MEC E 460 Phase 1 Marking Scheme

Fall Term 2015/16

The report requirement for students has been specified in the course outline in the section Phase 1 report. To assist
your marking and provide some consistency, further breakdown is provided. You may use your discretion as well.
Cover Letter (10%)

Standard letter of transmittal format addressed to the project client [2 marks]

Description of the material being submitted [2 marks]
Estimated time and cost to complete the project [2 marks]
Professional, concise, informative . . . should reflect professionalism [3 marks]
Include all the teaching members in the cc list and make your group advisor as the first one for recognizing
his/her involvement [1 mark]

Design Specification Report (25%)

1000 words max not including figure text, tables, charts, graphs, etc. [1 mark]
o Please show report body word count in table of contents
Design objective statement clearly define the overarching project goal [5 marks]
Summarize and discuss key design specifications, requirements and constraints. Industrial design, human
factors, ergonomics design, social, ethical, legal & sustainability factors must be considered. [5 marks]
Address the business side of the equation [5 marks]
o How many gizmos does your client want? Need? Potential Sales?
o Chat with your client about ballpark costs, i.e. less than $10M? $1M, $100k, $25k, etc.
o If designing a system or machine define & document preliminary ROI expectations, i.e. after
investing $500,000 in a widget making machine what payout does your client expect?
Manufacturing and material selection considerations [3 marks]
Table of governing or potentially applicable design standards & regulations [3 marks]
This report should be written for an intelligent reader (your client) who may or may not have technical
training [3 marks]

Design Specification Matrix (40%)

Tabulate design requirements & constraints using concise engineering language [7 marks]
Identify and document safety/regulatory requirements, environmental guidelines, Include references beside
any potentially applicable design standards & regulations [5 marks]
Identify client must have and client nice to haves, design specifications, etc. that apply or potentially
apply to your project. [5 marks]
Identify and document design requirements suggested by the design team [5 marks]
Define the relative importance of each design requirement by judging the impact on achieving the goals and
by consulting with the client [7 marks]
Size, weight, color, load conditions, design standards, speed, reach, cost, etc. should appear in this matrix
(reference example design spec matrix) [2 marks]
Qualitative and quantitative design specifications are required, yet be a quantitative as possible (ie. Dont
just say light weight, give a number.) [5 marks]
Organize your spec matrix as fit by using appropriate sub-headings [2 marks]
There should be a Design Specification section in Phase 1 report main body. It should describe the rational
and the key factors that are highly critical and being addressed with focused efforts. If a particular
requirement is not obvious or well-measured, please explain as well. [2 marks]

Project Management (25%)

Practice collaboration & project management using a good app tool, such as Liquid Planner (LP) [2 marks]
Use a sufficiently detailed activity scheme for schedule [5 marks]
Describe a baseline schedule for tracking subsequent time expenditures [2 marks]
Keep detailed design/engineering hours logged against the project [5 marks]

Mec E 460 Phase 1 Marking Scheme

Section A1 Fall 2015

Y.S. Ma

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Updated task descriptions and time spent [5 marks]

Engineering/design costs throughout the project [5 marks]
o Junior Engineer / Industrial Designer: $90 per hour
o Intermediate Engineer: $150 per hour
Perform a gut check. Is it reasonable? Achievable? [1 mark]
We are looking for engagement with the entire project management process and experience, not the right
answers. Add your comments to the schedule. We expect the project schedules to change they always
do!

Considerations
The purpose of this phase is to ensure the design team and client achieve a common understanding of the design
problem, objective, specs and scope of work. Research is required to fully understand the clients business, product
requirements, industrial design factors and existing or competing technology. This design phase is concerned with
clearly and comprehensively defining the problem and developing preliminary performance specifications.
The What vs. The How
Some ideation or conceptual design exploration may have been done during Phase 1 by students for better
understanding of the fundamental design requirements. Focus on uncovering and defining the essential elements of
WHAT is to be designed. The embodiment of the design (the HOW) is not too much concerned for marking. We
want to ensure students have a CLEAR understanding of WHAT your client is trying to achieve / do / accomplish /
sell / etc.
Students are advised not to target lock or getting married to an idea too early in the design cycle this invariably
causes heartache, male pattern baldness, and quite possibly the yips later in the project!
For Phase 1, the recommended effort is 18.5 hr/person, estimate range is 16-25 hr/person.
Happy marking.

Mec E 460 Phase 1 Marking Scheme

Section A1 Fall 2015

Y.S. Ma

2/2