Engineering Design Process Review

When working with a group always write down your group members names and contact information (phone number, email).

Understand the Vocabulary:

• Brainstorming

• Constraints

• Criteria

• Design Process

• Engineering Design Process

• Engineering Notebook

• Iterative

• Matrix

• Optimal

• Specifications

• Testing protocol

Begin with a problem statement

The student teams should reword the initial problem statement so it reflects a more focused problem. Each team creates and shares their rewritten problem statement. Students reflect upon the day in their Engineering Notebooks.

Review the Design Process

Review the Project Managment Plan

Teams discuss necessary roles and individual responsibilities. Teams review the management plan and apply it to their needs. Students identify the activities that will be required. Teams identify what they will need to know in order to solve this problem

Design Brief

The teacher explains the design brief and leads a discussion with students about how it can be applied to this project. Student teams are given ten minutes to draft a design brief. Students write a reflection in their Engineering Notebook.

Create Optimization Matrix for Decision Making and Select Solution

Teams are given time to discuss and identify the solution they will develop as a team. Teams that are having difficulty determining which solution to develop should be allowed to discuss further, but the teacher might ask how they could objectively make the decision. The decison matrix is the best way and the most professional. It is also known as a pough chart.

A Pugh chart is a simple design tool for comparing design ideas against your design criteria early in the design process. To draw a Pugh chart, list the design criteria in the left column. Weight each criterion according to how important it is (use any scale you like).

Develop, Refine and Document Selected Solution

• Creation of Design Documentation

• Identify New Issues

Prototype

Teams create their initial prototypes using the information collected in the research process.

Refine and Iterate the Design

Communicate your Results

Finalize Documentation of Design

• Complete Documentation of Changes

• Finalize Analysis

Prepare Communication Plan for Authentic Audience

• Research Audience

• Plan for Explanations and Graphics

• Plan for Feedback

Prepare Communication Documents

• Reports

• Design Documentation

• Design Proposals

• Presentations for the Authentic Audience

Create an Engineering Report

A good report organization should promote readability and reflect the scientific method, which proceeds with objective, method, results, and conclusions. It is logical to report a project in the sequence in which it is done. Many engineering reports are organized on this basis. Two improvements to the logical sequence are the addition of an abstract or executive summary and the insertion of headlines. These two features facilitate “scanning” of the report. Thus, a busy executive or engineer may quickly assess the major findings and conclusions of the report, and then easily find further details as required.

Sections that should be included:

1. Title Page. Identify the group members, project, dates and timeframe.

2. Summary or Abstract (Executive Summary) Nomenclature. Students need to list and define all science and engineering terms and measurements used in the report.

3. Introduction. This should include the entire project description.

4. Theory and Analysis Experimental Procedures

5. Results and Discussion

6. Conclusions and Recommendations

7. Acknowledgments

8. Literature Cited

9. Appendix

10. Present/Defend to an Authentic Audience with Feedback