Chapter 18 The proposal and management of the major project Chapter 19 Development and
realisation of the major project
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THE MAJOR DESIGN PROJECT
OUTCOME, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL STATEMENT
Outcome:
H5.2 H6.1 selects and uses appropriate research methods and communication techniques justies technological activities undertaken in the major design project and relates these to industrial and commercial practices
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CRITERIA
Identies and provides a detailed exploration of genuine needs and opportunities, justifying nal selection for the development of the MDP Describes relevant areas of investigation which relate clearly to the need, and provides direction for further action Establishes and analyses appropriate criteria to evaluate the success of the PSE Formulates and evaluates well-documented action, time and nance plans with clear evidence of their application to the PSE Identies and justies the selection and use of ideas and resources based on the results and analysis of research Identies and provides an exploration of needs and opportunities, in relation to the development of the MDP Describes some relevant areas of investigation in relation to the need and provides evidence that these were investigated Describes appropriate criteria to evaluate the success of the PSE, with little analysis of these criteria Formulates action, time and nance plans, and shows some evidence of their application to the PSE Identies, selects and uses ideas and resources based on the results and analysis of research, with limited justication States a need, with limited exploration in relation to the development of the MDP Lists one or two areas of investigation in relation to the need, which may not relate to further action Briey describes criteria to evaluate the success of the PSE, with no analysis of these criteria Formulates and applies action and/or time and/or nance plans Identies the selection of ideas and resources, with inadequate justication States a need, with some exploration in relation to the development of the MDP Names areas of investigation in relation to the need which may not relate to further action, or shows evidence of areas being investigated Briey describes criteria, some of which may be inappropriate to evaluate the success of the PSE, or provides evidence of consideration of a range of criteria Some evidence of action, time or nance planning Lists ideas and/or resources with little explanation or justication for their selection Need stated without clarity, nor explored in relation to the development of the MDP Names an area of investigation Lists mainly inappropriate criteria to evaluate the success of the PSE or provides evidence of evaluative criteria being considered Action, time or nance planning not evident Lists some ideas and/or resources or shows evidence of their use
MARKS
1315
1012
79
46
13
209
CRITERIA
Demonstrates the application of creativity in the development of the MDP Critically analyses a wide range of design factors relevant to the PSE and applies them Distinguishes between, and applies, the most appropriate research methods in the development of the MDP Evaluates the results of experimentation and testing and applies this to the MDP Applies conclusions developed from research to the MDP Justies the selection and use of resources in the idea development for the PSE Synthesises design solution testing and applies conclusions to the development of the PSE Succinctly demonstrates a range of appropriate quality communication and presentation techniques Applies a range of high-quality practical skills in the development of the PSE Analyses the relationship between practices adopted in the MDP and those in industrial/ commercial settings Demonstrates substantial application of creativity in the development of the MDP Critically analyses a range of design factors relevant to the PSE and applies them Distinguishes between, and applies appropriate research methods in the development of the MDP Describes the results of experimentation and testing or shows evidence of a broad range of experimentation and testing in the PSE Demonstrates some selective application of conclusions to the MDP Explains the selection and use of resources in the idea development for the MDP Describes design solution testing and applies some conclusions to the development of the PSE or provides evidence of the application of testing Demonstrates varied and appropriate communication and presentation techniques in a concise manner Applies a range of practical skills in the development of the PSE Compares the relationship between practices adopted in the MDP and those in industrial/ commercial settings Demonstrates some creativity in the development of the MDP Describes some design factors relevant to the PSE and applies them Applies appropriate research methods in the development of the MDP Describes the results of experimentation and testing or shows evidence of a range of experimentation and testing in the PSE Describes the selection and use of resources in the idea development for the MDP Describes design solution testing or provides evidence of testing Demonstrates some communication and presentation techniques Applies sound practical skills in the development of the PSE Describes practices adopted in the MDP and those in industrial/commercial settings
MARKS
2935
2228
1521
