Basic Computer System Design

Project Selection and Needs Identification

Muhammad Tariq Mahmood

[email protected]
School of Computer Science and Engineering

For every problem there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong (– H.L. Menchen)
Note: These notes are prepared from the following resources.
I (main text) Design for Electrical and Computer Engineers by Ralph Ford, Chris Coulston (McGraw-Hill Education 2008)
I Wiegers, Karl, and Joy Beatty. Software requirements. 3rd Edition, Pearson Education, 2013.
I Kendall, Kenneth E., and Julie E. Kendall. Systems analysis and design. Pearson Education, 2019 10Ed.
I https : //www .geeksforgeeks.org/software − engineering/?ref = lbp

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 Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives
I Have an understanding of the types of projects electrical and computer engineers undertake.
I Understand and be able to apply sound criteria for project selection.
I Know how to determine, document, and rank end-user needs.
I Be aware of resources for conducting research surveys.
I Have selected a project concept and developed a problem statement.

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 Contents

1 Types of Engineering Design Projects

2 Sources of Project Ideas

3 Project Feasibility and Selection Criteria

Identifying Projects
Assessing Project Feasibility
Selecting projects

4 Needs Identification

5 The Research Survey

6 Needs and Objectives Statements

7 Project Application: The Problem Statement

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 Types of Engineering Design Projects
Types of Engineering Design Projects
I Projects undertaken by practicing engineers and those tackled in student projects can be classified into
various categories.
I The objective of a design project is to create a new artifact (system, component, or process) to meet a
given need.
I Within the design domain there are different types of designs that are classified broadly into three categories
of creative, variant, and routine designs

1. Creative designs represent new and innovative products.

2. Variant designs are variations of existing designs, where the intent is to improve performance or add features to
an existing system.

3. Routine designs represent the design of devices for which theory and practice are well-developed. Examples are
DC power supplies, analog and digital filters, and basic digital components such as adders and comparators.
Routine designs are often components of more complex creative and variant designs.

I Systems engineering and systems integration projects represent the synthesis of many subsystems into a
larger system.
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 Types of Engineering Design Projects (cont...)
I The objective in experimental design projects is to design experimental procedures and apparatus for
determining the characteristics of a system.
I The objective in analysis projects is to analyze some aspect of an existing system to improve or correct it.
For example, a system or process may be failing in the field and the source of the failure unknown. Tools
such as the failure mode effects and analysis technique may be apňplied in this situation to identify the
sources of failure.
I In technology evaluation projects, technologies are assessed to determine if they can be used in a given
application. This may be to determine if the technology can improve an existing system, or to characterize
its operating performance.
I The objective of a research projects is to perform research or experiments with the goal of discovering or
creating a new technology.
I Most engineering research falls under the category of applied research. This refers to the creation of new
technology or systems based on existing technology and theory developed from fundamental research.
I Fundamental research emphasizes the discovery of new scientific principles without necessarily having an
intended application. Fundamental research is very valuable, but not typically a part of design projects.

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 Sources of Project Ideas
Sources of Project Ideas
I Depending upon your situation, you may have the opportunity to identify and select your project. The list
below provides some places to search for project ideas:
1. Industry-sponsored projects. Many companies will sponsor projects and are happy to do so, particularly if you
have worked for them on an internship.
2. Engineers without Borders (www.ewb-usa.org). This organization sponsors student pro-jects to improve the
quality of life in developing countries.
3. There are many sites for businesses and student teams to collaborate on projects. They allow businesses to post
capstone project ideas for students to work on, while students can post resumes and project interests.

I www.controleng.com/articles/free-research-and-development-match-projects-to-researchers/

I www.FreeRandD.com

I https://projectideas.co.in/computer-and-it-engineering-projects/

4. Final year projects published on universities’ sites

I https://ece.princeton.edu/academics/undergraduate/student-projects

I https://www.ccsu.edu/cs/studentProjects.html

I https://uwaterloo.ca/capstone-design/node/3/2017-electrical-and-computer-engineering-projects

I https://www.uvu.edu/cet/capstone/engineering/computer/
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 Sources of Project Ideas (cont...)

5. Your campus and local community. In our school, a number of student teams have identified novel projects by
asking other departments on campus for ideas. They have also been successful in approaching local community
organizations for ideas, such as museums and research institutes.
6. Brainstorm. Get together with a group of your peers and brainstorm on project ideas. You will be surprised at
how many project ideas you can develop in a good brainstorming. Do not only consider project ideas, but also
brainstorm to identify problems that need solutions.

