Capstone to Strategy, Technology
and Integration, I
ETM 5121
Paul E. Rossler, Ph.D., P.E.
Purpose
• To improve your understanding of capstone
course requirements
– 5121
• What is an acceptable Capstone Project?
• What should be addressed in a Project Proposal?
– 5131
• What is found in an acceptable Final Project Report?
2
Contents
•
•
•
•
•
•
The relationship between 5121 and 5131
Company Projects and Capstone Projects
Capstone Project Selection Guidelines
Deliverables
Grading Criteria
Logistics
3
2nd to Last Semester
2nd
3rd
Last Semester
1st
2nd
3rd
5121 Project
Proposal
5131 Final
Report
Request to
conduct
study
Project
Proposal or
Report
Obtain approval
and resources
needed to
investigate
“manageable”
problem
Conduct the
Study
Obtain
resources
needed to
implement best
alternative
4
Guidelines for the Capstone
Project
• Capstone Project Consists of…
– 5121 Project Proposal
• Defendable
• At this point in time, it is not a proposed solution
• Proposal to investigate alternative problem solutions
or opportunities
– 5131 Final Report
• Detailed and defendable
• Convinces reader solution proposed or adopted is in
fact best way to go
5
Capstone projects often fall out
of larger company projects
Company
Project
Examples:
Unresolved or new issue
One phase or deliverable
Same as, but with additional detail
MSETM
Project
6
Taken altogether, is this a
company or capstone project?
• A selection process to determine and
evaluate potential distributors.
• A new training program for distributors
and/or sales people to facilitate lead
generation for products.
• A market development plan to identify key
customers, markets, pricing, and
opportunities.
Continued on next slide
7
• A flow chart of the roles and responsibilities
of the sales engineer and the distributor’s
sales person.
• A new incentive plan for distributor’s sales
people for value engineered created
opportunities.
8
Capstone Project Selection
Guidelines
The project that you propose in 5121 must lead to a
project, that when completed in 5131, accomplishes the
following:
• Demonstrates understanding and application
of key management principles of the
MSETM program
• In other words, it must be a project that could NOT
have been accomplished at the same level of quality
by persons with less education and experience
9
Guidelines continued
• Relates to management of technical project
rather than simply a technical project or
effort
– Technical problem solving can be part of the
project but not the essence or whole of the
project
– Must be more than doing or implementing a
solution already decided upon
10
Guidelines continued
• Level of significance that it might be
presented to upper management
• Must have a demonstrable, quantitative, actual or
potential financial effect
• Stay away from pet peeves unless they are also
shared by your top management
• Avoid “squishy” problem or opportunity areas (like
culture change, teamwork, or training)
11
Guidelines continued
• Self-contained and accomplished over a
period of 4-10 months near the end of the
program
– Project execution (and 5131 report writing)
should involve roughly 2 ½ weeks of fulltime
effort above and beyond that required at work
• 2 credits x [15 class hours per credit + (2 hours
outside of class per class hour x 15 class hours )] =
90 hours
12
Guidelines continued
• The project must…
– involve a set of realistic, feasible alternatives and
(a defendable) alternative evaluation
• Technical
• Operational
• Economic
– be realistic and relevant to the student’s
organization
– make substantive and identifiable use of MSETM
course material
13
• At the proposed project’s completion, the
conclusions and recommendations
presented must be based on analysis, facts,
and measurable results
– One cannot claim A is better than B solely
because she or he thinks A is better than B
– Beware of circular reasoning or bases
– A different standard most likely applies here
than in your organization
14
Deliverables for Capstone Project
• 5121
–
–
–
–
–
Written project proposal (80% of grade)
15 minute, multimedia presentation of proposal
Participation in Q&A conference call
Critique of another student’s proposal (10% of grade)
Critique of a 5131 student’s final report (10% of grade)
• 5131
– Written final project report (100% of grade)
– 20 minute, multimedia presentation
– Participation in Q&A conference call
15
Multimedia Presentation
16
For help with your multimedia
presentation
Bill Elliott
405-744-6757
belliot@okstate.edu
17
Capstone Project Proposal
Format and Grading Criteria
18
1. Problem (or Opportunity)
Statement
• Single paragraph describing the motivating
problem and the resulting opportunity
– In one sentence, what is the problem (or
opportunity)?
– Answers these questions and others…Why is it
a problem? Who does it a affect? What is the
scope? How long has it existed?
