PROJECT DESIGN ENGINEERS

new roles for

project design
BY
engineers
RONNIE INTRODUCTION while completing assignments. Students need
SWINSON, In order for engineering companies to bid,
to learn skills and techniques that help them to
organize their tasks and time so that they can
AARON C. acquire, organize, and complete projects, they
make steady progress throughout the time period
must commit resources comprised of time, labor,
CLARK, rather than making last-minute efforts when they
and capital. Depending on the size of the project
feel the stress of the deadline and hope for the
JEREMY V. and the size of the company, the responsibility
best. More systematic approaches allow time for
ERNST, AND for the project can fall within different levels of
testing to see if the project is going as planned
an organization—from upper management to
KEVIN junior-level engineers and technologists. While
and leaves time to make remedies as necessary.
Students need to understand that, for a project

“
SUTTON the development and construction of a new
to be successful, they need to learn to divide
manufacturing plant may require a vast amount
the workload, manage time, assign tasks, and
of resources and responsibility and, in turn, be
systemically evaluate the process.
managed by a corporate-level position, a project
The ability to such as bringing in a new piece of processing
It is widely known that firms want multifaceted,
oversee a equipment to expand capacity may be delegated
trained employees capable of handling complex
to an engineer or technologist who has responsi-
project and problems and engineers and other technical pro-
bility and knowledge about similar equipment.
fessionals who can oversee project management
manage it
in addition to their main job focus. These indi-
efficiently and Design engineers often help determine the
viduals will have an advantage in the job market,
successfully is overall specifications and design and are given
and it’s important for technology, engineering,
responsibility for the entire project due to their
a skill that is and design education students to understand
specialized knowledge related to the equipment,
needed in all how this design process with business works in
product, or process. It has been stated that, “no
real-world situations (Pence & Rowe, 2012).
areas of longer are engineers able to simply be trained to
industry. understand the technical concepts in specific dis-
In most projects, there is a deadline that needs
ciplines, but training must incorporate a combina-
to be met with full completion of a given task. In
tion of learning paradigms to assist engineers in
industry, the project deadline may be determined
solving real-world, multidisciplinary, multifaceted
by a customer’s request for increased produc-
problems" (Tickles, Li, & Walters, 2013, p. 245).
tion, a need to bring a new product to market, or
The ability to oversee a project and manage it ef-
a need to replace damaged or obsolete equip-
ficiently and successfully is a skill that is needed
ment. In a technology, engineering, and design
in all areas of industry, as well as in technol-
education classroom, student deadlines can be
ogy and engineering education classrooms

