Learning Objectives
By the midterm exam, students enrolled in ENGR 310 should be able to:
- Define what engineering design is.
- Describe the main stages of an engineering design process.
- Identify the primary causes of failure in engineering design projects, and outline effective strategies to mitigate each.
- List and define the main elements of a complete problem definition, and describe the key activities to develop a good problem definition.
- Create an objective tree.
- Develop metrics consistent with a problem definition.
- Use the black-box approach to create a functional model consistent with a problem definition.
- Develop performance specifications (also called functional requirements) consistent with a problem definition.
- Express the importance of multiple design alternatives, and describe at least three techniques or strategies to generate creative ideas.
- Describe the controlled convergence process, including appropriate use of evaluation matrices.
- Describe what a system architecture is, and its importance in the design process.
- List the key success factors for high performing teams.
- Describe the common four-stage model of team development.
- Describe the importance of managing conflict on teams, and explain how the PAUSE principle can be applied.
- Explain key skills for working effectively on multi-disciplinary teams.
- Use a risk chart to develop a risk mitigation strategy for a project.
- Discuss the key triadic trade-offs between schedule, cost and performance when managing projects.
- Walk through a process to develop a project plan, including: work breakdown structure, assigning times, identifying dependencies, allocating resources, and developing a Gantt.