User:Qchi8375/enes100/howard communitycollege/engines

wikipage for new engine team of 2011

Idea
Projects Start with an idea. The idea for a project is typically a few sentences. The sentences should inspire problem statements. If only this section exists, then nobody has worked on the project yet.

Subsystems
Projects are broken up into subsystems. Create a list of subpage links to subsystem sections here.

The goal is to provide framework to capture the information associated with huge, big problems. A quadcopter project may be split up into vision systems, motor control systems, power, air frame, gryo/accelarometer software, copter GPS, target GPS, communication system, fail safe system, testing apparatus, etc. The cardboard boat project could be splitup into quickly built boats, racing boats, themed boats, dramatic sinking boats, battle boats, etc.

Each subsystem should have the format goal/design/testing. This information should not be associated with a particular college, team or individual. It is the collective wisdom of the wiki editing world. It is the starting point for those that want to work on this project. The goal is an open hardware or open project repository of information similar to the open software community's GIT.

Projects may get so big there are subsubpages for subsubsystems.

Tutorials
This section lists tutorials for those that want to repeat the successes of previous teams. The goal is to polish these tutorials to the point where they are competing with instructables, hack a day and other diy, maker sites.

College/Universities
howard community college

Problem Statement
Put the last negotiated problem statement with the instructor or client of the project here.

Team Members

 * [chi]
 * saunders
 * morgen

Summary
Put an overall, one paragraph summary here with links to the team weekly reports.

Poster
Put a graphic in wikimedia, include the graphic here or link to it here. The graphic should be suitable for creating a traditional project poster.

Story
Tell a story of the project. Describe how split up, what the obstacles were, what testing was done, what informal decisions were made, what assumptions were made, what the results were. This is a longer version of the summary with links to all the details collected associated with the project. These links could be to software, links to videos, links to project pages with pictures, etc. Think of the story as a summary of the team weekly reports on one long page rather than a short paragraph like the summary.

Decision List
List all formal decisions made with links to their documentation such as a decision tree or decision matrix.

Material List
Figuring out what to purchase, what to build, what everything costs is a huge part of engineering. Typically there is a list of materials in stock, materials that are ordered, materials that should be ordered next time there is money, materials that have not been fully justified. These issues are part of healthy management of the engineering lab but are associated with a particular college. The detail needs to be published in this "Done" form. However in the project root, just a list of materials is necessary.

Software List
Installing and learning different software packages is part of most engineering project just like the materials list.

Time
Time estimates and actual time consumed measurements helps justify salaries (grades). The only way to gain respect for estimated project time and costs is to practice.

Tutorials
Most projects consist of making instructions to jump start the next team, shrink the learning of tools and software to the minimum, advice on where to purchase materials, how to assemble, etc. Tutorials modified or created are described here with links.

Next Steps
If this is not filled out, the next team may have to repeat each of your steps just to figure out what the next step is. It is best to write this immediately at the end of the project while creating the summary, poster, presentation, and story.

Subjective Critera
While reading these sections, practicing engineers are building up the following impressions about the document. So the following categories are more subjective:

Repeatablitly
Is there enough detail to repeat the work?

Integrity
Proving something doesn't exist or doesn't work usually requires exhaustion. Simply saying "it can not be done" is like challenging a pro basketball player (engineer) to one-on-one basketball (find a solution). It does not inspire respect. All the different ways respect is created can be found throughout the wikibook General Engineering Introduction.

College/Universities
All the above is summary information that comprises the wiki of all students in general engineering classes using this site. To see the people involved, the actual engineering projects, the pain-money-time involved, click on the university names listed here. Colleges should add their name to each project they every work on under this heading. This page should contain the details of the projects, teams and individuals. This way colleges and individual students can build up portfolios.