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 Project Feasibility and Selection Criteria

Project Feasibility and Selection Criteria

I All projects must be tied to the goals of the organization

I A set of questions to answer when starting a new project

1. What are you trying to do? Articulate your goals, using absolutely no jargon.

2. How is it done today, and what are the limitations of current practice?

3. What is new in your approach, and why do you think it will be successful?

4. Who cares? If you are successful, what difference will it make?

5. What are the risks and payoffs?

6. How much will it cost? How long will it take?

7. What are the midterm and final exams to check for success?

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 Project Feasibility and Selection Criteria (cont...)

I A second perspective is offered from an organizational project management viewpoint that provides the
following criteria for project selection:

• The project must be tied to the mission and vision of the organization: , There is always risk associated with a
project and it is sometimes hard to judge exactly how well a project meets this criterion. It is hard to judge a
project’s importance relative to the mission and goals,

• Must have payback: An economic analysis should be done to estimate if the project will make a profit.

• Should have selection criteria: Sound criteria for selecting among competing projects should be employed.

• Objectives of the Project should be SMART: specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, time-related : determine
project requirements that are specific and measurable. Assignable, realistic, and time-related all refer to project
manageňment aspects

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 Identifying Projects

Identifying Projects

I Managers and business units who want to replace or

extend an existing system in order to gain needed
information or to provide a new service to customers

I Information systems managers who want to make a

system more efficient or less costly to operate, or
want to move a system to a new operating
environment

I Formal planning groups that want to improve an

Figure 1: Three key sources for information systems
existing system in order to help the organization projects.
meet its corporate objectives, such as providing
better customer service

I Project identification and selection consists of three primary activities: 1)identifying potential development
projects, 2) classifying and ranking projects, and 3) selecting projects for development.

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 Identifying Projects (cont...)

I Identifying potential development projects: Common Characteristics of Methods for Making Information
Systems Identification and Selection Decisions

I Project initiatives stemming from managers, business units, or the development group are referred to as
coming from a bottom-up source.

I Classifying and ranking IS development projects: Assessing the merit of potential projects is the second
major activity in the project identification and selection phase.

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 Identifying Projects (cont...)

Figure 2: Possible Evaluation Criteria When Classifying and Ranking Projects

I Classifying and ranking projects can be performed by top managers, a steering committee, business units, or
the IS development group.

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 Assessing Project Feasibility
Assessing Project Feasibility
I Most information systems projects have budgets and deadlines. Assessing project feasibility is a mandatory
task and it requires to evaluate a wide range of factors.
I Economic feasibility: A process of identifying the financial benefits and costs associated with a development
project.
I Operational feasibility: The process of assessing the degree to which a proposed system solves business
problems or takes advantage of business opportunities.
I Technical feasibility: The process of assessing the development organization’s ability to construct a
proposed system.
I Schedule feasibility: The process of assessing the degree to which the potential time frame and completion
dates for all major activities within a project meet organizational deadlines and constraints for effecting
change
I Legal and contractual feasibility : The process of assessing potential legal and contractual ramifications due
to the construction of a system.
I Political feasibility: The process of evaluating how key stakeholders within the organization view the
proposed system

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 Selecting projects

I Selecting IS development projects: The selection of

projects is the final activity in the project
identification and selection phase.

I The short and long term projects most likely to

achieve business objectives are considered.

I As business conditions change over time, the relative

importance of any single project may substantially
change. Thus, the identification and selection of
projects is an important and ongoing activity.

I Numerous factors must be considered when selecting Figure 3: Numerous factors must be considered when
a project, as illustrated in Figure selecting a project. Decisions can result in one of seven
outcomes.

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 Selecting projects (cont...)
Analytical Hierarchy Process
I Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is an approach to make decision.
I AHP is a flexible quantitative and qualitative method, applicable to many problems, which provides a
numerical score for the alternatives considered.
I To apply AHP there must be a decision to be made, criteria against which the decision is based, and a set
of competing decisions from which one must be selected.

I This process is encapsulated in a decision matrix and

therefore is sometimes referred to as the
decision-matrix method.
I The steps of AHP are to:
• Determine the selection criteria.
• Determine the criteria weightings.
• Identify and rate alternatives relative to the criteria.
• Compute scores for the alternatives.
Figure 4: A decision matrix.
• Review the decision.

