Project Complete - PM's Review

The project is now completed with the final test concluded, as depicted by the Gantt chart below.



The project started off very well, and in the initial phases we accelerated beyond schedule. Unfortunately this progress was lost over the Easter holiday's, though we pulled the project back and completed it on time. In retrospect I should have accounted more for the inevitable decrease in group members output over the holidays and planned around them, though by motivating my team immediately as term resumed we were able to finish on time to a high standard.

The intended budget for this project was £0.00 which we were able to meet. All components were sourced for free as either unneeded spares or from recycling centres over the Easter holiday's.

The program worked well and much of the design was also good, though we were let down by the rear caster wheel. The original was sourced by me from Swindon Recycling Centre, and when tested it turned out to be to heavy and stiff. I made attempts to modify the wheel and also treated it with WD40 to loosen it, though the weight ultimately let it down. The wheel was replaced last minute with a homemade caster wheel which did not perform well on the line following mode as it would cause the buggy to veer off course whenever it tried to turn. If I were to do this project again, I would have sourced a light-weight pololu ball caster to replace this wheel.

The symbol reading part of the final test went smoothly, as the rear wheel did not have a chance to cause problems. The design assessment was acceptable, though the aesthetics of the design could have been improved with practise. Some of my cuts were not perfectly straight and the holes drilled by Anand caused the acrylic plates to crack in several places. This caused the final build to look a little rushed, and were a result of our limited experience using tools.

The power of the motors was also a little low. The battery pack was only just powerful enough to power the circuit and motors. As seen in other groups, if I were to repeat this project I would have designed a secondary power supply specifically for the motors.

In conclusion I feel this project went well. We scored highly in the final assessment and worked well as a team. To improve our project if I were to do it again I would have planned our schedule better around the Easter holiday's so that we could have had more time testing, installed a secondary power source for the motors, dedicated more time to ensuring the build was neat, and sourced a better rear caster wheel.

Project Review

Reviewing the project as a completed whole, there are various tasks i believe we did well and many we could improve on.

Overall i see the project as a success, we completed the final assessment with good marks. I believe the biggest issue would have to be our time planning, in retrospect, i would have liked to have had more time building and testing. Although even when saying i believe i had more time, there was a three week period in the middle of this project where various group members, including myself, were needed elsewehere for the holidays. With this mind, although it's regretful that the three weeks were minimal work wise, i believe we did very well to complete the tasks ahead of us and create a buggy that worked and looked good.

Something i think we did well was the finance side of the buggy, we did not pay for one component, all parts were sourced second hand from garages and the tip over the three weeks holiday.

I personally believe i could have improved on my role as Assistant Project Manager (Build Team) by officially recording the group happenings more effectively. Throughout this project i have kept my group discussions and progress recorded in note form, this includes all my random ideas and personal drawings/layouts. If i had officially written these random notes and 'sketches' up, i maybe could have kept them more organised and possibly shared them more effectively with the group.

I would like to believe that i have learned much from this project but the main things would have to be how to keep the myself organised and motivated.
Posted by Sophie Latham

Project Update (26/04/2010)

The following Gantt chart shows the project progress to date. The circuit has been completed, and the program has been successfully tested (though will require calibration in the morning before the assessed test).


The build has been completed and successfully tested, though the rear caster wheel was discovered to cause drag which resulted in the buggy veering off course. It was decided to test an alternative wheel design which was also successfully tested and, in the morning once new batteries have been sourced, the best design will be neatly installed. The progress of the buggy has extended fully into the project buffer, though is due to be completed on schedule.

Project Update (10/04/2010)

Project Progress
The project has slipped behind slightly over the Easter holidays, however it is not yet time to start considering an action plan. The Gantt chart below shows the buggy progress to be one day behind.


The components have all been sourced and so the final tasks required include circuit and buggy assembly. The design of the buggy will be finalised during this construct phase.

Assignments

Mark Hawkins: Direct Assembly of Circuit and Buggy

Sophie Latham: Oversee Buggy Assembly and Assist Construction as Required

Sandra Donohoe: Test Program on Buggy and Assist Construction as Required

Anand Bhana: Solder Circuit and Test

Daljinder Sandhu: Finalise Design and Construct Buggy

All Members: Continue Posting and Begin Work on Personal Page Sections of the Blog

Project Update (23/03/2010)

The project is ahead of schedule thus far. The Gantt chart below shows the course of the project and that as long as we continue to work effectively, the five day project buffer will not be required.



All research is complete, as well as the designs and program. The prototypes were successfully tested today and plans for the final build of the circuit and buggy were finalised. The circuit components have been sourced and tested, however several buggy components still require sourcing.

In summary, we are ahead of schedule and the tasks remaining involve sourcing the last buggy components, soldering the circuit, and assembling the buggy.

Posted by Mark Hawkins