8 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2016

set by the teacher, class schedule, or
competition date. Businesses de-
pend on the contracts, and missing a
deadline can incur penalties that can
reach into the millions, while students’
missed deadlines can harm grade point
averages or cause disqualification from
competitions. One way to help ensure
that projects are completed on time
and on budget is by employing some
basic project-management methods
Figure 1. Example Tree Diagram
and tools throughout the design pro-
cess and use these needed skills in the
planning and execution of projects. The tools and methods can before others are started. A foundation is required before the
be easily incorporated into existing projects assigned to students framing can start. The walls need to be built before the roof can
and assist them in planning and completing projects. be supported. There are many other tasks required to build a
house that can be worked on at the same time as others—such
PLANNING as installing plumbing, electrical wiring, and windows. Depend-
ing on the tasks, the critical path can be limited to the single task
Group projects that are assigned to students or employees can,
that takes the longest time period or include every task in the
at first, seem to be impossible monstrosities as a whole. Ques-
project.
tions or complaints may arise from those assigned the task as
to when the instructor or boss might expect them to find the time
required for the project. By breaking down a project into its basic MILESTONES
parts and gaining a grasp of what is required to complete a proj- Milestones, or completion of major parts of the project, can be
ect, even a humongous project can be accomplished. used to help track the project status and motivate group mem-
bers to keep a project on track. Businesses can order lunch in
Before a project is started in the design-based process, it helps for the group or provide monetary bonuses, whereas teachers
to put together an overall plan to determine its feasibility. After a can use positive reinforcement that fits within their classroom
goal is chosen, it is helpful to do some brainstorming and list all management plan. When dealing with suppliers that are re-
of the different tasks that comprise a project as well as the needs sponsible for constructing equipment or facilities, penalties can
to be fulfilled. This list should indicate which tasks are prerequi- be placed in a contract so that if certain milestones or comple-
sites of others, so they can be prioritized in the order that they tion dates are missed, then the cost of the product or service is
need to be completed. Tasks that take the longest time to com- discounted. On the other hand, if time is the biggest constraint
plete need to be started as soon as possible, while smaller tasks of a project, bonuses can be awarded for ahead-of-schedule
can be used to fill in gaps between others. While tasks that have results. One way that a designer can document or track these
prerequisites must be completed in series, tasks without prereq- milestones would be to use charts, graphs, or a project calendar
uisites can be completed simultaneously, depending on available to track the stages and time frames for tasks to be completed.
resources. After the project is divided into parts, individual tasks
can be assigned to the person, team, or department that has the COMMUNICATION
most experience or knowledge in a given area.
Any time multiple people are involved in a project, clear com-
munication is important, and engineers as well as technologists
CRITICAL PATH need to be able to “communicate in the language of design”
A critical path, as it pertains to product design engineering, re- (Urbanic, 2011). Clear communication allows a team to be able
fers to a trade-off between the cost of the project and its overall to work together to meet its goals, and teaching basic leadership
completion time (Jones, 2011; Kumar, 2013). This path will de- skills to build a team helps prepare future leaders to manage
termine the minimum project time duration. For example, when a project. Steps to team building might include coming to a
building a house, there are certain tasks that have to be done consensus on basic rules such as how to communicate with

May/June 2016 technology and engineering teacher 9

PROJECT DESIGN ENGINEERS

each other, what is acceptable and unacceptable for the team, finishing the car, and testing. Each of these tasks can be further
along with roles and responsibilities for each team member. broken down into subtasks such as sketching plans, developing
Developing the basic rules together provides an opportunity for plans, cutting the shape, sanding, painting, etc. Breaking the
each person to feel involved in the process and aids in his or her project down into each of the individual tasks is a wonderful way
buy-in to the project. Another important group-building activity to begin visualizing what steps are going to be needed in the
includes creating a purpose or goal that can be aided by col- process.
laboratively generating a mission statement and setting goals.
Other areas of interest for teaching students to facilitate a team The Gantt chart was developed by Henry Gantt in the early
include things such as conflict management, evaluating group 1900s (Wilson, 2003) and highlighted by Portz (2014) as a
projects, and basic rules for efficient meetings. Putting these tool to efficiently manage time and project length. The Gantt
skills together to effectively communicate and create a team chart, like the one shown in Figure 2, is a bar chart that is used
sets students up for success, not only for their projects but also to visually represent the start and ending dates and times of
career advancement later on. project tasks. Resource information can be assigned, along
with the time required to complete each task, to aid in knowing
ORGANIZATION who should complete it, what materials are required, and how
long that task should take. Once that information is plotted on
In addition to communication and leadership skills, organization
the chart, a timeline emerges, showing the path towards project
can greatly aid in responsible use of resources. The ultimate
completion. “They provide a quick and easily understood means
goal of completing the project in the allotted amount of time
for describing project activities” and allow one to easily see the
and budget is important and helps to ensure that the project
relationship between tasks and how resources will be required
schedule stays on track. Tracking the progress as reported at
(Wilson, 2003). Open-source project management software,
the meetings or updates allows the project management to see
such as OpenProj, is available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/
if certain parts are behind or ahead of schedule and redeploy
openproj/ for students to practice with and use for their projects.
resources as needed to balance out progress where it is needed
most. When delays are caught early, they can be dealt with
Other techniques for helping students organize their time and
while there is still time available. Knowing the status of a project
efforts include flowcharts and activity network diagrams. These
can be more easily determined with planning that can utilize
tools help students organize all of the tasks that need to be
different tools under different circumstances. Helpful planning
performed in order to complete their projects. Using a separate
techniques might include the use of Gantt charts, activity net-
sticky note for each task and laying them out in the order that
work diagrams, flowcharts, or tree diagrams. Each of these tools
they need to be completed, and having multiple lines for tasks
provides visuals of the order in which events need to happen
that can be completed simultaneously is one way to approach
and helps students organize their efforts and resources towards
this organizational method. Digital methods of these organi-
the most appropriate task for completion of the project.
zational approaches can be found at https://www.draw.io/ or

