Project Instructions
SYST 210 Fall 2009
Overview
You are required to do a system design project to apply the methods
you have learned in this course. In addition to practical
experience
with the methods taught in this course, the project provides experience
working in groups to accomplish a task.
- Each group shall 3 or 4 students.
- Each group must write a paper and give an oral presentation
addressing the operational phase of the life cycle for the a system
design problem of the students' choosing.
- Each group must develop a statement of need, operational concept,
objectives hierarchy, originating requirements, and an external systems
diagram. Each group must also develop functional, physical, operational
and interface architectures and an evaluation plan for the operational system. Each
group must also develop a management plan and produce a management
report.
- Each group must keep a project
notebook which will be
handed in periodically for instructor evaluation. At the end of
the semester, all the parts of the project will be integrated into a
final report, which will be handed in along with a CD containing a
model of your system architecture in MagicDraw. The final report must
conform to the standard GMU System
Description Document (GMU-SDD)
format.
- Each student must submit midterm and final self and peer evaluations
describing progress on the project
- You will learn the practical tools you will need for your
project throughout the semester. We will devote class time to the
project from time to time.
Topic
You may select your own topic for your project. Please try to
make your selection early. We will have discussions in classes
about
what makes a good project. The following two case studies were
developed
by GMU SE students using SYST 301 case studies as a starting point.
Each
case study includes a final report in an older version of the standard GMU-SDD format, and
a
"rough draft" that includes some common errors students make in system
description
documents. You can learn a great deal by comparing the rough
drafts
to the final reports.
The following case study is the elevator system described in the
textbook.
It is another good example to help you do your final project,
although
it is not in the standard GMU-SDD format.
We are currently working on case studies using SysML and MagicDraw. Requirements for your project topic (must requirements are
non-negotiable; should requirements may be violated with
instructor permission if you have a good argument for why it is
necessary for your project)
- Your system must be complex enough to make an interesting
semester project
- Your system must have interfaces to both external systems and
human users/operators
- Your functional decomposition should go at least three levels deep
- Your system design should include at least four subsystems
Deliverables
Each group must submit the following deliverables. Deliverables must be
inserted into the project notebook in the appropriate section, and the
notebook handed in at the beginning of class on the deliverable due
date. If the notebook is not handed in prior to noon on the due
date, the deliverable will be marked late.
- 24 September, 2009 - Description, references, project plan. You must hand in a brief (1 page or less) description of your topic and at least three reference sources
containing information relevant to your topic. Your
project plan should say how you are dividing up the tasks and how you
are coordinating your efforts. The plan may be in the form of a
table. The first column of
the table is a list of tasks to be performed. The second column
is the responsible team member. Each team member must be
responsible for some tasks. The third column is a list of tasks
on which this task depends. The fourth column is an expected
completion date. The fifth column is the actual completion date.
Most entries in the last column will be blank, but you must hand
in an updated version at the end of the semester with the actual
completion dates filled in. If you wish to use an alternate
format (e.g., a work breakdown structure and GANTT chart), you may do
so. You will probably want to have at least one task for each
deliverable, along with a coordination task. The coordination task is
ongoing throughout the semester -- it won't be completed till the end
of the semester. The coordinator is responsible for making sure
that all tasks are on track, that everyone knows about meetings, that
someone takes minutes at every meeting, etc.
- 06 October, 2009 - Draft Statement of Need, Operational Concept, and External Systems Diagram
- 15 October, 2009 - Draft Objectives Hierarchy and Originating Requirements
- 19 November, 2009 - Draft Functional, Physical, Operational Architectures
- 08 December, 2009 - Draft Final Report
- 17 December, 2009 - Project Final Report
Each student will also hand in interim self and peer evaluations during the
course of the project and final self and peer evaluations at the end of the semester.
The project report must include the following:
- Introduction and Statement of Need
- Operational concept
- Objectives hierarchy
- External systems diagram
- Originating requirements
- Functional architecture
- Physical architecture
- Operational architecture
- Interface architecture
- Evaluation plan
- Management report - This section includes your revised and
updated project plan, including projected and actual completion dates
for all tasks. It also includes a group consensus evaluation of
each
group member. The evaluation contains a brief description of what
that group member contributed to the project and an assessment, on a
scale
of 0 to 100, of the team member's contribution to the overall effort.
A
score of 100 means this team member was a full participant,
contributed
significantly to the overall effort, performed work the other team
members
considered valuable, delivered products promptly, and interacted with
group
members in a professional manner. Scores lower than 100 indicate the
degree
to which a team member's contribution fell short of this exemplary
standard.
Grading
The project is worth 30% of your grade. Your group will receive a
maximum score of 100 points on your project. These points will
be allocated as follows:
Group grade:
- Deliverables 1-6, midterm self and peer evaluations - Maximum of 30
points total (5
for each deliverable, 5 for midterm evaluations). Full score will be awarded if deliverable
is handed in on time and reflects a serious attempt at the objective of
the deliverable.
- Presentation - Maximum of 25 points
total.
Group presentation grade covers overall organization and content of
presentation.
- Final report - Maximum of 45 points total.
Final report should be done using a word processor and CORE.
Final report will be graded according to content and
professionalism (includes writing and format). Report must use GMU System
Description Document (GMU-SDD)
format (will be updated).
Your individual grade:
- Group
grade: Maximum
of 90 points total. This part of
your grade is based on your group grade adjusted by your self and peer
evaluations. If the group functions well and everyone contributes
equally, each of you will receive your group project grade (graded on
100 point scale and multiplied by 0.9). Your individual grade
will be adjusted up or down depending
on your self and peer evaluations.
- Individual
grade for presentation: Maximum of 10 points total. This
is an individual grade based on your presentation to the class.