Senior Seminar

ECE 4890 Lecture Notes

Spring 2013

Engineer

Customer

Manufacturer

200613
Mark A. Wickert

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Introduction
Major themes:
Electrical and computer engineering design
Professional development
Preparing for ECE 4899
Team presentations
Instructor policies
Course syllabus
Engineering design introduction

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Major Course Themes

Electrical and Computer Engineering Design
The design process
Requirements analysis
System design
Managing the design process
Detail design, testing, and design management
An integrated case study
Professional Development
Beyond engineering design
Team presentations on key ABET professional development
curriculum issues
economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health
and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
professional and ethical responsibility
impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic,
environmental, and societal context
Preparing for ECE 4899
Choosing a project and project advisor(s)
Prepare and deliver a pre-proposal presentation with your
design team
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Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus

ECE 4890
Senior Seminar
Spring Semester 2013

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Dr. Mark Wickert

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mwickert@uccs.edu
http://www.eas.uccs.edu/wickert/ece4890/

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Friday 9:1510:00 AM, others by appointment.

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J. Eric Salt and Robert Rothery, !"#$%&'()*'+,"-.*$-/,'/&0'1)234."*'+&%$&""*#,

John Wiley, New York, 2002. ISBN 0-471-39146-8.

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1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)

Topic A, B, or C, learning presentation 20%.

Topics A, B, and C learning notes 20%.
In-class attendance/performance/attitude 10%.
Team design requirements document 25%.
Pre-proposal oral presentation 25%.
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Library and
internet research

Student presentations spread

throughout the
semester

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Library and
internet research

Student presentation spread

throughout the
semester

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Student presentations spread

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semester

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ECE 4890 Senior Seminar

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13

Chapter 1 Introduction and Course Overview

Syllabus (cont)
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ECE 4899 proposal presentations Friday February 1, 8:00 11:00 AM, EN

101. ECE 4890 students must attend.
ECE 4890 case study presentation by an industry engineer, Friday TBD (as
early as February 15), 8:00 9:15 AM, EN 101. ECE 4890 students must
attend. This date will be announced well in advance during a Friday class
meeting, and it will also be posted on the course Web site.
ECE 4890 ABET Topic A, B, & C presentations. ECE 4890 students must
attend to either make their presentation and also to take notes on the other
team presentations. There will likely be 3 total presentations spread over at
most two weeks. Approximate dates are February 22 and/or March 1.
ECE 4899 design review presentations Friday March 15, 8:00 11:00 AM,
EN 101. ECE 4890 students must attend.
Research librarian visit, TBD, to learn about search engines and other research related topics. Friday March 22.
ECE 4890 design requirements documents due Friday April 12, for review
by ECE faculty and project sponsors.
ECE 4890 Pre-proposal presentations Friday May 3, 8:00 10:30 AM, EN
101. ECE 4890 students must participate.
ECE 4899 final project presentations and demonstrations Friday May 10,
8:00 AM 12:30 PM, EN 101. ECE 4890 students must attend. Note that
this is the Friday before finals. Lunch is included.
ECE 4890 Design Requirements Document Final Draft (paper copy and
PDF via E-mail) due Wednesday May 15, 12:00 PM.
Ralph M. Ford and Chris Coulston, !"#$%&'()*'+,"-.*$-/,'/&0'1)234."*'+&%$5
&""*#, McGraw Hill, New York, 2008. ISBN 978-0-07-338035-3.

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14

ECE 4890 Senior Seminar

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Instructor Policies
In-class participation is a very important part of this course,
and is in fact required most of the time
If business travel or similar activities prevent you from
attending class and participating in team presentations, classroom discussions, please inform me beforehand
Grading is done on a straight 90, 80, 70,... scale with curving
below these thresholds if needed

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The Engineering Profession

Consider first the definition of engineering as found in two
sources
From Websters New World Dictionary
1.a) the science concerned with putting scientific knowledge
to practical uses, divided into different branches, as civil,
electrical, mechanical, or chemical engineering.
From the Accreditation Board for Engineers and Technologists (ABET)
Engineering is the profession in which a knowledge of the
mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgement to develop ways
to utilize, economically, the materials and forces of nature for
the benefit of mankind.
Mathematical and scientific knowledge is at the core of engineering
Engineers solve problems, for the benefit of society, using
synthesis of what is currently known about a problems solution, and new ways of solving it
Engineers design

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The Role of the Design Engineer

In general terms, there are three stakeholders in any engineering design problem
Engineer