Provides some evidence of design factors, most of which are relevant to the MDP and applies them Some evidence of appropriate research methods in the development of the MDP Briey describes the results of experimentation and testing without applying conclusions to the PSE or shows evidence of experimentation and testing in the PSE Describes some resources used for the PSE Provides evidence of design solution testing Demonstrates a limited range of communication and presentation techniques Applies basic practical skills in the development of the PSE Provides evidence of practices adopted in the MDP or those in industrial/commercial settings, without comparing or contrasting
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814
Provides limited evidence of design factors, few of which are relevant to the MDP or shows evidence of the application of design factors Minimal evidence of research methods in the development of the MDP Minimal description of the results of experimentation and testing Lists few resources used for the PSE Provides little evidence of design solution testing Demonstrates minimal communication and presentation techniques Applies minimal practical skills in the development of the PSE Provides limited evidence of practices adopted in the MDP or those in industrial/commercial settings, without comparing or contrasting
17
CRITERIA
Critically evaluates aspects of the PSE throughout its entire development Analyses and critically evaluates the functional and aesthetic aspects of the PSE Critically evaluates the impact of the PSE on society and the environment Analyses the relationship of the PSE to the criteria for success identied in the project proposal Evaluates most aspects of the PSE throughout its entire development Explains the functional and aesthetic aspects of the PSE Explains the impact of the PSE on society and the environment Compares the relationship of the PSE to the criteria for success identied in the project proposal
MARKS
910
78
Judges the success of some aspects of the PSE through stages of its development Describes some functional and/or aesthetic aspects of the PSE Describes the impact of the MDP on society and/or the environment or exhibits evidence that the impact on the environment was considered Checks the PSE against the criteria for success identied in the project proposal, with little or no explanation Describes, with little justication, the success of several aspects of the PSE or exhibits evaluation in the PSEs development Describes a functional and/or aesthetic aspect of the PSE Briey or inaccurately describes the impact of the PSE on society and/or the environment Checks the PSE against some of the criteria for success identied in the project proposal, without explanation Describes, without justication, the success of an aspect of the PSE or provides some evidence of evaluation in the PSEs development Names a functional or aesthetic aspect of the PSE No description of the impact of the PSE on society or the environment Does not clearly relate the PSE to the criteria for success identied in the project proposal
56
34
12
The following information is adapted from the Board of Studies document HSC Design and Technology Marking Guidelines Major Design Project. Full copies of the document are also available from www. boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au The HSC examination consists of two parts, a written paper worth 40 marks and a major design project worth 60 marks. The combined total will form your assessment mark.
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The major design project (MDP) has two components and will require submission of: a folio documenting the project proposal and project management, project development and realisation, and project evaluation a product or a system or an environment (PSE). It is important that you actually start the folio or diary at this point and accurately document the procedures all of the way through your project. Examiners can easily identify folios that have been completed after the MDP .
How would you dene the overall quality of the MDP? Will the MDP be as durable as predicted and what is its expected functional lifespan? What aspects of the MDP design prevent it from early obsolescence? Have you conducted a potential life cycle analysis and what were the results? Your documentation of research, experimentation and testing procedures should clearly identify the following and give supporting evidence for your choices: the design ideas that you have developed and eventually chosen to pursue the materials that you have selected to use the tools and techniques that you have chosen. In addition, both the MDP and your documentation will need to reect the manner in which you have: researched, assessed and drawn conclusions on designs, materials and processes identied and justied ideas and resources that you have used been informed by results of testing design solutions and drawing appropriate conclusions used communication and presentation techniques to clarify your design and MDP provided evidence of your practical skills and their application to a quality project considered the industrial and commercial alternatives to the processes used in your MDP .
Overview
The MDP requires consistent effort and should be approached as a design project rather than an assignment. An important rst step is deciding on your area of interest and identifying a need within that eld. Try to select a eld of investigation in which you have a personal interest, as this will make your task more achievable and help when demands on your time are high. Next, you will need to develop a clear understanding of the need and determine appropriate specications that will guide you through the remaining phases of the project. Evaluation is a critical aspect of your activities and should be carried out with everything from the research data to the end product. The quality of your end product and its relationship or appropriateness to the needs that you have identied in the proposal will also play a key role your success.
