Planning

Concept Map

The concept map below shows how the team brainstormed to fully incorporate all aspects of this project together. This diagram helps us structure the process, organize the relationships between topics, as well as considering the order of smaller portions of our project. The map includes research topics that needed to be addressed and the process of designing, modeling, and validating our system that followed our research. By breaking the project down into what we wanted to implement with our design ideas and incorporating those ideas with research, we were able to organize what areas the team needed to focus on to plan out how the project will be worked on.

Our Process for Tracking Progress

Breaking Down the Goal Into Smaller Tasks

- Our team has created 2 tools that will better assist us in tracking our progress. First, we created a concept map (shown above) for our farming system. Our team refers back to this concept map to ensure we are not missing any part of the process and addressing all the topics we need to cover.

Create Visual Guides that Break Down Scopes

- Our second and most used tool is our Gantt chart (shown below). In order to generate our timeline, we referred to our concept map and looked at topics to estimate due dates. By continuously updating our Gantt chart, we can visualize how much progress we've made, where we stand in the process of our project, what the next steps are, and how long we have to complete them in order to stay on track.

Track due dates and milestones weekly
Keeping the team accountable

- Consistent Communication
- By listing and assigning all tasks In our meeting minutes and addressing them at the following meeting, we keep one another accountable. When we have our discussion meetings on Saturdays we cover all tasks and pending Issues from the previous week.

Using Communication/Organization Tools

- We keep regular communication through WhatsApp, organize our project on Base Camp and Monday.com, and we keep track of all of our research and communication through Google Drive.

Keeping a Project Journal

- Another tool we use to track our projects Is our Individual project journals. Each team member fills out a weekly progress journal that we can refer to check progress.

Staying on Track

Using Progress Tracking / Organizational Tools
- Concept Maps to track task Items, relationships, and process order
- Gannt Chart to track due dates and current place In the process
  - Update as we go and make sure to mark off completed items
- Base Camp to track specific tasks
- Meeting Minutes to track Individual and team assignments

Sample of Team Meeting Minutes

Our meetings typically have an agenda to keep us on task. We often Include topics for the next meeting, any pending assignments, or any topics that we need to address to move forward with our project.

We also Include our tasks for the week based on any assignments or research that needs to be done. We break these tasks up by Individual Items and Items for everyone to take on as a team.

Calendar of Weekly Team Meetings

On Mondays, our team meets from 6:00pm - 8:00pm for a design meeting where we brainstorm together and finalize the components of our system.

On Saturdays our team meets from 12:00pm - 2:00pm to discuss any research findings or solutions to any issues that may have arisen from our design meeting.

Major Milestones Deadlines

This project is divided into two halves. The first predominantly being the design phase and the second being the prototyping and validation phase. This chart works in tandem with the other tools listed above to keep the team in check. This hill chart has associated tasks and dates to abide by (as seen below), this allows the team to keep the bigger picture in mind and establish when major milestones should be finished and when to work on the next major task at hand.

Assigning Tasks and Duties

Utilizing Basecamp's tasks function, each member of the team gets assigned particular jobs to complete and a deadline to finish them by. The task will have 2-3 people assigned to it. This allows the team members to work together if needed and to ensure the task has been done thoroughly.

What tools will be used to track team progress?

Our team uses a variety of organizational tools to assist In tracking the progress of our farming system.

Project Management
- Monday.com
  - Here we upload our smaller project goals and their respective due dates, and create our Gantt Chart
- Base Camp
  - Here we upload all of the new and pending tasks discussed In our meetings and their assigned team member
Resource Organization
- Google Drive
  - We use a shared drive to keep all of our meeting notes, research, design Ideas, and other materials for our project.
- Communication
  - WhatsApp
    - Our more frequent communication occurs through this outlet.
  - Zoom
    - We have used this meeting platform In the events where we have not been able to meet in person

Page updated

Report abuse