Customer

Manufacturer

The customer is also referred to as the client or end-user

In a larger company the customer is represented by the marketing department
The engineer is a member of research and development
(R&D)
The manufacturing department may in fact be a separate
company, that in this time of outsourcing and globalization,
is in a different country

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Introduction

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Engineering and problem solving go together

Scientific and mathematical knowledge are combined to form
the solution

General Engineering Process

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Analysis and synthesis (Oxford American dictionary):

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Analysis is typically performed on an existing system, while

synthesis is usually associated with a new system
The process of analysis/synthesis may be repeated to find
multiple solutions
Many implementations can perhaps meet the requirements,
which is the best one?
How many solutions should be obtained?
The cost of generating possible solutions is expensive and
drives up the non-recurring engineering (NRE) budget
Will the next solution attempted really be significantly better?

121

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Applying the General Engineering Process:

Engine Block Heater Extension Cord
In colder climates, northern US and Canada, engine block
heaters are used to insure easy starting in the morning and
when leaving work in the late afternoon
Problem:
A breaker may blow and there is no indication to the
employee that their heater is actually working
The heater may also burn out and become an open circuit
The solution is a smart extension cord that gives an indication of the above two conditions at the cord end
A marketing study says that this cord enhancement is worth a
price increase of about $7
The new extension cord must sell for less than $6 above the
dumb model
A first iteration design (synthesis):
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Threshold
setting
resistor

Light
emitting
diodes
Hot wire

Neutral Wire

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LEDs must carry too much forward current (4A) making

the cost prohibitive
A second iteration design (synthesis):
Include a current transformer
Current
transformer

Light
emitting
diodes
Threshold
setting
resistor

Hot Neutral
wire wire

An alternative design (synthesis):

Need to press a switch to see if heater is functioning properly

Normally closed
momentary
switch

Light bulb
with one ampere
glow point

Hot wire

Neutral wire

Analyze the designs and choose the best:

LED solution $4.50, switch/build solution $4.00
12$

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The lower cost solution is not hands-free, so the engineer

must consult with marketing (customer) to see if this is
acceptable
What do you think?

Evaluation of Alternative Solutions

In practice, truly optimal solutions are not possible, so we
must choose from the best among the available alternatives
Cost and performance are the main factors in an engineering
solution
Reliability and maintainability are also very important
Maintainability has hidden costs as highly skilled individuals my be needed to fix problems
Increasing reliability would reduce maintenance costs, but
may drive up manufacturing cost too much
The various criteria overlap, so sorting all of this out becomes
complicated
A design exceeding requirements is not always better, as cost
objectives may then be exceeded
As a student the temptation is exceed the performance
requirements
A lower performance design may be more reliable and easier to maintain
When deadlocked over two near equal choices, just pick!
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Design Methodologies
Factors
Complexity of the design
Size of the design team
Experience
Personal style and preferences
Bottom Line
Best possible solution, within a set of constraints
Obtained in the shortest possible time
Methodology A
Consider one possible solution and complete a detailed
design
Implement it and evaluate its performance, manufacturing
cost, reliability, and maintainability
Repeat until a satisfactory solution is obtained
Methodology B
Consider multiple solutions only to the block-level design
(system design)
The team evaluates the block-level designs using the same
criteria as A

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Some solutions will be discarded early on, without the time

and expense of detailed design and implementation
Just a small number of solutions goes through detailed
design, implementation, and evaluation
Methodology Pros and Cons
Methodology B should result in better performance, reliability, and maintainability since more effort was put into obtaining the go-forward solutions (say two)
Methodology A should be cheaper to manufacture since the
lack of a block-level design likely means that circuit functions are shared and the parts count is minimal
Methodology A is better for the design of high-volume consumer products
Methodology B on the other hand, is better for low-volume
industrial products, where high engineering costs are acceptable because reliability, maintainability, and performance are
very important
Methodology for Student Engineers/Student Design Projects
The text has an additional design methodology it recommends for a ECE 4890/4899 type course sequence
The goal is to produce a high quality design with limited
resources (sound familiar? I frequently hear this around the
campus)

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A Methodology for High Quality

When high quality is the goal, one question might be, ... can
the problem be solved?
The methodology must be able to ascertain this as quickly
as possible to prevent time waste; why?
The text claims that 9 out of 10 design efforts are unsuccessful, meaning the one good design must cover the costs
of the failures
Customer Needing
Solution to a Problem

