What is Project Methodologies

?

Project

• Every EE BEng student must complete a final year project (FYP) in year-3

• Project is implemented by 1 student (not a group project)

• Project = 9 credits (= 3 subjects!!!)

• The FYP can have significant impact in your overall result

FYP

• If you want a better GPA then you should do well in your FYP

• In the past, your FYP grade may affect your degree classification – If a student is in the borderline between a

second-class upper and a first class then if the student gets an “A” in the FYP then most likely the student will get a “First Class honours”

Why you need to do FYP?

• FYP provide you the trainings in – To work indepedently!!!!– To carry out “problem solving”– To time manage– To apply knowledge learnt in practice

• So projects in different areas can achieve the above tasks

Some history about FYP

• In the past, 3 to 4 years ago, staff members will submit a list of project titles (2 to 3 titles per staff)

• So a list of 60 to 80 titles will be available• Students will select 3 to 5 titles from the list and

prioritize the list (students should talk to the staff before finalize the list)

• Project coordinator will then do a matching between the projects and the students– If it is a many-to-one mapping (many students choosing

the same project then the staff will select the student)

History of FYP

• In the past, students’ initiative is minimal

• Some students will treat selecting a project is similar to buying Mark Six – Randomly put down some titles without

knowing what those projects’ objectives

• In the past, students can proposal his/her own project but the ratio is very low may be only 1 or 2 out of the whole class

Current arrangement

• Improve students’ initiative

• In theory, you are now proposing your own project not choosing from a list

• You know well about the objectives as well as the intended output

• More training on writing proposal as well as report

What is methodology?

• Methodology - 方法論 – A set of methods

• Project methodologies – apply a set of methods to execute your project or a systematic approach to implement your project

Stages for implementing a FYP

1. Identify a project title (Year-2 semester 2)2. Write a proposal3. Submit a proposal again (Year-3

semester 1) (5%)4. Submit a mid-term report (Year-3

beginning of semester 2) (15%)5. Submit a final report and present your

project (Year-3 end of semester 2) (25% presentation & demo + 55% report)

EE3111

• This project will main cover item 1 & 2 in the previous slide

• In addition, some discussion on report writing will also be discussed

What is the best method ?

• Hard work

• Hard work

•Hard work• If you work hard then you will get good

grade!!!!!

Best method

• Talk to your supervisor on a regular basis– In most cases, your supervisor will help!!!

Areas of FYP

• In principle, there are 4 major areas– Power system– Energy utilization – Control and computing – Fibre optic and materials

• Do you know who is doing materials?

• Who is doing energy utilization?

Some project titles from 2010/2011

• Wind Power Modelling and Stability Analysis

• Agent-based Smart Grid Simulation Platform

• Fiber Optic Sensor For Detection of Toxic & Biological Threats

• Electricity Load Forecast Studying

Types of EE project

• Common project in the following areas– Building hardware– Writing software – Develop of a system consisting of hardware

and software– Experimental projects– Site measurements projects– Desktop study type projects

Building hardware

• Build hardware system (electronic or electrical or electrical mechanical) to fulfill certain specifications, to verily some design concept, to proof some theory, or to check the feasibility of certain design, etc.

Software

• Develop a program or a software package for simulation of certain system, or as CAD/CAE (computer aided design, computer aided engineering) package for engineers to use, or as an software analysis tools, or for solving some engineering problem etc.

Develop of a system consisting of both hardware and software

• A combination of the above two types, as some engineering systems need a combination of software and hardware.

Experimental projects

• Carrying out a number of experiments under various sort of conditions, then analysis the results data to draw certain conclusions on some concepts, or to proof some theory, or to verily some principle.

Site measurement projects

• Carrying out a number of site survey/site measurement or questionnaire survey, then analysis the results data to draw certain conclusions on some concepts, or to proof some theory, or to verily some principle.

Desktop study type projects

• Include theory development, analysis of existing data, search and analysis of information, etc.

How to generate ideas of your project

• From research/industrial projects of EE staff– Information can be found from EE web site,

EE Research booklet, etc.– From pass FYP titles

• From daily life experience– You may like to solve daily life problems

(yours or others, such as disability people, blind people, aged people, etc.) by electrical engineering way

How to generate ideas of EE FYP titles

• From your own project experience– Such as FYP projects in your HD course,

summer jobs, IC training, summer training, WIE programmes, etc.

• With creative thinking, think-out-of-the-box

Criterions for a BEng FYP

• Academic level/intellectual level– The project should be complex & challenging

enough for a BEng student, it should be able to let the student to apply his/her electrical engineering knowledge learned in the EE BEng course, plus some further development.

• Creativity/innovation– It cannot be a simple/direct replication of

some existing things/concepts/system. There should be some “new” elements in the project.

Criterions for a BEng FYP

• Expected time to be used on the project– FYP is a critical component in the EE BEng

course, it expects student have to spend significant afford to carrying out his/her FYP. Hence the average expected number of hours on the project per week over the project period (1 year) is about 12-18 hours. Hence the title and the contents of the FYP should reflect this point, that means the project should not be a simple job (in terms of time) nor a very time consuming task.

Criterions for a BEng FYP• Feasibility

– Although a student can be very creative in generating/searching the FYP title, however, when it comes to spelling out the actual contents of the project and the implementation of the idea, feasibility of the project has to be considered seriously. This includes, the budget (within HK$1200), the availability of suitable resources/ equipment in the department, the ability of the student relative to the requirements of the project.

• Relevance– The title and contents of the project should be

relevant to the scope of electrical engineering, should not be out of the scope.

How to choose your topic

• What do you want from your project?– A higher GPA ?– Learn new knowledge – Challenge yourself– Develop a product (to sell or to contribute to

the society)– Just finish it as it is required– Help you to get a better job

Points to consider when developing your project title

• Understand yourself, analyze yourself: Strength and Weakness, Hence you can select a FYP which can use your strength more (say good in programming), but avoid your weakness. Just to let the FYP can also develop into the directions of your opportunities, but avoiding the occurrences of the threats.

• Understand your own interest. Select a topics of your own interest, not one which is easier nor one which can get high marks?!

• Plan, plan, plan and then do some more planning. Plan your time; plan your resource, etc. Good plan is important in completing a project. More on project planning and time planning in coming lectures.

• Make sure you understand what you are supposed to be doing.

Points to consider when developing your project title

• Check what you are being assessed for the project. (Assessment criterions on the “Formal project proposal will be given later.)

• Don’t choose too big a topic for your FYP.• Choose the title carefully and make your title

generic so that it can be changed when necessary!

• Don’t get side-tracked. Defining your subject and its title is not something you do only at the beginning of the project. You should continually revisit the title throughout the life of the project to ensure you are in the right track and not to be carried away by other issues.

Points to consider when developing your project title

• Make sure you can finish the project in the time available.

• Be realistic; don’t be too ambitious.• Choose a project you can afford.• Take advices.