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 Selecting projects (cont...)
Example: Applying AHP for Car Selection
AHP is demonstrated by examining the decision to purchase an automobile.
1. Step 1: Determine the Selection Criteria
• The first step is to brainstorm to identify the criteria against which the decision is made
• Assume that the criteria determined are: 1) Purchase cost, 2) Safety, 3) Design styling, 4) Brand-name
recognition
2. Step 2: Determine the Criteria Weightings
• To determine the weights ωi a method known as pairwise comparison is applied , where each criterion is
systematically compared to all others.
• For example, the purchase cost is compared to safety, design, and brand name. Likewise, safety is compared to
the remaining criteria and so on.
• A common practice in AHP to apply the following scale for pair-wise comparison,
1 = equal, 3 = moderate, 5 = strong, 7 = verystrong, 9 = extreme

Figure 5: Pairwise comparison of the selection criteria

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 Selecting projects (cont...)
• An intuitive approach for computing the weight for each criterion is to sum each row.
• People often make comparisons that are inconsistent. A simple method to reduce the inconsistency in the matrix
to take the geometric mean of each row
• The geometric mean of a series of numbers, a1 , ..., an , is computed as
√n
a1 × a2 × ... × an

Figure 6: Weight values computed from the pairwise comparison

• The geometric mean is often used to reduce bias in skewed data.

• First, the geometric mean of each row is computed and then the sum of the geometric means is found. The
∑
mean values are divided by the sum to produce a normalized set of weights; that is, i wi = 1

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 Selecting projects (cont...)

3. Step 3: Identify and Rate Alternatives Relative to the Criteria

• The ratings of each alternative relative to each criterion, aij that make up the body of the decision matrix are
determined next.

• Ratings Alternatives(ideas) relative to the Purchase Cost: Let’s examine purchase cost. The vehicle costs are
21, 026USD(Honda) , 18, 183USD(Hyundai), and 21, 989USD (Toyota).

• A metric that works when the objective is to minimize a criterion is to compare it to the minimum of all values,
using the following ratio
min{cost}
α=
cost
• The cost ratings are computed to be α11 = 0.86, α12 = 1, α13 = 0.83
Normalized ratings are α11 = 0.32, α12 = 0.37, α13 = 0.31.

• Ratings Alternatives(ideas) relative to the Safety: The Safety ratings are computed from (www .safecar .gov ) to
be α21 = 4.8, α22 = 4.8, α23 = 4.6
Normalized ratings are α21 = 0.34, α22 = 0.34, α23 = 0.32.

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 Selecting projects (cont...)

• Ratings Alternatives(ideas) relative to the Design: Pairwise comparison of design styling to determine ratings is
shown in the Table.

Figure 7: Pairwise comparison of design styling to determine ratings.

• Ratings Alternatives(ideas) relative to the brand-name: The ratings for brand-name recognition are determined
by pairwise comparison as shown in Table

Figure 8: Pairwise comparison of brand name to determine ratings

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 Selecting projects (cont...)
4. Step 4: Compute Scores for the Alternatives
• The decision matrix is built and the overall weighted scores for the alternatives are computed

Figure 9: The decision matrix

5. Step 5: Review the Decision

• The result is a set of numerical scores for the alternatives, and if all work is done properly the final scores should
sum to one.
• In this case there is not much difference between the scores, and a simple decision based upon the maximum
value would lead to selection of the RAV4.
• The decision matrix allows the examination of different scenarios, as the weights and ratings can be varied to see
how they affect the overall scores.
• The RAV4 beats the Tucson primarily because of styling and brand name, which are both subjective ratings.

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 Selecting projects (cont...)
A project selection model for capstone design
1. Step 1: Determine the selection criteria

• A → Match to team skills

• B → Technical complexity

• C → Creativity
• D → Market potential
• E → Industry sponsorship

2. Step 2: Determine the criteria weightings

• This is an important step and one often overlooked the team has identified what is important to it in project
selection.
• It is clear that match to the team skills (criterion A) is most important, by a large margin, followed by market
potential.
3. Step 3: Identify and rate alternatives relative to the criteria
• Assume that the team identifies three potential projects ideas: 1) IEEE-sponsored robot comňpetition,
2) industry-sponsored project to design a new test protocol, 3) design of an item-finder device to help people
locate lost items.
• The team goes through the process of rating each project relative to the criteria
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 Selecting projects (cont...)