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Requirements
Analysis
Requirements Specification
System
Design
System Specification
Detail Block Level
Design and Test
Functioning Modules
System Integration
and Test

Properly Functioning
System

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The drawback of the above is that it does not allow mistakes

to be corrected as they propagate from one stage to the next
To fix this consider the more realistic approach shown below
Customer Needing
Solution to a Problem

Requirements
Analysis

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System
Design

Detail Block Level

Design and Test

System Integration
and Test

Properly Functioning
System

When errors are uncovered you can jump back one stage to
rework and solve the issue(s)
Jumping back two stages is also possible, but it will be
more costly
The next two steps, requirements analysis and system design,
Chapters 3 and 4 respectively, are the most important
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The design methodology of Chapter 2 lists requirements

analysis as the first step
We will find in this chapter that producing a requirements
document, along with performing a requirements analysis,
forms a contract between you and the customer

Requirements
Analysis
System Design
Requirements
Specification
Detailed Design
Implementation
and
Verification

What exactly is the design to accomplish

How will everyone with a stake in the design know when
its done?

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The Importance of Requirements

Describes tests that will be performed to verify the design
Serves as a check point for go, nogo decisions
Acts as a filter to weed out designs that are
Overly ambitious
Have conflicting objectives
Address intractable problems
Not all projects are successful
The text authors claim that only 1 in 10 commercial design
projects result in a viable product

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Costs mount exponentially as a design proceeds, so go/nogo

on a project is an important decision

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Good engineering judgment is required at this phase of a

design project, so experienced engineers are vital here
time, money, & expertise

Developing the Requirements Specification

Focus on the customer/marketing department who needs a
solution to a problem
Two Scenarios
The informed customer
Problem area is well understood
The frontier customer
Problem lies in unexplored territory
Informed Customer
Customers
knowledge of
the problem

High Customer
knows and understand
what the design
should accomplish

Availability of Readily available

information
from:
customer
equip. vendors
competitors
similar designs
books, journals
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Frontier Customer
LowNo appropriate experience or
examples to draw
upon
Limited availability
No existing equipment on the market or
no similar designs
have been done to
offer experience

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Informed Customer

Frontier Customer

Ease of doing
requirements
specification

Relatively easy The Relatively difficult

task is to organize the Also can be expenavailable information sive. May require
basic research and
specialized skills

Probability of
proceeding to
next stage in
design process

Relatively high
More up-front knowledge minimizes the
risk that the design is
overly ambitious

Relatively low
Unforeseen issues are
likely to arise that
may reveal the problem is intractable or
too costly to solve

Example: Noise judgement curves used by AT&T

Percentage of Observers Assigning
Indicated Response

100
90
80

Good
or
better

Excellent

70
60

Fair
or
better

Poor
or
better

50
40

(29.5;
6.2)

30

(39.0;
6.0)

(48.0;
6.0)

(55.5;
4.2)

20
10
0

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

Noise Level at Line Terminals of Station Set in dBrnc

Notes:
1. Values in parentheses indicate average and standard deviation.
2. Received volume constant, -28 vu.

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A Two-Stage Approach to Developing the Requirements

Specification
Developing the requirements specification requires different
thinking than used in engineering courses
The following figure explains the approach:
Customer
Needing a Solution
to a Problem

Specify
Design
Requirements

Assess
Needs
Statement
of Problem

Requirements
Specification

Assess needs and organize into a problem statement

The language of the customer should be used, likely nontechnical and nonquantifiable
Second, turn the problem statement into a technical specification
At the same time establish criteria for judging the acceptability of the design
Note that there is a need for iteration (the feedback path)
The customers true needs may be called into question, and
subsequently changes may be made, etc.
The engineer must be free to make decisions and form
agreements with the customer
The final output is the requirements specification document
This document is a concise statement of what the design will
accomplish, and the criteria used to judge the final outcome
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The document also answers the two earlier questions:

What exactly is the design team to do?
How will everyone know when the design is done?
The document ultimately must receive approval of both the
customer and the designer
Real-World Considerations
A real-world design rarely starts with a clean slate
There will be both constraining factors and enabling factors:
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Needs AssessmentStating the Problem

Nontechnical: Use the language of the customer and avoid the
engineers jargon and other technical terminology
Nonquantifiable: Avoid the use of numerical terms at this point
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Complete: Cover all aspects of the design