19
Problem Statement grading
criteria
• Stated, in clear terms, the exact problem or
opportunity
• Provided necessary background to
understand the situation
• Presented a manageable problem and one
that is an important priority and a
worthwhile opportunity
20
2. Measures of the Problem
• Specific quantification of the problem
– Define performance measures
• And units of measurement
– Preliminary quantitative estimates
21
Measures of the Problem
grading criteria
• Defined objective, relevant, quantifiable
measures
• Defined in terms of specific measurement
units
• Provided preliminary quantitative estimates
for each measure
• Presented the expected norm or estimated
improvement goals or both
22
3. Project Objectives
• In specific, clear terms answer the question,
“What must be accomplished?”
23
Project Objectives grading
criteria
• Provided a vision or outcomes of a
successful Capstone Project in the context
of the Company Project
• Identified specific accomplishments needed
to accomplish this vision or outcomes
• Objectives directly relate to problem
statement and measures
24
4. Specific Deliverables
• What will you deliver upon completion of
the project?
• Bullet list of specific recommendations,
traceable to project objectives
25
Specific Deliverables grading
criteria
•
•
•
•
Logically follow from project objectives
Stated clearly
Comprehensive and complete
Likely to be accomplished within a 4 to 10
month timeframe
26
5. Alternatives to be considered
• Identify and evaluate alternative approaches to
solving the problem
• Include…
–
–
–
–
–
–
Overall descriptions
Technology involved
Thoughts on feasibility
Known examples of successful use
Preconceived biases pro or con
And so on…
27
Alternatives considered grading
criteria
• Identified and described a reasonable set of
alternatives for consideration
• Did not include alternatives already considered
and dismissed
– Or ones that are likely to never be seriously considered
• Gave enough background and detail on each to
make them understandable to someone with a
technical background
3.5
28
6. Approach and Criteria for
Evaluating Alternatives
• Your plan for carrying out the capstone
project
• Should map back to your objectives
• Must describe how best alternative will be
decided
29
Approach and Criteria grading
criteria
• Approach logically flows from objectives,
deliverables, and alternatives to be
considered
• Identified specific tasks that must be
accomplished and their sequence
30
• Listed the data that must be collected
– how it will be collected
– Criteria used to judge the quality of the data or
its suitability for analysis
• Provided specific performance criteria and
measures to be used to decide between
alternatives and the process that will be
used to decide
31
7. Project Plan
• A detailed project timeline
• Gantt chart
32
Project Plan grading criteria
• Gantt chart included deliverables and other
key activities
– Tie closely to the approach
– Ensure an orderly and timely accomplishment
of project objectives
• Scheduled the final report and presentation
33
8. Planned Use of ETM Materials
• Identify the use of specific concepts, tools
and techniques learned in the ETM
program.
– in the body of the report, or
– as a bullet list
34
Use of ETM Materials grading
criteria
• Identified the use of specific concepts, tools
and techniques learned in the ETM program
• Reference made as to how and where in the
project they will be used
35
9. Professionalism
36
Professionalism grading criteria
• Report was free of typographical errors
– And grammatical, diction, punctuation, and
formatting errors
• Presentable to top management audience
37
10. Oral Presentation
38
Oral presentation grading criteria
•
•
•
•
Provided concise summary of report
Delivered in logical, methodical way
Material was legible
Answered questions, defended rationale
39
Typical questions asked when
evaluating your proposal
1.In one sentence, what is the problem being
addressed here?
2.Why did you select this project?
3.What is the potential financial and
organizational impact if this problem is
solved (or opportunity is captured)?
Source: Rudy Herrmann
40
4.Does the organization have a sense of
urgency with respect to this problem or
opportunity? Is there widespread
understanding that a problem even exists?
Is that problem worth solving?
5.How different are the alternatives being
proposed here REALLY?
41
6.To what extent are your options bounded by
what you think is possible within the
construct of the organization? If all
organizational constraints and biases were
removed, would that expose other
alternatives?
42
7.Have you considered other intervening
factors that might show one alternative as
better than another when it in fact isn’t?
How will you take those factors into
account when deciding between
alternatives?
43
8.Do you have the right people on the project
team to assure success? What will be your
role on the team?
9.What success measure is the most
important?
44
Logistics
• Schedule is developed that lists critique
dates, submission dates, conference call
dates
• Submit Word docs and PowerPoint slides to
Amanda Holley for posting
(hamanda@okstate.edu)
• Submit Real media files to Bill Elliott
(belliot@okstate.edu)
45
• During the conference call, questions are
asked and improvement comments are made
• Within two weeks of conference call, any
requested revisions must be made
– Unless different arrangements made
– If not submitted, I grade assigned
– However, revisions do not affect grade
• Submit revision to Paul Rossler
46
File naming convention
• Lastname proposal.doc
– If two people in class have the same last
name…
• Lastname proposal.ppt
– No one will be asked to revise her or his slides
or multimedia presentation
• Lastname.rm
47
Performing the
Capstone Project Itself
• Individual Effort
• Independence
• Self-direction
48