Project Reporting System (PRS) Subgroup - Oliver Skuza and
Hillary Schuster
The Project Reporting System (PRS) was designed
in order to eliminate the old way IPRO teams submitted their deliverables.
Previously IPRO teams submitted all documents, programs and designs,
via folders. The PRS is the electronic version of those folders. The
PRS also serves as a place to find information regarding guidelines,
methodologies, grading criteria and examples to help prepare the various
IPRO deliverables and to help teams manage their projects. Creating
the PRS was a challenging process, and the program is useable. However,
the PRS in its current form is not perfect. Thus, the PRS subgroup was
formed to recommend improvements to the system.
The PRS subgroup has identified areas in which
changes are necessary. Moreover, the group identified the steps that
need to be taken in order to make improvements. From start to finish,
problem solving was a synthesis of group members from different academic
backgrounds, which included Psychology, Design and Computer Science
majors while working with at least one faculty member. Although operational
problems are currently being addressed, further changes to the usability
of the PRS will be made in the near future.
The final task for the PRS group this semester
will be to gather feedback from members of other IPRO teams to determine
if current changes were successful and to find out what further changes
need to be made.
Development of Criteria for evaluating IPRO Deliverables
- Izabela Bakunowska, Edda Molina, Mohammed Chowdhury, and Giang Vo
The Development of Criteria for evaluating IPRO
Deliverables is an important process that the IPRO 339 team undertook.
It is important for several reasons. The purpose of the IPRO team projects
is to engage students in an interesting and valuable project, as well
as to give them an opportunity to practice and learn how to effectively
communicate though writing reports. Thus, it is significant to present
the criteria to teams, so that they include all significant information
in the reports they write. Moreover, the teams need to be aware of what
is expected from them. Lastly, the reports need to be evaluated and
feedback given to the teams, thus the criteria enable a qualified person
to do that.
This subgroup has developed and begun testing three
sets of criteria, one for each: project plan report, midterm progress
report and final project report. Moreover, the team has tested the criteria
for inter-rater reliability. The next semester's IPRO 339 team will
put the criteria to work, by evaluating deliverables of Spring 2004
teams, as well as for Summer 2004 teams.
Organization of Briefings - Michelle L.
Chen
The briefings are very important, as the IPRO 339,
team employed by the IPRO office can assist other teams understanding
and improving the IPRO process. Thus, every member of the IPRO 339 conducted
the briefing sessions.
The IPRO 339 team briefed other 34 IPRO teams about
the importance of IPRO learning objectives, the IPRO Project Reporting
System, the debriefing sessions and the IPRO Project Conference Day
layout and awards criteria. It was especially important to explain the
six learning objectives, which are: development and strengthening of
multidisciplinary teamwork skills; effective use of communication methods;
effective project management; effective engagement in real world problem;
the benefits of participation in the project to gain a desire for life-long
learning; and an ENPRO objective: to gain awareness of business planning
principles and to learn how to apply them.
The feedback was gathered from the IPRO 339 team members who did briefings,
as well as from the IPRO faculty members, whose teams we visited.
Moreover, it assisted in the process of revising future briefings
scripts and processes. Moreover, the sub group coordinated briefings
for summer session.