https://www.genmymodel.com/activity-diagram-online. Good
Determining all of the tasks that need to be accomplished for
visual aids for understanding and communicating ideas and pro-
a project requires practice and learning how to break down the
cesses, including flow charts such as the one shown in Figure
large objectives into smaller tasks. Tree diagrams, such as the
3, are important job skills that all engineering and technologists
one shown in Figure 1, are useful tools for learning how to break
need, and the designer can help create these needed tools and
down projects into smaller ones. Projects such as developing
resources. Creating graphic organizers can help students know
a carbon dioxide car might be broken down into tasks such as
what needs to be done, estimate timelines, and more efficiently
researching effective designs, designing plans, cutting shape,
manage their efforts.

Figure 2. A simple Gantt chart created in

OpenProj

10 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2016

 showing group participation, build times, costs, and activities
that were overlooked during the planning. Students can then
reflect on the planning, planning tools, and execution of the
project, items that they would change in the future, and how the
overall project progressed.

Activity Diagram Tool:

https://www.genmymodel.com/activity-diagram-online

Figure 3. Example flow chart Online Flowchart Tool: https://www.draw.io/

created on www.draw.io

Free Project Management Software:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/openproj/

ACTIVITY Figure 4. Student resources for project management.

Design-based project-management activities can be easily
added to many group projects that are assigned to students.
Having students practice learning to build effective teams, along
with breaking down projects into more manageable tasks and
CONCLUSION
organizing these tasks, prepares them to take on a wide variety “Employers want individuals who are self-motivated, are driven,
of challenges. Including project management as part of a team and can effectively communicate this to their work groups and
activity specifically relates to Standards for Technology Literacy, supervisors” (Pence & Rowe, 2012, p. 50). Projects assigned
addressing Standard 12, Benchmark P (where students should by teachers or bosses can seem monumental, but by breaking
use computers to research, organize, and evaluate data) and them down into individual parts they can be managed to comple-
Standard 17, Benchmark P that discusses ways to communi- tion. There are many jobs where project management is not a
cate information that include graphic organizers and electronic normal responsibility, but with a little organizational assistance
means (ITEA/ITEEA, 2000/2002/2007). from project management skills, some planning, and communi-
cation, anyone can do it. The role of the engineer, technologist,
As students begin their next project, have them work together and designer is to work in all aspects where his or her individual
as a team to create group guidelines, team roles, and a mission expertise is needed. Preparing students to work through this
statement. These should be recorded with their documentation process prepares them to be leaders who can manage and com-
and reflected on in times of struggle. Before the students get municate needs throughout the development and implementa-
time to begin working on the process, have the them break the tion of projects in their professional or even personal life.
project down into subtasks by creating a tree chart. These tasks
should then be organized into a flowchart that represents the REFERENCES
order in which items need to be completed in order to com-
International Technology Education Association (ITEA/ITEEA).
plete the project. Whether using paper or one of the previously
(2000/2002/2007). Standards for technological literacy:
mentioned electronic resources, students should organize their
Content for the study of technology. Reston, VA: Author.
tasks and have a timeline for the project to aid in knowing where
Jones, A. (2011). Critical path method. Encyclopedia of Ameri-
they are in the process and what needs to be done to meet the
can Business, Rev. ed, 183-185.
deadline. In addition to the order of the events, students should
Kumar, A. (2013). Critical path methods. Retrieved from www.
assign task responsibilities to team members and also create a
slideshare.net/anupamkr/critical-path-method-18597011
list of the resources required for each step that can be compiled
Pence, K. R. & Rowe, C. J. (2012). Enhancing engineering edu-
into a required resources list. As the groups work through the
cation through engineering management. Journal of STEM
project, students should keep a record and update their project
Education: Innovations and Research, 13(3), 46-51.
plan timeline with the actual times that tasks require. The groups
Portz, S. (2014). Teaching project management. Technology
also may need to add tasks that were missed during the plan-
and Engineering Teacher, 73(7), 19-23.
ning phase. At the end of the project, groups will have a history

