
2. Technical Issues .................................................................................................................... 3
3. Software Development ........................................................................................................... 4
4. Development Schedule .......................................................................................................... 5
5. Phase 2 Budget ..................................................................................................................... 6
6. Presentation Skills Required in the Workforce........................................................................ 7
7. Writing Skills Required in the Workforce ................................................................................ 8
Reference .................................................................................................................................. 9
List of Figures
Figure 1 - Software Development Estimation During Phase 0 .................................................... 4
Figure 2 - Phase 1 Development Schedule Estimation in Phase 0 ............................................. 5
Figure 3 - Phase 2 Staffing Budget Estimation ........................................................................... 6
Figure 4 - Phase 2 Hardware Budget Estimation........................................................................ 7
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Triton Lab V – SBIR/Grant Proposal Outline
1. Team Dynamics
The Triton team is comprised of four members: Kate Nguyen, Cesar Barbieri, Dave
Larnerd, and Brandon Simpkins. During this semester, the team worked very hard to develop
the Triton prototype. The team worked individually as well as collaboratively.
The team
collaborated on developing testing plans, a usual manual, and a SBIR grant proposal. During
the prototype development phase, Brandon Simpkins was mainly responsible for coding and
maintaining the Triton prototype software. Cesar Barbieri was responsible for documentation
and software testing. Dave Larnerd was responsible for RuBeeTM hardware and software
testing. Finally, Kate Nguyen was responsible for documentation and scheduling meetings.
The group communicated through emails, phone calls, and chats; however, the major
communication method was in person meetings. These meetings were held before and after the
CS411 class, and during the weekends. Collaborated documents were often sent via emails or
posted online for reviewing and proofreading.
2. Technical Issues
RuBeeTM was the major innovative element of the Triton Prototype. The Triton team was
able to acquire a RuBeeTM Demo Kit which was donated by Visible Asset Inc. The programming
language used to develop the Triton Prototype software was C#, which required Mircrosoft’s
.Net framework, was downloaded freely online. Additional equipment and accessories such as
the aquarium and large rock were purchased by Old Dominion University Computer Science
Department or otherwise obtained by Janet Brunelle.
RuBee™ tags were not outfitted with pressure sensors as originally planned; therefore,
this shortcoming required the Triton Team to simulate swimmer depths during the prototype
demonstration. Additionally, the Triton Team discovered the costs of the sensor outfitted tags
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Triton Lab V – SBIR/Grant Proposal Outline
would be substantially more expensive than initially thought. This oversight will require adjusting
staffing budgets to make up for the added hardware costs.
3. Software Development
The Triton prototype uses two major software applications: the RuBeeTM Finder Software
and the Triton System Prototype software. The RuBeeTM Finder Software is provided by Visible
Assets Inc. through the RuBee™ Demo Kit. The Triton System Prototype software was created
using Microsoft Visual C# on the .Net frame work. Figure 1 shows the work breakdown structure
for the software development process which was created in the WBS during phase 0. The
software development process was scheduled to progress through the design phase,
development phase, and testing phase.
Figure 1 - Software Development Estimation During Phase 0
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Triton Lab V – SBIR/Grant Proposal Outline
The original estimate to develop the Triton System Prototype software was two months
and approximately 10,000 lines of code. In actuality, the Triton System Prototype software
consists of approximately 5500 lines of code and approximately 250 hours of coding. The
swimmer testing scenarios are completed by individual data files.
4. Development Schedule
A work breakdown structure (WBS) was created during phase 0. Figure 2 shows the
schedule of development for Phase 1 included in the WBS.
Figure 2 - Phase 1 Development Schedule Estimation in Phase 0
In actuality, the Triton team started the prototype planning phase on January 14 and
completed it in mid February. Prototype requirements were evaluated in the beginning of March.
The designing phase started in early February and ended in March. The development phase
started in March and lasted through April. The testing phase started in April and ended in May.
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Triton Lab V – SBIR/Grant Proposal Outline
The testing plan was done by the end of April. The user manual and the SBIR were done at the
beginning of May. In summary, the Triton team was behind schedule by approximately three
weeks.
5. Phase 2 Budget
Respectively, Figure 3 and 4 show the staffing budget and hardware budget
estimation for phase 2 during phase 0.
Figure 3 - Phase 2 Staffing Budget Estimation
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Triton Lab V – SBIR/Grant Proposal Outline
Figure 4 - Phase 2 Hardware Budget Estimation
The hardware budget for Phase 2 will be $315,474. The actual budget is different from
the estimated budget by 1335%. Because of this, the staffing budget will be decreased to
accommodate the phase 2 budget.
6. Presentation Skills Required in the Workforce
In the workforce, it is critical to possess presentation skills. Presentation skills define one
person’s ability to present information to others effectively. Having presentation skills allows
one to interact and communicate with others, especially during project development phases. To
be successful in today workforce, a computer scientist not only has to know how to solve
problems, but also he must be able to convey his ideas.
Important skills include:
1. Ability to speak clearly
2. Ability to persuade others
3. Strong platform presence
4. Knowledgeable
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Triton Lab V – SBIR/Grant Proposal Outline
7. Writing Skills Required in the Workforce
Writing skills are needed for documentation in the workforce. A great computer scientist
should be able to write effectively. In 411W, the Triton Team was required to write numerous
documents to support the Triton project. Documentation during lab I helped to describe the
product features and capabilities, hardware/software, and target market. Also, it helped to
describe the prototype’s functional objectives, architecture, innovative features, challenges,
risks, and demonstration. Documentation during lab II helped redefine the purpose and scope of
the project since phase 0 (cs410); furthermore, this document specifies the functional
requirements, performance requirements, non-functional requirements, assumptions, and
constraints of the product and prototype. Documentation in lab III described test procedures to
validate the product. Documentation in lab IV described the steps to use the Triton System
prototype.
The required writing skills are as follows:
1. Grammar rules
2. Citing only legitimate references
3. General citation guidelines
4. Plagiarism
5. Consistency throughout group documentation
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Triton Lab V – SBIR/Grant Proposal Outline
Reference
Orange Team. (2007, November). WBS. Retrieved May 2, 2008, from Triton web site:
http://www.cs.odu.edu/~cpi/cpi-f2007/triton/presentations/Final.ppt. Document created
during CS 410 at Old Dominion University.
Orange Team. (2007, November). WBS. Retrieved May 2, 2008, from Triton web site:
http://www.cs.odu.edu/~cpi/cpi-f2007/triton/docs/TritonWBS.mpp. Document created
during CS 410 at Old Dominion University.
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