Engineering Design Methodologies Component of EE 499
Senior Project
E&CE
Dept
A simplified process flow for design
Design versus Research
• Design considers alternative solutions by
selecting the optimal solution with a fixed goal or specifications in mind.
• Research is defined as scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry.
• Research has an open‐ended goal and is exploratory, with no set specifications or
constraints in mind, and does not necessarily
Exercise 1
• Discuss five jobs that the graduates from your specialization are expected to do
• Discuss five job locations that the graduates from your specialization are expected to work
• Report them to the class when you are asked
Definition of Engineering Design (from ABET) –
Fitting Technology to Society
• Process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs.
• A decision making process (often iterative), in which basic sciences, math, and eng
Goal/philosophy of ED Courses
• Every student benefits in training on how to approach and communicate an
independent technical and scientific project.
• All training is in the context of the
student's self‐chosen project, not via
"fabricated" topics that does not resemble real life situations.
• Extensive feedback is essential for success
Fundamental Elements of Design Process
• Establishment of objectives and criteria
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Construction
• Testing, and
• Evaluation.
For a successful engineering career
• An understanding of the realistic constraints (such as ethical, social, economic, and safety considerations) in engineering practice is
essential as a minimum.
• It should be the responsibility of the
engineering faculty to infuse professional concepts into all engineering coursework.
7 Stages of Engineering Design
begin
Get started
Situation analysis
Get motivated and interested in the problem but know yout limits, too
Problem definition
Gather facts and perceptions about the problem and see how they are interrelated
Decide on the main issues and what needs to be done. Clearly, define the problem and what characteristics a solution will need to have. Set limits on the problem domain. Set goals and
constraints for solutions
Generating solutions
Generate and search out possible ideas to help in reaching the goals, then create a set of trial solutions.
Selecting best solution
Review the set of trial solutions discarding those which prove to be not feasible. Select the most promising one(s) for
implementation.
Implementing the
Implement the solution.
1. Get started (‐4 to 0 weeks)
• Establish project team
• Choose topics in the problem area
• Determine your limits
• Prepare Gantt chart (timeline)
2. Situation description – problem selection (0 – 6th weeks)
• Evaluate topics
• Do a literature survey on problem area and topics
• Determine existing solutions
• Set your objectives and goals
• Identify realistic design constraints
Desirable criteria for topic selection
• Requires use of electrical engineering prerequisites
• Can be built by students
• Requires use of other resources (faculty, library, computers, software)
Desirable criteria for topic selection
• Has > 2 possible solutions
• Breaks into small subprojects
• Current designs can be observed and understood
Criteria for topics (cont.)
• Industrial needs can be assessed
• Competitor designs exist to be evaluated by benchmarking
• Design criteria can be generated from industrial needs
• Multiple design priorities exist and can be assessed
• Interesting to students
3. Problem definition (4 – 7th weeks)
• Select a single problem and state it clearly
• Analyze impacts of problem and its solutions on society
• Prepare product design specifications (PDS)
• Clarify your objectives
Problem Definition
The first step is to understand as much as possible about your project regarding:
• goals of the project ‐‐ what is the client asking for?
• necessary background information
Background information
• Social issues ‐‐ understanding of constraints due to industrial use of the device e.g., is worker data being stored (confidentiality issues)
• Economical issues
• Technical issues ‐‐ understanding of the engineering aspects of the project e.g., no metals if device is to be used in MRI chamber
Defining the Problem
• State the Problem as Clearly as Possible and Prepare a Study Plan
• After selecting a promising topic, the student should clarify it.
• Write the description of the problem as detailed as possible.
The study plan ‐ At the start
• It forces the investigator to state the ideas behind the hypothesis and the relationships among the project's different parts.
• It allows others to offers criticisms and
suggestions that might improve the project design.
The study plan
• During the project's course;
– It guides the designer’s activities and assures the design include all necessary procedures.
• Afterward;
– The plan provides a standard against which the investigator can evaluate the project's
completeness and validity.
Defining the
Establish need or opportunity
Library Meet with
supervisors
Meet with client (user)
Constraints
(Social, economical,
technical, safety, ethical)
Problem description
• Write down in as much detail as possible the type of work we wish to do upon completion of our work.
Clarify goals and interests. See that goals are less clear in your mind than you may think.
• Look for inconsistencies or gaps in knowledge, information or opinions conflict, and challenge prevailing beliefs.
4. Generating solutions (7 – 8th weeks)
• Brainstorm alternative solutions
• Compare solutions to PDS
• Generate trial solutions
Once the problem emerges:
• Try writing down as questions. Generate
hypothesis (or objectives). Ask questions like
– What is specifically occurring?
– Who or what is disturbed by the situation to be dealt with?
– Where and when the problem is occurring?
– Can we quantify the influence of the problem?
Once the problem emerges:
• Look for as many different approaches as possible.
• Identify any underlying assumptions and challenge them.