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A self-motivated student who seeks advice and takes an independent approach to the organisation and construction aspects of their project is likely to have more success than one who is overly reliant on help from parents, teachers and friends. Many students make extensive use of graphics to convey ideas and illustrate construction processes within the folio. To maximise impact, your graphics will need to have a clear purpose, and not simply be a series of photos taken from day one until completion. Realising your nal design may prove difcult if you have chosen to work within the built environment or some other large-scale project where the physical construction of your solution is prohibitive in terms of cost or space. In cases of this nature, candidates may present scale models, drawings or virtual representations of their solution along with an appropriately documented folio.
Perhaps the best approach lies in concentrating on how the identied needs can be best satised and, in the initial stages at least, keeping an open mind as to what form the solution will take. Always keep in mind that the realised project must satisfy the purpose identied in your original proposal.
Products
A product is anything that we design or make to serve a specic purpose in our homes, work or leisure pursuits. Conceptually, a product is probably clearer in the eyes of most candidates than either of the other options. Products usually appear as either innovations, which are totally new concepts, or as revamped versions of older ideas. By far the largest proportion of designs appearing in industry are existing ideas that have been modied or updated. The introduction of a completely new product or model is usually the result of a research breakthrough in the technology or materials development eld. Updating an existing product to meet current fashion and styling trends is one way to attract new buyers to the market or encourage existing owners to update. Designers and manufacturers often expend considerable resources to research, design, make, advertise and market their products. Whether a product is intended to meet our day-to-day survival needs or enhance our entertainment and leisure experience, it still has to meet established design principles for it to be successful.
System
A system is a combination of components, both inputs and processes or controls, that work together to achieve a specied task or output. System design can be a complex task, involving the development of an idea through to its plan or completion stage. Man-made systems vary in complexity, from computerised burglar alarms to robotics. Large-scale systems and engineering projects, such as the Snowy Mountains Scheme, can encompass geographical features and change entire landscapes, while natural systems depend on the interrelationships that exist between living things and their environment. The easiest way to express a system is through block diagrams, ow charts or step diagrams that clearly dene the components and processes, and the manner in which they function within the system and contribute to the output. This approach can be used to explain control situations without being tied down by the technical details of electronics or mechanical devices. In industry, this approach is used to identify the various parts of a process.
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Inputs
Input may be some kind of movement, such as a nger pushing a button, a servo motor engaging or a component passing a sensor. Alternatively, it may be some change in an environment, such as temperature, light level or moisture content, that triggers the system into operation.
Outputs
Outputs should be the observable result of the systems operation. It could be a screen image, mechanical action, light, sound or electronic process. The system should effectively meet the needs expressed in your design proposal.
Environment
Environments are really complex interactive systems that can range from the interior of a car to an entertainment venue. When designing an environment, you must take into account all of the ergonomic, psychological and physiological design considerations. Our bodies interpret the environment in a number of ways. Whether we are indoors, outside or working, our brains are receiving and interpreting information through our senses. The type of information that we receive can have a dramatic inuence on how we perceive that particular situation and leave us with a remaining image of pleasantness or otherwise. Physical factors such as temperature have an immediate impact on us. Clothing is the oldest established method of protecting ourselves and minimising the effects of extreme temperatures. The comfort level of an environment is often judged by the amount of clothing that must be worn. Today, we depend heavily on airconditioning to control temperature and refresh the air in our shopping centres, ofce blocks and even our cars. All are separate controlled environments that we interact with on a regular basis. There are many other physical attributes of the environment that contribute to our perceptions and consequently the feelings we register. Design of this nature is extremely important to the builders of shopping centres or ofce blocks because of the potential losses through poor design. Consider the lack of sales or reduced productivity that would occur if the environment made people feel uncomfortable. All environments will require the designer to address the following issues at a minimum: lighting colour sound personal space grouping of people.
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Special-purpose environments, such as transport system hubs (e.g. train stations) and entertainment venues, have additional requirements because of the large numbers of people they cater for. No matter what type of environment you are attempting to design, a focus on minimising energy use and consideration of environmental concerns is essential.
