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Intellectual Property Considerations
Our team plans to address any IP considerations by making an agreement to discuss any transfers of IP ownership before making them.
Team Setup
Our Guide: Jennifer Indovina
Team Values and Norms
| Project | P21462 |
| Team | SparkCart |
| Owner | Matthew Madsen |
| Date | 9/7/2020 |
| Team Norms |
|
Project Plans & Schedules
Our project uses Microsoft Project for scheduling and task tracking. Microsoft Project uses task duration and dependencies in order to create a Gantt chart to exhibit the project's critical path, and also make the team aware of the tasks at hand. Here is an example of our phase 1 Gantt chart.
Owner: Jacob Wildt
This document is a constant work in progress to keep our team on track. A live link to our project's current master schedule can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1Aegtu-n_3FbTM__ySeaBh9-b_0BiLCWx
Risk Assessment and Growth Curves
| ID | Category | Risk Item | Effect | Cause | Likelihood | Severity | Importance | Action to Minimize Risk | Owner |
| 1 | Social | Covid related university shutdown | Can't build actual prototypes and do testing | Not being on campus | 2 | 2 | 4 | Online analysis and "build" | All |
| 2 | Social | The cart is too expensive for commercialization | Won't be viable for target consumer | They lack funding | 2 | 1 | 2 | Design with this in mind | Jake |
| 3 | Environmental | Do not fully understand the environment our cart will be placed in | May not design for all terrain | Not being completely informed of terrain | 1 | 2 | 2 | Having a continual discussions with Alvaro | Jake |
| 4 | Environmental | The solar panels are vulnerable and break in transit or transportation | The main renewable energy source is compromised | Rough handling during transit or accidents | 1 | 2 | 2 | Make sure the panels are stored safely in the final design | Matt |
| 5 | Resource | Lack of a CE | Lack of user interface | Less informative cart | 3 | 0 | 0 | Christian will code when needed | Christian |
| 6 | Resource | It will be hard to replace broken parts locally | Hard to fix broken parts | Few resources available to fix cart | 1 | 3 | 3 | Design with this in mind | Garrett |
| 7 | Resource | Inability to access labs | Unable to test | Covid-19 restrictions | 2 | 2 | 4 | Test whenever we are able | All |
| 8 | Resource | If lots of changes are necessary, we may not be successful | Unable to complete design | Design work from previous team | 1 | 3 | 3 | Gain full understanding of existing design early on | Garrett/Christian/Matt |
| 9 | Resource | Will we have enough funding to make our future design changes | May have to cut some design corners | Design becoming to expensive | 1 | 1 | 1 | Paying close attention to our $1500 budget | All |
| 10 | Technical / Resource | Previously purchased equipment not functioning properly in assembly | Further Purchasing will be required | Poor Design | 2 | 1 | 2 | Use care when handling equipment | All |
| 11 | Technical | Poor analysis from the previous team affected design | Redesigns would be necessary | Analysis is incorrect which affects design decisions | 2 | 2 | 4 | Redo previous analysis | Matt |
| 12 | Technical | The cart will not function reliably | Cart will not function when needed | Unreliable components | 2 | 3 | 6 | Source components with this in mind | All |
| 13 | Technical | Our system may not be efficient enough for the necessary output | Not enough power for printer | Poor efficiency | 1 | 2 | 2 | Get as much info on components as possible pre-purchase | Christian |
| 14 | Technical | The cart may not be durable enough | Cart is susceptible to damage | Portability, size, and weight constraints | 2 | 3 | 6 | Test cart shell without components in danger | Garrett |
| 15 | Technical | The switching of the power sources is not seamless and has to be redesigned | The cart preventing grid failures requirement is not met | Poor electrical design | 0 | 3 | 0 | Research tolerances appliances can handle from an outlet | Christian |
| 16 | Technical | The electronics will not have adequate cooling | The cart cannot supply power from instrumentation failure | Low inverter efficiency, poor airflow/cooling | 2 | 3 | 6 | Look at requirements for water resistance and if airflow can be introduced | Christian |
| 17 | Technical | The cart becomes too heavy with equipment, our goal of mobility is not met | Unable to transport effectively | Heavy batteries/components, cart is not collapsible | 1 | 3 | 3 | Design with this in mind | Garrett/Matt |