4. Step 4: Compute scores for the alternatives

• The decision matrix below is constructed and the scores for the alternatives determined

5. Step 5: Review the decision

• Project 3 (item finder) is rated the highest among the three choices on the basis of the weights determined by
the team members. It is a good match to the team skills, but also matches their desire to solve a problem with
good market potential. The remaining two projects are rated about equal.

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 Selecting projects (cont...)

Summary of AHP

Figure 10: Steps in AHP

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 Selecting projects (cont...)

Advantages And Disadvantages

I Advantages of Analytic hierarchy process: I Disadvantages of the hierarchy process:

1. The whole concept of AHP is simple and easy to 1. AHP programs use advanced mathematics and
use. eigenvectors.

2. AHP outcomes are very easy to comprehend. 2. To automate the process, the analyst must know
the calculation process.
3. Most cases, AHP results fare well in real-world
scenarios based on multiple criteria. 3. This process quantifies intangible factors and
emotions into quantitative data. Despite being an
4. The AHP process checks the results for consistency. objective method, this step is entirely subjective. If
This way, errors are prevented. different analysts undertake the same process, they
might quantity factors differently.
5. AHP is the solution for personal bias in
decision-making, whether in day-to-day or corporate 4. AHP requires robust computing capabilities.
decision-making.
5. This process consumes a lot of time and effort.

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 Needs Identification

Needs Identification
I Often a customer, client, or supervisor comes to you with a problem to solve and you must determine the
needs or requirements for the solution to the problem. (determine the voice of the customer )

I Problem Example: The traffic at the front of campus is too congested. I would like you to design a new
traffic lane for northbound traffic exiting at the intersection at the front of the college.
I Some questions to be asked in this situation are:
1. How much additional traffic is there?
2. At what times does this happen?
3. Where is the traffic coming from?
4. What is an acceptable waiting time at the intersection?

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 Needs Identification (cont...)

I Five steps for determine the needs:

Figure 11: Steps for determine the needs

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 Needs Identification (cont...)
Step 1: Gather Raw Data from Users
I Effective Data Collection Methods

Figure 12: Raw data collection methods

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 Needs Identification (cont...)

I This is often accomplished via interviews with supervisors, key users, or people from the client organization.

I The advantage of interviews and focus groups is that they provide the opportunity for dialogue with the user
where new ideas, concepts, and needs may emerge.

I Another option is direct observation, where the team goes out and examines the system in use and develops
concepts for improving it.
I The following questions to ask during an interview:
1. When and why do you use this type of product (system)?
2. Walk us through a typical session using the product.
3. What do you like about the existing products?
4. What do you dislike about the existing products?
5. What issues do you Consider when purchasing the product?
6. What improvements would you make to the product?

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 Needs Identification (cont...)

Step 2: Interpret the Raw Data in Terms of Needs

I In this step the raw data is translated into customer needs.

I The needs are expressed in terms of what the system must do (a requirement) as opposed to how it is done.

I Statements of the customer’s needs are known as marketing requirements or marketing specifications.

I Marketing requirements are short sentences that describe the need in the language of the customer.

I For example, Marketing Requirements (needs) for a system Car Audio Amplifier
1. The system should have excellent sound quality.
2. The system should have high output power.
3. The system should be easy to install.
4. The system should have low cost.

I The customer says regarding performance, but says nothing about how it will be achieved.

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 Needs Identification (cont...)
I Example: Screwdriver Project

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 Needs Identification (cont...)

I Example: Needs (Marketing Requirements) for Cocktail Maker

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 Needs Identification (cont...)
Step 3: Organize Needs into a Hierarchy

I The marketing requirements are organized into a

hierarchy of needs arranged from the most general to
the most specific in successive levels of detail as
required by the problem.

I It is organized by functional similarity, not as

hierarchy of importance (that is the next step).

I This hierarchy is referred to as an objective tree.

I The three high-level objectives determined were

high-quality audio, portable, and easy to use.

I Each of these is further subdivided into the

characteristics that support the higher level.
Figure 13: Objective tree for a portable audio device to
I For example, portability is divided into the needs of be used by runners. The weights reflect the relative
importance of needs at each level in the hierarchy as
lightweight, small, ergonomic, and the ability to determined in Step 4 of the process.
operate in the environment.
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 Needs Identification (cont...)

I Example: Objective Tree for Cocktail Maker

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 Needs Identification (cont...)