Specifiable: It should be possible to convert a stated need into a
quantitative requirement
Question the Customer: Examples
Define the Design Problem
What is the problem to be solved?
Why is there a problem?
What is my role in solving the problem
How will I know when I am done
Determine Budget and Schedule Constraints
When is the solution needed?
What is the upper limit of cost to do the design?
What are your expectations of production cost in high
volumes?
Reliability and Maintenance
What are the consequences of the system failing once
in operation?
What resources (personnel, replacement parts, budget)
are available for maintenance?
Contract
How will it be determined when the design is complete
How will it be determined that the design is acceptable
How will I (firm) be paid
Is the work that I am to do legal (ethics)

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Differentiate Needs and Wants

Determining needs is not always easy
Wants may be confused for real needs

True
Needs

Wants

Wants generally exceeds the true needs

If only wants were addressed, some of the true needs would
be missed (area A), and unneeded features would be implemented (area C)
The customers wants must be translated into a problem statement reflecting the true needs

True
Needs

Wants

Needs as Reflected
in Problem Statement

Note, the problem statement does not exactly match the

true needs, but is close
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Explore Project Boundaries

Some solutions will be out of bounds
There may be a need to fit within existing:
operations
standards
methods
procedures
legal boundaries
Input/Output Analysis
View the complete design as a system having a functional
block diagram with inputs and outputs
Example: An Agricultural Pressure Sprayer
Inputs

User
Inputs

Outputs

Metric/Imperial
Measure

Sprayer
Velocity

Boom Width

Application
Rate

Calibration
Constants

Flow Rate
Sprayer
Controller

Spayer
Velocity
Sensor
Inputs

Spray
Flow Rate
Alarm
Points

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User
Outputs

Cumulative
Totals
Alarms

System
Cutoff

Control
Points

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The designer and customer need to jointly develop this diagram

This will insure that unforeseen needs will surface
The input/output diagram does not however indicate anything
about reliability, size, and weight
The diagram may be overkill for simple functionality designs
Preview the User Interface
The requirements specification should include a definition of
the user interface
This applies to both hardware and software designs
There may be more than one interface in some design, e.g.,
a remote interface via ethernet, etc.
Survey Design Attributes
Functional
Nonfunctional
Example: Cell Phone
Functional
Standard functions
Advanced functions
Nonfunctional
User interface
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Packaging
Battery
Production
Reliability
Service
Identify Conflicting Needs
Conflicting design needs are not uncommon
Design trade-offs will resolve these conflicts later
For now we just want to anticipate them so the customer is
aware of them
Classic conflicts: cost, performance, and time
The customer wants high performance, but finds the associated cost and time to deliver unacceptable
Alert the customer if these three are out of line ASAP
A correlation matrix can be constructed as a means to rate
how overlapping design needs correlate in a positive or negative sense
Conflicts should be discussed as the problem statement is
developed, but resolution should not be attempted at this time
The customer needs to know these are issues and hopefully
recognize that some needs may not be necessary

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Example: Cell Phone Revisited (conflicting design needs)

Small
Size

Power
Requirements

High
Quality
Look

High-Tech
Display and
Advanced User
Features

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Construct a correlation matrix to rate the overlapping design

needs
Battery
Capacity

Size
Size

++

Battery
Capacity

Display/
Range/
Appearance Performance

++

++

Display/
Appearance

--

Range/
Performance

++
+
--

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Highly correlated positive

Moderatley correlated positive
Moderately correlated negative
Highly correlated negative

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Prepare a Draft Operations Manual

When a product or system is delivered, a users manual is also
delivered to provide usage instruction
At this early stage, the draft manual will help focus both the
engineer and customer on true design needs
The draft manual can be as simple as an outline of the sections and subsections that the manual will contain

Prepare the Requirements Specification

Now that the problem statement is complete, the requirements specification document should follow naturally
Recall that the problem statement is in nonquantifiable and
nontechnical terms
The requirements specification is very technical
It might be that some experimentation, subjective tests,
and research is required
Translating Needs to Specifications
Each design need is translated into a specification
All design needs are covered
They are independent of each other
Their are no contradictions

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A poor problem statement will become obvious, and may

need to be reworked with the customer to remove inconsistencies
The translation from problem statement to specifications
requires the experience of the design engineer
Outside help will likely be needed to assist with the translation:
(1) Search out expert sources ?
(2) Analyze similar design ?
(3) Conduct tests or experiments ?

Specification of Interface Points

The user interface must be completely specified
Conceptual drawing of the front panel; switches, key pads,
displays, etc.
Computer screens; GUI conceptual layout
Electrical and mechanical interfaces such as connectors,
communications standards, etc.