SYSTEM
Climate control Food/beverage dispenser Farm management process Lighting
ENVIRONMENT
Shopping centre interior Entertainment venue Outdoor recreation area Community facility
This list is intended to serve only as guide to the categories and not as a list of potential projects.
Invention
Inventions usually arise from the identication of a unique need. Sometimes, these needs have been recognised but not explored because they lack commercial viability. Often, individuals are able to identify needs that they have at work or in their hobbies and sports that can lead to highly successful and unique design projects. Have you already identied a need of your own that requires a design solution?
Modication
The important consideration with this approach is not to reinvent the wheel by trying to modify an already highly successful and effective product. Your choice should involve a product that has clear deciencies in its design and function, whether these are aesthetic, ergonomic or even cost considerations. Product evolution is an ongoing process that should make use of advances in technology and materials as they become available. How can you make a contribution to the evolution process?
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Overview
Creating a suitable solution for your design brief, or indeed writing appropriate specications, is dependent on the resources and information that you have at your disposal. Organisation is a key point. It is all too easy to gather tremendous resources and then overlook important information or ideas because of a poorly organised recording and storage system. An A4 design or le folder is one appropriate means of accomplishing this. A4 is large enough to accommodate drawing sheets, most printed matter and notes, while still remaining portable enough to be kept with you. The level of documentation that you keep throughout the development of your project and the manner in which you do it will have a signicant bearing on the nal assessment that your design project receives. Remember, documentation is part of the design project and process, not something added to it at the end. Your documentation must clearly indicate to the examiners: how and why your design has been developed how it was constructed the reasons behind your decisions how it was evaluated. Unless this process is commenced at the very beginning of your work, important decisions and the reasons you made them may be overlooked or forgotten.
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Areas of investigation
Areas of investigation will be specic to each individual project. This is the research element of research and development. For example, when designing a bicycle, your research will need to cover areas such as historical precedents, ergonomics, lightweight materials, corrosion, mechanical testing and surface nishes.
Specications
The working specications for a design are written in order to establish clear understanding between the client and the designer on the products purpose, suitable materials, price and any other applicable constraints. It sets boundaries for the end product and provides useful criteria for the designers evaluation process. Often, specications can be arrived at by looking at a standard checklist of factors that require consideration. Not all factors will require consideration for each design, but testing their applicability helps to ensure that nothing is omitted. Their relative merit or importance will also change with each design. Safety will be a major consideration for cars, but not so important for coathangers. Remember, however, that one vital piece of information left out at this stage may have severe consequences for the end product. It may not function in the way that consumers hoped for, or it may alienate a segment of the potential market. For this reason, validity of the specications should be thoroughly researched with target markets once they have been established between the designer and client. Design is an evolutionary process that benets from research and information.
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Experiments
Documentation of experiments that you conduct needs to contain far more than just the results. You will need to clearly identify the aims of your experiment or what you intended to test and include a description of how the experiment was conducted. Photographs or video may be suitable as support material for your written account. The results of experimentation will usually have some implications for your design. It may be necessary to change the type of materials used or to increase a components size to cope with operating loads. It is necessary to identify and describe any modications that result from knowledge gained during experimentation. If you intend to conduct a series of experiments, it may be worthwhile creating a standard-format page that allows neat presentation.
Observation techniques
As discussed in Chapter 9, choosing a suitable method of observing and recording information depends on the nature of the process or event to be recorded and the resources at your disposal. Photographs and videotape are effective methods that allow you to create completely accurate records that are easily understood and accessed. Written observations are best suited to step-by-step activities where brief notes can be used to provide continuity between graphic images.
Project management
The action or production plan should clearly indicate how your project was divided into manageable stages and identify the production processes associated with each stage. Flow charts can be invaluable for clearly displaying these steps. Timelines can be linked to the action plan and critical production paths identied. The timing of deadlines and major events can be expressed on a weekly basis (e.g. week 3, term 2 complete presentation drawings). Your expenditure of nancial resources also needs to be included, along with a nance plan that indicates your intended expenditure and the proposed timing of each event. The total cost of your project should be easily identied. Other resources that are necessary for completion of your project need to be clearly identied. These can include expertise or machinery from outside the school or even another student. All of these must be included and justied.