Step 4: Determine the Relative Importance of the Needs

I The relative importance of the needs is based upon problem is shown in Table
the user needs.
I Pairwise comparison is a good technique for
determining relative importance and weighting of
needs.
I In pairwise comparison, all needs are systematically
compared to all other needs at the same level in the Figure 14: Pairwise comparison matrix for ranking the
highest-level needs of the portable audio device. This
hierarchy. comparison should be carried out for all levels of the
I An example pairwise comparison table for this objective tree.

Step 5: Review the Outcomes and the Process

I The three outcomes of this process are the marketing requirements that identify the needs, an objective tree
that provides a hierarchical representation of the needs, and a ranking of the relative importance of needs.

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 The Research Survey

The Research Survey

I It is important to conduct a thorough research survey while defining the project concept.

I During the research phase, competing systems and technologies are identified, and on the basis of this work,
the project concept is refined, or in some cases abandoned.

I The objective is to develop an understanding of the underlying scientific principles and demonstrate a
familiarity with the state of the art in the particular field.
I Some questions to be answered in the research survey are:
• What is the basic theory behind the concept?
• How is it currently being done?
• What are the limitations of current designs or technology?
• What are the similarities and differences between your concept and existing technologies?
• Are there existing or patented technologies that may be relevant to the design? If so, what are they and why are
they relevant?

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 The Research Survey (cont...)
Internet Searching
I The Internet is a powerful, fast, and readily accessible source for conducting research.

I There are many excellent search engines for locating web resources
www .altavista.com, www .AskJeeves.com, urww .google.com, wzow .kartoo.com, andwww .yahoo.com

I It is important to analyze websites to ensure that they are reliable and credible.

I Carefully determine whether the information is subjecňtive opinion or possibly a commercial for a product.
Credible sites should provide references to original sources of material.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Resources
I There are many websites with specialized search capabilities related to electrical and computer engineering
design.

• www .EEProductCenter .com • www .EETimes.com

• www .CircuitCellar .com • www .EDNmag.com
• www .DatasheetCatalog.com • www .OnSemi.com
• www .ddj.corn • www .ThomasRegister .com

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 The Research Survey (cont...)
Government Resources
I Below you will find a list of Korean Research Institutions
1. Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) → (http://eng.kist.re.kr/kist_eng/main/)
2. Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) → (https://www.kbsi.re.kr/eng)
3. Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) → (https://www.kfe.re.kr/eng/index)
4. Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) → (https://www.kasi.re.kr/eng/index)
5. Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) →
(https://www.kribb.re.kr/eng2/main/main.jsp)
6. Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) → (https://kisti.re.kr/eng/)
7. Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) → (https://eng.kitech.re.kr/main/)
8. Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) → (https://www.etri.re.kr/eng/main/main.etri)
9. National Security Research Institute (NSRI) → (https://www.nst.re.kr/nst_en/)
10. Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) → (https://www.kriss.re.kr/eng/)
11. Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) → (https://www.kigam.re.kr/english/)
12. Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) → (https://www.kimm.re.kr/eng)
13. Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) → (https://www.kims.re.kr/?lang=en)
14. Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) → (https://www.kari.re.kr/eng.do)
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 The Research Survey (cont...)
15. Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) → (https://www.kier.re.kr/eng/)
16. Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) → (https://www.keri.re.kr/html/en/)
17. Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) → (https://english.krict.re.kr/eng/main)
18. Korea Institute of Toxicology (KITOX) → (https://www.kitox.re.kr/)
19. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) → (https://www.kaeri.re.kr/eng/)
20. Korea Food Research Institute (KFRI) → (https://www.kfri.re.kr/)
21. World Institute of Kimchi (WIKIM) → (https://www.wikim.re.kr/index.es?sid=a2)
22. Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM) → (https://www.kiom.re.kr/eng/)
23. Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) → (https://www.kict.re.kr/eng/)
24. Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) → (https://www.krri.re.kr/html/en/)
Journal and Conference Papers
I ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) https : //www .acm.org/
I IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) https : //ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/home.jsp
I ScienceDirect (Elsevier’s premier platform of peer-reviewed literature) https : //www .sciencedirect.com/
I Springer Nature https : //link.springer .com/
I Engineering Village https : //www .engineeringvillage.com/home.url
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 Needs and Objectives Statements
Needs and Objectives Statements
I Two parts of the problem statement are the needs and objectives statements.

I The needs statement identifies and motivates the need for the project and should:
• Briefly and clearly state the need being addressed.
• Not provide a solution to the problem.
• Provide supporting information collected .
• Provide any supporting statistics and anecdotes that support the need.
• Describe current limitations.
• Describe supporting processes that are needed to understand the need. This is particularly important in
industry-sponsored projects having specific needs that may not be clear to the average person.