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Excessive Requirements
You want to meet the customer expectations, but you have to
walk a fine line between being too ambitious or too lax
An inexperienced engineer is prone to having excessive
specifications that provide needless features/functionality
or make the specifications too difficult
Added functionality to say software, may be viewed free,
when in actuality time and money are needed to implement
these features

Design Costs

There is also a trickle-down effect, in that documentation

increases along with test time

Features & Functions

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Stringent or conservative specifications can drive cost up

quickly when the cost reliability threshold is reached

Cost

Reliability

The customer needs to be made aware of this type of tradeoff

Verification
The system or acceptance test verifies whether the design fulfills the customer needs
At the final stage of the design process, the system is subject
to a final acceptance test (FAT)
A preliminary test plan should be delivered along with the
requirements specification
Verification Rule #1 If a design requirement cannot be
verified, it should not be specified
If need be restate the specification into a form that can be
verified
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Documenting the Requirements Specification

Document the above in to a deliverable form
Example: Typical Outline for a Requirements Specification
1. Overview
2. Statement of the problem
3. Operational description (derived from the draft users manual)
4. Requirements specification (see the case study in text Appendix A)
5. Design deliverables (all that is to be delivered to the customer)
6. Preliminary system (acceptance) test plan
7. Implementation considerations
Customer training, service, and maintenance
Manufacture
8. Attachments
Studies (e.g., lab reports or marketing studies)
Relevant codes and standards
In the overview state why the design is being done, and what
are the expectations
The executive summary
The operational description will preview the user interface
(front panel, computer GUI, etc.)

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Closing Remarks
The requirements specification will be useful to the end of
the project
It is the agreement between the engineer and the customer
as to what is to be done
It is a guide to remind the engineer as to what is to be
accomplished as they work on the project
It is used to judge the final outcome
It is an historical record; what was the thought process as
this particular design unfolded
A document to help the manufacturers, operators, maintainers, and future designers (re-designers) in their work

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How will the problem be solved?

<

Requirements
Analysis
System Design
Requirements
Specification
Detailed Design
Implementation
and
Verification

Also known as systems engineering, this stage involves:

conceptualizing, analyzing, refining, and
selecting the ideas giving the best solution
The output is a document that:
Describes the design at a functional level
Describes component parts that form the design
Shows through analysis how the design meets the intended
objective
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The Importance of System Design

Innovation and novelty occurs here (patentable?)
Create the potential for outstanding performance
Proficiency at systems-level design is the mark of a senior
engineer
Junior level engineers typically step in after the system engineering is complete
Junior engineers need to look for opportunities to gain
experience with this aspect
Start now in senior design!
Reasons for having a solid system-level design
Decide if the problem is tractable
What are the performance limits of a design and are these
limits acceptable
Get good estimates on cost before spending too much time
on the actual design (i) cost of finishing the design, (ii)
cost of manufacturing the design
Reduce the risk of the design not functioning properly
Increase the product reliability
Reduce the overall cost of product development
Provide a framework to organize and coordinate the engineers to work on the design

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System Block Diagrams

Dissect a complex problem into manageable smaller problems
Subdivide until the problem size is small enough to conceive a hardware/software solution
In a design context, system means a group of interconnected
elements that work together to form a function
Each element may also be viewed as a subsystem
At some point the subdividing stops and we are left with a
collection interconnected parts, e.g., resistors, capacitors,
and diodes
A system block diagram displays how the group of subsystems is interconnected to form a system
Each block performs a well defined function
The functions are usually drawn as rectangular blocks

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Example: A 12v Battery Charger

hot
neutral
ground

+16v

18v peak
Full-wave
Rectifier

Transformer

+14a
Current
Limiter

+14
Ammeter
(red)

ground
Power-On
Light

ground
(black)

Block names should be meaningful

The functional elements here may be helpful in costing the
design
The design is composed of five blocks that can be viewed as
five smaller problems
A sketch of the front panel may also be created at this
point to better visualize how the ammeter and power-on
light will be oriented to the user
The above block diagram is likely not the first version
The first white-board sketch may be rather crude
As the design concept is refined, the block diagram is
fleshed out with more detail and possibly block subdividing
The design process and refinements to the block diagram go
hand-in-hand
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The System Design Process