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TOOLS/MACHINES/ EQUIPMENT
Tape measure, pencil, square, workbench Docking saw (electric) (cut by Mr Clark) Square, pencil, marking gauge, ruler Bench/pedestal drill
SAFETY ISSUES
TIME
45 mins
50 mins
50 mins
4 5 6 7
40 mins
Paring back mortises Cutting out tenons on the rails Testing and ensuring mortise and tenon joints t, xing Use template to mark out gentle tapering shape for legs Shape legs and smooth off Joining rails to legs
Chisel, bench vice Handsaw, chisel Gentle tapping with mallet Fine work with chisel Template, pencil, workbench Bandsaw (cut by Mr Clark), rasp le, sandpaper, sander Sash clamps, large square, tape measure to check diagonals Square, ruler, pencil Dowelling machine
Cut away from hands Use bench hook or clamp wood to workbench Make sure work is secure
2 hrs 2 hrs ?
20 mins
3 hrs 1 hr
10
Checking squareness Marking out dowel joints for joining table top pieces Drilling holes for dowel joints, checking drill bit size, making sure top side of planks goes face down
11
30 mins Clear all debris Tie back hair and loose clothing Make sure drill bit is in correctly 30 mins
12
13
Cut dowels for joints, making them a little shorter than the depth of the hole Join planks for table top with suitable outdoor glue Assemble table (not sure how to do this yet) Sanding and treating
Vice, handsaw
30 mins
14
Sash clamps Router, metal support brackets, electric drill and screwdriver Sander, sandpaper, brushes, oil Electrical safety
1 hr 2 hrs
15
16
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Time plans
Planning your use of time is like management of any other resource. It can be used protably or it can be squandered. Once you have determined the various stages necessary to complete your design (from your action plan ow chart), it is wise to start allocating periods of time for their completion. This allocation is based on your best estimates of what will be necessary. Start by making a list of the steps involved and writing your estimate of the time required beside each step. Add up the total number of days and compare this to the calendar dates you must work within (i.e. the project commencement and submission dates). If your plan ts comfortably in the time frame and all goes according to plan, there should be few problems. This is rarely the case! Most designers nd that they have too little time. In this case, you must decide which aspects of your project can be done concurrently and which are totally dependent on completion of the previous stage for commencement. In industry, this process is known as critical path analysis. It helps to determine the shortest possible time necessary for a project to be completed. There are a number of things that can be worked on simultaneously in most projects.
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Evaluation
Evaluation of your design against established criteria should be an ongoing process. The chosen criteria should directly reect the identied needs and how well they are met, as well as aesthetics, environmental impact and so on.
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needs function aesthetics cost ergonomics use of the design sustainability energy recyclability safety quality durability obsolescence life cycle analysis. Documentation of research, experimentation and testing of: design ideas materials tools techniques. In addition, your documentation will need to demonstrate: application of conclusions identication and justication of ideas and resources evidence of the testing of design solutions and application of conclusions use of communication and presentation techniques evidence and application of practical skills to produce a quality project consideration of the practices in industrial/commercial settings as they relate to the major design project. Evaluation recording and application of evaluation procedures throughout the design project analysis and evaluation of functional and aesthetic aspects of design nal evaluation with respect to the project proposal and the projects impact on society and the environment relationship of the nal product, system or environment to the project proposal.
Activities
1 Research the format of page and web templates that you feel would transfer to your folio and sketch them with different colour combinations to obtain a feel for your layout. 2 Use a spreadsheet to set out the various components of the assessment schedule and create a timeline or ow chart that you will be able to use for reference during the MDP construction. 3 Visit Design Tech when it tours your region and assemble a collection of digital images to add to your presentation and folio research.
Websites
www.stocklayouts.com/Products/Microsoft/Microsoft-Publisher-Template-Design-Library. aspx?kwid=24
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