May/June 2016 technology and engineering teacher 11

PROJECT DESIGN ENGINEERS

Category Exceeded Target Achieved Target Nearly Achieved Beginning to Achieve

Target Target
Team Building Students built their team in an Team developed basic Students completed all but An element of team build-
orderly and professional man- guidelines, team roles, and one task to achieve target. ing was evident in the
ner beyond the achieved target a clear mission statement. process.
criteria.
Task Breakdown Project was broken down into Project was broken down Students broke project Students broke project
manageable subtasks in a pro- into manageable subtasks. down a few layers, but down into vague large
fessionally clear and organized not all the way down into subtopics.
manner. manageable tasks.
Task Organization Subtasks were efficiently orga- Subtasks were put in Students considered some Students made some at-
nized to maximize resources logical order based on dependencies of subtasks tempt at rearranging tasks
and time, with identification their dependencies, with and put these tasks in logi- in a logical timeline.
of tasks that could be accom- timelines added. cal order.
plished simultaneously.
Resources Resources were compiled, Resources required were Resources needed were Some resources needed
listed for each subtopic, and a compiled into a single list compiled into a single list were mentioned.
bill of materials for the project and determined for each or determined for each
was presented in a professional subtask. subtask.
manner.
Documentation Students recorded their entire Students recorded their Students recorded most Students recorded some
process, including initial plan- entire process, includ- of their process, includ- of their process, includ-
ning, areas added along the ing initial planning, areas ing initial planning, areas ing initial planning, areas
way, and reflections in a clear added along the way, and added along the way, and added along the way, and
and organized fashion. reflections. reflections. reflections.
Reflection Students compared and re- Students reflected on their Students made some Students made some
flected on their project manage- process and explained ar- reflections on what they reflections on what they did
ment process and used data to eas of strength and areas did well and what they well or what they could im-
explain strengths and areas for for future improvement in could improve upon in their prove upon in their project
future improvement. their process. project planning. planning.

Figure 5. Project Management Evaluation Rubric.

Tickles, V. C., Li, Y., & Walters, W. L. (2013). Integrating cost Aaron C. Clark, Ph.D., DTE is a professor
engineering and project management in a junior engineer- in the Technology, Engineering, and Design
ing economics course and a senior capstone project design Education Program at NC State University.
course. College Student Journal, 47(2), 244-263. He is the Director of Graduate Programs
Urbanic, R. J. (2011). Developing design and management skills for STEM Education and can be reached at
for senior industrial engineering students. Journal of Learn- aclark@ncsu.edu.
ing Design, 4(3), 35-49.
Wilson, J. M. (2003). Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation. Jeremy V. Ernst is Associate Director of the
European Journal of Operational Research, 149, 430-437. School of Education and Associate Profes-
Retrieved from www-public.int-evry.fr/~gibson/Teaching/ sor of Integrative STEM Education at Virginia
CSC7003/ReadingMaterial/Wilson03.pdf Tech in Blacksburg, VA. He can be reached at
jvernst@vt.edu.

Ronnie Swinson is both an undergraduate Kevin Sutton is a graduate teaching assis-

and graduate alumni from the Technology, tant and doctoral student in the Technology,
Engineering, and Design Education Program Engineering, and Design Education program
at NC State University. He currently works as at NC State University. He can be reached at
a design engineer. kgsutton@ncsu.edu.

This is a refereed article.

12 technology and engineering teacher May/June 2016

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