Synthesis, analysis, and iteration

Reject Unworkable Designs

Requirements
Specification

Development
of Concepts

Analysis
Iteration

Synthesis
Select and Document
System
Specification

Detailed
Design

The system specification will contain a description of each

block in the block diagram
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It will also describe how the blocks work together, and satisfy
the requirements specification
Big questions are is the design required?
A commercial-of-the-shelf solution (COTS) may already
exist
Is the COTS product good enough to meet all requirements, even in the future when the product may need to
satisfy additional requirements?
Perform a Web search and/or talk with those knowledgeable of the product area
Leading up to the system specification requires the engineer
to first conceptualize a solution, synthesis it, analyze it to see
if requirements can be met, and as needed iterate the synthesis/analysis phase multiple times
Conceptualization: A Hazy Perception of the Solution
A primitive solution lacking a detailed definite form
Requires thinking and reasoning together with past experience and scientific knowledge
Creative thinking skills needed, which comes from experience and practice
Nonlinear thinking skills generally not encountered in past
engineering course work

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Synthesis: Create a Well Defined Structure or Concept

Enough detail is needed so that analysis can be performed
relative to performance, risk, and cost
A block diagram is required here to break the problem down
(divide and conquer)
Conflicting forces:
Complete the design quickly
Desire for a novel solution that offers a cost or performance advantage over the competition
Try to adapt an existing design (reference design)
Linear thinking offers the most predictable results, but a difficult problem may not yield to this process
When a reference design does not exist, an original concept is
required
Brainstorm with other team members to find a concept that
can get you off the ground
If you are uncertain even after a small start, perform some
preliminary analysis to gain confidence you are moving in
the right direction
Analysis: Model/Analyze/Simulate/Breadboard/
The objective is to determine if the synthesized system meets
performance and cost objectives
Risk must also be assessed
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Failure to identify via analysis and simulation that a design is

lacking, must be avoided
Preliminary design reviews (PDRs) and technical interchange
meetings (TIMs) will give others the opportunity to see problems you may not see, and force a synthesis/analysis iteration
Refinement: Modify the Concept Based on Analysis Results
Refinement is inevitable
Minor modifications may be all that is needed
A totally new structure may be needed if the original design
is found to be at its performance limits
Economics will also factor into the refinement
The easiest refinement approach may be too expensive or
too risky
Documentation: Describes Block Function and Interconnection
Provide details on how each function is to be implemented
Describe interfaces to other blocks
The Synthesis/Analysis Cycle
Not all concepts can be synthesized
It might be that after trying a few cycles of synthesis/analysis
a concept is discarded
The engineer must start over, and again work to overcome
deficiencies of earlier concepts

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For critical designs, more than one engineer may be assigned

to conceptualize, synthesize, and analyze

performance

concept 1
second set
of revisions
+

concept 2

first set
of revisions

revisions

x
**
*
+

reference 1

performance
threshold
x
x

structures

reference 2

Block-Diagram Basics
The fruit of the systems-engineering design phase
Specify blocks so that the detailed design of the block can be
accomplished by a single engineer
Suggestions for senior design
Each block should be implemented in a single technology,
e.g., analog RF, analog baseband, digital
Common functions grouped into a single block
Create blocks to simplify the interfaces between them
Avoid feedback loops; try to keep feedback inside a given
block
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Specify interfaces using standards when possible (RF, analog, logic levels, etc.)
Timing diagrams for complex interfaces

Documentation
The documentation will be used by everyone who has a stake
in the project
Used to complete the detailed design and implementation
of the blocks in the block diagram
Contains the details used in the system-level design so that
future modifications resulting from bugs/errors can be
dealt with efficiently
Used as a reference design for future/next generation products
Used by test engineers to design test fixtures and test procedures
Used by marketing to develop data sheets, manuals, and
other literature for advertising and technical support
System Specification Organization
The concept
The block diagram
Functional description of the blocks
Description of the system
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System analysis
Example: 12v Battery Charger Revisited
Sec.

Table of Contents Entry

1.

The concept

2.

Inputs/outputs and system block diagram

3.

Specification of the blocks

3.1 Transformer
3.2 Full wave rectifier
3.3 Current limiter
3.4 Power-on light
3.5 Ammeter

4.

System description

5.