| 18 | Technical | The electronics interfere with each other; Backflow of current | Electronics fail during use | Bad electrical design | 1 | 2 | 2 | Ask subject matter experts | Christian |
| 19 | Technical | Cart collapsing mechanism does not work properly | Transport is inhibited | Bad design | 1 | 3 | 3 | Make sure design will be compatible with size restraints | Garrett/Matt |
| 20 | Technical | Insufficient power for cart application | Cart cannot perform off-grid electrical duties | Sub systems are inefficient, power production is low, battery capacity is too small | 1 | 1 | 1 | Design with power requirements in mind | Christian/Matt |
| 21 | Technical | Communication to the charge controller is too difficult to complete | The arduino/display subsystem is inoperable | Not sufficient knowledge with modbus protocol | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | Learn modbus protocol and conduct testing early | Christian |
| 22 | Technical | All equipment does not fit in the cart | Unable to transport effectively | Additional power sources are too large | 1 | 2 | 2 | Look at dimensions before incorporating to our design | Garrett |
| 23 | Technical | Cart does not reach adequate working height | Workstation uncomfortable | Design Flaws | 1 | 1 | 1 | Be thorough in design planning | Garrett / Matt |
| 24 | Technical | Cart requires two people for setup | Cart unable to be setup by one person | Design Flaws | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | Design accordingly | Garrett / Matt |
| 25 | Technical | Scissor lift technology is not effective | Will have to go with telescoping, less collapsible | Weight / Material restrictions | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ensure materials are available | Garrett |
| 26 | Technical | Unable to use modular design due to electronic wiring restrictions | Will need to remake design plan | Complex wiring connectors not usable | 1 | 3 | 3 | Plan wiring extensively | Christian |
| 27 | Technical | Solar Panels don't have good enough support and break during folding | Need to redesign module | Poor material selection | 1 | 1 | 1 | Do proper research | Garrett / Matt |
| 28 | Technical | Project Plan not communicated well enough | Deliverables may be late | Poor Management | 1 | 1 | 1 | Stay on top of scheduling | Jake |
| 29 | Technical | Work space is not an adequate size | Cramped workstation | Design Flaws | 1 | 1 | 1 | Design accordingly | Matt |
| 30 | Technical | Overcharging & deep discharge of the battery | Decreases battery life and efficiency | Design Flaws | 1 | 1 | 1 | Design circuit accordingly | Christian |
| 31 | Technical | Choosing a non adequate roller and track system | Redesigns and purchasing would be necessary | Design Flaws | 1 | 2 | 2 | Conduct thorough analysis | Garrett / Matt |
| 32 | Technical | Choosing a non adequate hinge system for solar panel folding | Redesigns and purchasing would be necessary | Design Flaws | 1 | 2 | 2 | Conduct thorough analysis | Garrett / Matt |
| 33 | Social | Conflicting customer ideas | Redesigns | Miscommunication | 2 | 1 | 2 | Communicate regularly | Jake |
| 34 | Social | Cart not effectively educating the user | Redesigns and further cart improvements will be necessary | Design Flaws | 1 | 2 | 2 | Do proper research and redesign the sub-systems | Jake / Christian |
Risk management as of 11/23/2020
Meeting Minutes, Notes, & Actions
This information can be found under Meeting Notes.
Peer Reviews
Problem Definition Peer Review
Project - P21462
Team Name - Solar Powered, Portable 3D Power Cart v2
Document Owner - Jacob Wildt
Date - 9/7/2020
| Jacob Wildt | Christian Niebling | Matthew Madsen | Garrett Waldron | |
| Overall team member performance against team's values and norms. | ||||
| One strength | ||||
| One area for improvement |
1 - Poor, 2 - Needs improvement, 3 - Performs as expected, 4 - Above the level of the rest of the team, 5 - Outstanding
Communication
Christian Niebling is the communicator and point of contact for our team
- E-mail will be the primary method of contact with our customer
- Dr. Marcos Esterman is our customer in Rochester.
- Dr. Alvaro Rojas Arciniegas is our customer in Columbia.
- The frequency of contact will be dependent on the project cycle.
- At least 24 hours before project reviews, an e-mail with meeting details & pre-read documentation will be provided.
- All team members will be CC'd on customer communication e-mails.
- Within team communications
- Our team's main method of communication will be Slack.
- We will notify our guide whenever we are planning meetings in Slack.
- Due to the small size of our team, we will use our main Slack channel for most discussions, with the others taking place in direct messages between members.