Weekly Progress Reports (see sidebar), the Gantt chart, and this Project Management page should be printed out before meetings with the sponsor and instructor.
All team members should be able to explain all items on the progress report.
Place a "*" at the beginning of the title of the active week Progress Report (see * in sidebar).
Project Objectives
Concisely list and prioritize the project objectives and constraints
High Priority Objectives
Real time pressure readout of fluid up to 1000mmHg
Handheld flow control device must be single-use and disposable
Drug flow parameters that need to be controllable by handheld device
Infusion and withdrawal
Flow Rate
Handheld device must have a view port for seeing blood on withdrawal
Fail safe must be integrated in the device
Second Priority Objectives
Unit adaptability for multiple syringe sizes and syringe volume selector.
Volume tare (zeroing) button
No external connections
Other Constraints and Issues
Everything in contact with the drug has to be disposable
Ideally only the syringe, tubing and needle are in direct contact with the fluid
Pressure of an intra-neural injection must be defined
Force required to push the syringe must be defined
WOW Design Solution
Fully disposable handheld flow control device capable of plug and play.
Handheld is interfaced with a syringe pump that is able to house multiple syringe sizes.
Handheld device would be ergonomic and held like a pencil or be driven by the user's thumb based on their preference.
Handheld device would have capability of controlling flow rate as well as infusion and withdrawal.
Handheld device has a view port for blood on withdrawal as well as a volume tare (zeroing) button.
The pump would be housed in a module with displays for fluid pressure and delivered-drug volume.
Ideally the device is capable of Bluetooth and iPhone communication.
Risk Reduction Strategy
List areas of risk and strategy that will be used to eliminate risk really in the design process.
Quantifying intra-neural injection pressures
Quantifying force necessary to push fluid through syringe
Interfacing with syringe-pump vendors to establish capacities and customization of off-the-shelf products
Interfacing with medical pressure-transducer vendors to establish common ways of sensing pressure in similar devices
Defining different ways of pressure sensing and associated risks
Load cell mounted on syringe pump
Risk: system hysteresis (friction in syringe)
Risk: reproducability of measurements across different syringes
Pressure Transducer separated by diaphragm seal
Risk: cost of seals
Risk: sterility of seals
Disposable in-line pressure transducer
Risk: cost
Risk: Communication with device
Intermediate Milestones
Identifying meaningful intermediate milestones is a critical for effective project management. Together with your sponsor identify such milestones, and specify specific performance requirements you aim to meet at each milestone.
Quantification of parameters such as force at syringe, flow rate required and intra-neural pressure
Defines syringe pump capacities
Defines upper limit of pressure transducers/load cells
Define emergency and necessary fail-safe
Meet fail-safe design requirement
Component driving the fail safe will be defined
Analysis and modeling
Allows parameters to be set for ordering components
Ordering pump components and test
Allows design of control module around the pump
Meet forward/backward and variable flow rate requirements
Ordering handheld device electronics [button, sensor that will control flow] and test
Allows design of handheld device around these electronics
Meet forward/backward and variable flow rate requirements
Ordering pressure sensing component and test
Meet pressure sensing requirement
1st physical prototype of handheld device for ergonomic feedback
Allows user feedback of ergonomics
Meet ergonomics requirement
Meet view port requirement
Interfacing handheld device electronics with pump
Meet flow rate requirements
Interfacing pressure sensing component with display
Meet live pressure readout requirement
Assemble all components
Allows for tests and verification