I The objectives statement typically ranges from one or two sentences to one or two paragraphs and should:
• Summarize what is being proposed to meet the need.
• Provide some preliminary design objectives (detailed requirements are developed later).
• Provide a preliminary description of the technical solution, avoiding a detailed deňscription of the
implementation. Often the input and output behavior of the system are described. The complete solution is not
usually posted until after the engineering requirements are fully determined.

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 Needs and Objectives Statements (cont...)

Example 2.2 iPod Hands-Free Device Needs and Objectives.

I Need: According to Applelnsider, approximately 10.3 million people owned iPods at the end of 2004 and
many of the owners used them while operating their automobiles. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration estimates that driver distraction is a contributing cause of 20 to 30 percent of all motor
vehicle crashesor 1.2 million accidents per year. One research study has estimated that driver inattention
may cause as many as 10,000 deaths each year and approximately 40USD billion in damages. iPods can
present a distraction to drivers that is similar to that of cell phones in that the driver’s attention is divided
between controlling the steering wheel, watching the road, and navigating controls on the iPod. A system is
needed to allow users to navigate among the music selections of their iPod without distracting their
attention from the road.

I Objective: The objective of this project is to design and prototype a device that will make the iPod safer to
use while driving an automobile, by allowing hands-free control of the iPod. The device will interact with
the user, using spoken English statements. The user will be able to issue simple voice commands to the
device to control the operation of the iPod. In turn, the device will communicate information verbally, such
as song titles that are displayed on the iPod screen, to the user.

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 Needs and Objectives Statements (cont...)

Example 2.3 Experimental Design Problem Needs and Objectives.

I Need: Our industry sponsor is investigating the performance of commercial-grade gigaňbit Ethernet fiber
optic equipment for computer data communications in a military enviňronment. The proposed system will
utilize an Intel Pro1000 XF server card. This is a harsh operating environment and its effects on the
performance and lifetime of the equipment are unknown. The client wishes to understand how the military
environment affects the optical power margin of the Intel Pro 1000 XF card and associated connectors and
cabling.

I Objective: The goal of this project is to design the experimental equipment and test procedures to
determine the effects of temperature variations and vibration on the optical power margin and the operating
lifespan of the system.

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 Needs and Objectives Statements (cont...)
Portable Aerial Surveillance Needs and Objectives.
I Need: Emergencies happen all across the world, all of the time. There are nearly 2,000,000 reported fires in
the United States every year, and over 90 tactical activations of Pennsylvania’s Special Emergency Response
Team, which handles barricaded suspects and hostage situations. There have been over 100 documented
riots in the United States in the past century, with the Los Angeles Riot alone causing 1usd billion in
damage. Having an aerial view of these situations would be a great benefit to the emergency workers on the
ground. For example, police may have to monitor a large crowd or a hostage situation where aerial
surveillance would allow them to observe the situation from a safe distance and use the footage as evidence
in court. Firefighters could use aerial surveilňlance to examine fire-damaged buildings and search for victims
through the windows of high-rise buildings. In large cities, emergency organizations often employ helicopters
for aerial surveillance. However, in smaller rural towns, helicopters either take too long to reach the scene
from a nearby city or they are too expensive to afford. The least expensive two-seat helicopters cost over
400,000usd, while new helicopters cost well over a milňlion dollars with average operating costs of
400—1000 per hour. There is a need for a low-cost aerial device that can provide emergency workers with
overhead surveillance of emergency situations.
I Objective: The objective of this project is to design a device that will provide emergency workers with a live
aerial view of a situation at a cost that small municipalities can afford. The device will deploy rapidly and
record and log video. The camera will also include pan and zoom functionality to make identification of
victims and suspects easier.
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 Project Application: The Problem Statement

Project Application: The Problem Statement

I A format for a problem statement that integrates the elements of this chapter is as follows:

1. Need: A statement that identifies the needs of the project.

2. Objective: Describes the concept proposed to meet the needs identified.

3. Background: A summary of the research survey on the relevant technologies and systems. The objective is to
provide an introductory answer to the questions posed in Section 2.5. The length and content of this section
varies, depending upon the project.

4. Marketing Requirements: Short statements describe the user needs.

5. Objective Tree: A hierarchical representation of the needs based on functional similarity with the relative weights
of the needs identified.

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