Capstone to Strategy, Technology and Integration, I

1. Capstone to Strategy, Technology and Integration, I ETM 5121 Paul E. Rossler, Ph.D., P.E.

2. 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?

3. Contents • The relationship between 5121 and 5131 • Company Projects and Capstone Projects • Capstone Project Selection Guidelines • Deliverables • Grading Criteria • Logistics

4. 2nd to Last Semester Last Semester 3rd 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 5121 Project Proposal 5131 Final Report Request to conduct study Project Proposal or Report Conduct the Study Obtain approval and resources needed to investigate “manageable” problem Obtain resources needed to implement best alternative

5. 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

6. Capstone projects often fall out of larger company projects Examples: Unresolved or new issue One phase or deliverable Same as, but with additional detail Company Project MSETM Project

7. 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

8. 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.

9. Capstone Project Selection Guidelines • 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 The project that you propose in 5121 must lead to a project, that when completed in 5131, accomplishes the following:

10. 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

11. 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)

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Multimedia Presentation

17. For help with your multimedia presentation Bill Elliott 405-744-6757 belliot@okstate.edu

18. Capstone Project Proposal Format and Grading Criteria

19. 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?

20. 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

21. 2. Measures of the Problem • Specific quantification of the problem • Define performance measures • And units of measurement • Preliminary quantitative estimates

22. 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

23. 3. Project Objectives • In specific, clear terms answer the question, “What must be accomplished?”

24. 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

25. 4. Specific Deliverables • What will you deliver upon completion of the project? • Bullet list of specific recommendations, traceable to project objectives

26. 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

27. 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…

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 7. Project Plan • A detailed project timeline • Gantt chart

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. 9. Professionalism

37. Professionalism grading criteria • Report was free of typographical errors • And grammatical, diction, punctuation, and formatting errors • Presentable to top management audience

38. 10. Oral Presentation

39. Oral presentation grading criteria • Provided concise summary of report • Delivered in logical, methodical way • Material was legible • Answered questions, defended rationale

40. 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

41. 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?

42. 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?

43. 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?

44. 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?

45. 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)

46. 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

47. 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

48. Performing the Capstone Project Itself • Individual Effort • Independence • Self-direction