• Visualize the problem and break into parts.
• Brainstorm and seek outside random stimulations and chance discoveries
5. Selecting best solution (9 – 10th weeks)
• Set selection criteria
• Evaluate feasibility of trial solutions
• Select the proposed solution with justifications
• 1st seminar
6. Implementing solution (11 – 22th weeks)
• Make a functional decomposition of the project
• Set a work plan for analysis
• Distribute responsibilities to team members
• Prepare the component design
6. Implementing solution (11 – 22th weeks)
• Simulate your design
• Implement your design
– Bread boarding – Prototyping
• Test your prototype in the lab
7. Evaluating solution (21 – 24th weeks)
• Design of experiments
• Evaluate data statistically
• Establish an interpretive discussion of results
• Discuss of the lessons learned
• Evaluate actual versus estimated
7. Evaluating solution (21 – 24th weeks)
• Compare results with those of other existing solutions
• Set a production schedule
• Make cost analysis
• Prepare a user’s manual
• 2nd seminar
8. Writing the report (8 weeks) 1st phase; 8 – 10th weeks
2nd phase; 24 – 28th weeks
• Strictly follow XE 499 report writing guidelines
Always remember!
• Design is more than construction, observation and experimentation.
• Designer interprets results and explains principles demonstrated in the design project.
• Engineers, through design, attempts to help humankind so that we can
– understand,
– predict and control natural events, and
9. Presenting and defending the report (29 – 30th weeks)
• Prepare power point slides
• Set a live demo of the project
• Make necessary corrections after the oral presentation
Major Activities /
weeks 2 4 6 8 10 12 1
4 16 18 20 22 24 2
6 28 30
Selecting the problem Defining the problem Literature search Situation analysis - observation
Implementing – analysis, bread- boarding
Implementing –
synthesis, prototyping Experiments –
collecting and evaluating data
Organizing and writing
A sample timetable (Gantt chart)
Project Teams
• Team Roles and Responsibilities
• Preparing the Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
What comes first in an effective team?
What comes first in an under‐performing team?
Roadmap for “focusing” a project
team
Roadmap for “focusing” a project
team
Effective Senior Team Meetings
Set the agenda
• The meeting agenda is a roadmap for the meeting. It lets participants know where they're headed so they don't get off track. Most importantly, the meeting agenda gives a sense of purpose and direction to the meeting.
• All agendas should list the following:
– Meeting start time – Meeting end time – Meeting location – Topic headings
– Include some topic detail for each heading
– Indicate the time each topic is expected to last
– Indicate which meeting participants are expected to be the main
Running Effective Meetings
• Encourage group discussion to get all points of view and ideas.
• Encourage feedback.
• Keep conversation focused on the topic.
• Keep minutes of the meeting for future reference in case a question or problem arises.
• As a leader, be a role model by listening, showing interest, appreciation and confidence in members.
Admit mistakes.
After The Meeting
• Write up and distribute minutes within 3 or 4 days. Quick action reinforces importance of meeting and reduces errors of memory.
• Discuss any problems during the meeting with other
officers; come up with ways improvements can be made.
• Follow‐up on delegation decisions. See that all members understand and carry‐out their responsibilities.
• Give recognition and appreciation to excellent and timely progress.
• Put unfinished business on the agenda for the next meeting.
• Conduct a periodic evaluation of the meetings.
First Essentials of Meeting Minutes
• Make sure that all of the essential elements are noted, such as
– type of meeting,
– name of the organization, – date and time,
– name of the chair or facilitator, – main topics and
– the time of adjournment.
Preparing for Meeting Minutes
• Prepare an outline based on the agenda ahead of time, and leave plenty of white space for notes.
By having the topics already written down, you can jump right on to a new topic without pause.
• Prepare a list of expected attendees and check off the names as people enter the room. Or, you can pass around an attendance sheet for everyone to sign as the meeting starts.
• To be sure about who said what, make a map of the seating arrangement, and make sure to ask
Recording Minutes Format
• Don't make the mistake of recording every single comment, but concentrate on getting the gist of the discussion and taking enough notes to
summarize it later. Remember that minutes are the official record of what happened, not what was said, at a meeting.
• Use whatever device is comfortable for you, a notepad, a laptop computer, a tape recorder, a steno pad, shorthand. Many people routinely
Verifying Minutes Format
• Be prepared! Study the issues to be discussed and ask a lot of questions ahead of time. If you have to fumble for understanding while you are making your notes, they won't make any sense to you later.
• Don't wait too long to type up the minutes, and be sure to have them approved by the chair or facilitator before distributing them to the attendees.
• Don't be intimidated, you may be called upon many times to write meeting minutes, and the ability to
produce concise, coherent minutes is widely admired
Next Lecture
• Get a copy of the textbook and read first three chapters
• Prepare list of major activities for your project and a timeline (Gantt chart) and bring them to the class
• Assignment: submit by next week
– Define the objective of your specialization