System analysis

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Detailed Example: Power Line Flicker Meter

Concept

personal
computer

sampler
A/D

v(t)

converter

Preliminary Block Diagram

between pm
hot
v(t)
neutral

voltage
divider
by 75
common

anti
aliasing
filter

A/D input range is 0 to 5 volts

2.5
sum

8 bit
A/D
converter

200 Hz
square clock
for sampling

RS 232
19.2 kbps
no parity

to the
serial port
of the PC

oscillator

ground
chassis

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Final Block Diagram

16 bit bus

2.5pm0.18

v(t)

hot

neutral

voltage
divider
75pm0.5%

anti
aliasing
filter
1pm0.5%

common

sum

16 bit
A/D

200 Hz
square clock
for sampling
oscillator

ground

framing
circuit
RS232
3 bytes
per sample

chassis

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Relevant high level management questions include:

How much is the design going to cost?
When can you deliver?
Secondary concerns include:
How many people do you need?
What skills must they possess?
What load will you place on the lab and the machine
shop?
Will you be using any special (scarce) test equipment?
The goal of project management is to complete on time and
on budget
Text Project Definition: A quantifiable piece of work with
defined start, end, and with specific deliverables.
Other project attributes:
The output is low volume, a unique product/service
There are measurable objectives
It uses a limited set of resources (people, materials, equipment)
The work is often complex, uncertain, and/or urgent
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The Project Management Approach

Project Organization
Projects are always configured with some form of top-down
management
Senior
Management
Purchasing

Marketing

Manufacturing

Project
Manager
(R. Borden)

Electrical
Main Board
Design
(F. Bond)

Power Supply
Design
(M. King)

Mechanical
Packaging
Design
(J. Duzek)

Finance
& Admin.

Support
Drawing
Office

(CAD)

Prototype
Shop

Technician

Support
(D. Houseman)

Individuals are typically assigned to more than one project

)45

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Elements of Project Management

Meeting budget and meeting schedule
Three main elements are
Planning: A project plan defines the work to be done
along with a schedule, and a budget
Monitoring: Compare actual progress with the plan and
make adjustments as needed
Control: Make choices about how to optimize project performance; reallocate resources to make sure tasks complete on time and integrate smoothly
There are many management theories
Management theory is beyond the scope of this course, but it
is safe to say that over an engineers career, they will experience a variety approaches, some of which they may find more
difficult to cope with than others

The Project Plan

A concise statement as to how a project is to be conducted
The project plan can take many forms, largely dependent
upon the complexity and size/scope of the work
All plans contain
Definition of the Work: A breakdown of the various tasks
needed to complete the project

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Schedule: Dates/times for completing tasks and subtasks,

demarcated by milestones
Resource Requirements: Estimate each engineers time,
materials, equipment, and other support services
Cost Estimate (project budget): An estimate of all costs
associated with the project
The planning process parallels the system design stage
Design
Process
System
Design

Planning
Process
Preliminary
Plan
Define
Work
Develop
Schedule
Estimate
Resources

Project
Plan

Estimate
Costs
Detailed
Design

)45

Design
Management

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Defining the Work

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The text considers the project planning associated with a

RPM measurement device (RMD)
Spark Plug Wire

Clamp

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230#4$4#5/(4$(,+*)-46

spark plug signal

PULSE
SHAPER
SPARK PULSES

5 kHz
CLOCK

DIVIDE
BY TEN

RPS
10

COUNTER

SPARK EVERY
CYCLE/not
EVERY TWO
CYCLES

PERIOD OF

10

SWITCH

LOOK UP TABLE
14

RPM

RPS
10

IDLE RANGE
INDICATOR

FULL THROTTLE
RANGE
INDICATOR

DISPLAY

120 V AC

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POWER
SUPPLY

5 V DC (to all circuits above)

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What makes up a task?

Several rules apply:
(1) Consider a top-down approach starting with just a few
tasks, then break them down adding detail and complexity;
bottom-up lists all small tasks to define the project, then
combine to simplify the work definition
(2) Each block in the block diagram should initially be a
single task; if several blocks form a single module (e.g. circuit board), combine the tasks into one
(3) Tasks should be assignable to individual team members
(4) Work that leads up to a milestone should be a task, with
a new task starting after the milestone (not always)
(5) Tasks will rely on inputs from other tasks, while a task
is in process it should be independent of additional inputs
(6) Too many tasks increases administrative load; engineers like to design, not shuffle paper. Too few tasks oversimplifies, and increases the chance for errors in budget,
schedule, and resources (newbie advicea few too many
is better than too few)

Scheduling
The logical sequencing of tasks
Project schedules can be kept in tools such as Microsoft Project, or for this course a simple bar (Gantt) chart
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Two categories are network diagrams and simple bar charts

For the capstone design the bar chart is adequate
Network Diagrams
For future reference you may encounter network diagrams
knows as precedence diagrams
Critical path method (CPM)
Program evaluation and review technique (PERT)
Graphically illustrate interdependence and precedence
among tasks
Consider the activity on arrow (AOA) method
Start
0

Main Board (4)

System
Design (3)

Power Supply (1)

Int. &
7

Test (1)

Finalize
(1.5)

9.5

Prototype
(1.5)

End
11

Packaging (3)
Project Management (11)

The completion time is in the lower half of each node

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A more detailed variation is the activity-on-node (AON)

method
START

END
2.0

4.0

MAIN BOARD
3
1.0

3.0

SYS DESIGN
0

3.0

7
1.0

PWR SUPPLY
3

3.0

4.0

Critical Path

5.0

1.0

6.0

INT & TEST

FINALIZE
8

7.0

1.5

PROTOTYPE
9.5

9.5

11

3.0
Task No.

PACKAGING
3

1.5

1.0

Elapse Time
8.0

11.0

PROJ MGMT
0
Start

Week

0
Slack
Time

11
End Week

Key aspects of all network diagrams is the ability to illustrate

Precedence
Critical paths
Slack time
Reviewing the Work Description
Once a schedule is developed a means to improve the schedule might be revealed
Add another engineer
Requirements changes
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Bar (Gantt) Charts

The schedule tool of choice in the 4890/4899 sequence is the
Gantt chart or time-line diagram
TASKS

01

08

APRIL
15

22

29

06

MAY

13

20

27

03

JUNE
10

17

1.0 SYSTEM DESIGN

2.0 MAIN BOARD
DESIGN
3.0 POWER SUPPLY
DESIGN
4.0 PACKAGING DESIGN
5.0 INTEGRATE & TEST
6.0 FINALIZE DESIGN
7.0 CONSTRUCT
PROTOTYPES

8.0 PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
MAR 25

APRIL 15

MAY 20

JUNE 1

JUNE 10

MILESTONES
START

FINALIZE
SYST DESIGN

COMPLETE
DESIGN
ACCEPTANCE SIGNOFF
TEST

END

Color or line type coding and a legend can be used to indicate

individual team member responsibility
The text contends that Gantt charts are usually developed
from network diagrams
Gantt charts are particularly useful when making customer
presentations
Consider the network chart as the managers personal tool,
used to develop the Gantt chart

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The Gantt chart is used by the manager when making presentations

Comments
Work hard on making the schedule
It maybe used to sell customers and company management
alike on the viability of the project
Project team members use it to see how their work relates to
others, and better understand why they need to meet a deadline (no vacation or leisure time until . . .)
Common schedule problems
Too many tasks make for a confusing schedule
Too few tasks make the project flow difficult to understand
(can you really do this!?)
Inconsistent with some areas having a lot of detail and others too little
Individual team member roles are not clearly identified;
dont let this happen!

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Planning Resources and Estimating Costs

Resources and estimating costs are closely linked, so they
often occur together
Costing Practices
Personnel
Lab, shop, and other internal facilities
Outside services and facilities
Supplies and materials
Estimating Personnel Requirements
The largest category
Availability of personnel with the right skills will have a big
impact on the schedule
Budget Preparation
Organize into a table broken down into categories that
include personnel, services, and expenses
Putting the Plan Together
The project plan document

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Managing the Project

The three functions of project management include
Monitoring
Reporting
Problem resolution
Performance Monitoring
Is the design going to meet the performance as stated in the
system specification?
Task Progress
The project manager discusses progress with each team
member, e.g., weekly status report delivered to manager and
a visit to the managers office
Percent of task complete; an estimate
Schedule Status
Pull task progress info together and provide an update of the
overall schedule status
Budget Status
Three key questions:
Are expenditures occurring as planned
Are expenditures occurring when planned
Is the project cost tracking the estimate
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Reporting
Project manager submits a (monthly) status report
Summary of work completed
Problem areas
Plans for the next period
Schedule and budget (updates)
Problem Resolution
Projects can/will encounter:
Taking longer than expected to meet objectives
Taking more resources (costing more) than expected
It is technically infeasible to meet some objectives
Solution approaches
Accept a delay but stay within budget
Add resources and increase the project cost
Change the deliverables. Perhaps adjust specifications or
eliminate deliverables; (descoping) to maintain schedule
Reorganize the project to utilize resources more effectively
The last two approaches require an amendment to the statement of work and will require the customer to sign-off

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Block Design
Design Management
Communication

Documentation Control

Design Reviews

Principles of Testing
Stages of Testing

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Test Practices

The System Test

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