Exercise: Follow up on construction learning points

Relate the actions in the construction exercise to concepts of:

• Quality/Cost/Time/Scope.
• Reqs-Analysis/Eval-Sourcing/Development-Test-Implement/Use-Maintain.

Ask yourself:

• How did your group organise the construction work?
• Is there a 'best' way to organise the construction activity?
• How many people can work on the job at once?
• At what point does adding more people make the job slower?
• What happens when you change the shift (give the job to new workers)?
• What is the design?
• Who did the design?
• Where was/is the design work done?
• Would the exercise be improved if the instructions were in colour?
• What did you do when you couldn't find a piece?
• Did your group experience any setbacks?
• When an error occurred what was the root cause of the problem?
• Task completion time ranged from 20 to 40 mins (some groups do not complete).
• How can we account for the large variation in group performance?
• Would your performance improve if you built it again?
• Would you performance improve if you built it a third time, a fourth time?
• What if you discovered the grey pieces were faulty after making 100 units?

Take the following short survey to reflect on your understanding of this exercise
(Click here n.b. SurveyMonkey registration may be required)

Nice quotes:

"The pieces are the design, there is a lot of the design tied up in the actual pieces, you can do some things, you can't do others." 

"The elements and sub-parts are 'designed' too, the design goes from the low level right up through to the high level" 

"We had to improvise, you know, to understand a diagram you have to play around with it, see it from different angles, to really make sense of it." 

"The design is our process, our involvement in translating from one thing, the printed instructions, to the other, the thing we built."

Seminar: "Build the Thing Right"

Our next seminar, on Thursday 4th of June from 2pm to 6pm, will be hosted in the Innovation Lounge - Bank of Ireland, 1 Grand Canal Square, Docklands, Dublin 2.

Introduction

Digital design and development is the innovation engine of the ICT-enable organisation. However collaborative production and delivery of robust systems presents significant challenges and team issues. This module provides an understanding of approaches used by professionals in this vital function, from the perspective of managers who supervise developers or liaise with them during innovation projects.

Scope

The seminar's theme is "Build the thing right".

The focus for this session is on techniques and processes used for managing design and development to deliver value. We cover current issues of the management of software production ranging from traditional sequential engineering approaches through to agile and lean methods. We consider how lifecycles and methodologies are employed to balance the tension between requirements for orderly production and the need to respond to change.
We will review key perspectives on the systems development lifecycle including:

a). Requirements,
b). Implementation,
c). Maintenance,
d). Evaluation.

Practical exercises will illustrate the dynamics of design and coordination activity on teams. The goal is to highlight prevailing assumptions around the design process and contrast these against empirical evidence generated from the exercise. Implications for planning and management are discussed.

Exercise: Guindon Design Activities
Exercise: Planning Battleship

People, Empathy and Design

Putting Anthropology to Work: People, Empathy and Design. SILS Seminar — MIS Subject Area Web http://ow.ly/Nlgtl

Thoughts on recording classroom sessions...

UCD does not currently have a policy on lecture recordings made by students from the general population.

In view of this I adopt the following policy for my own classes.
In general I do not record or permit recording of my classes for the following reasons.
Classroom discussions may involve confidential disclosure, personal opinions, and draw on privileged information, from students, guests and lecturers. Furthermore the learning process may itself be compromised if being recorded i.e. students may be reluctant to offer opinions.
In certain instances I will permit recording and release edited output, for example to produce additional learning materials or as a statement of record.

First some principles:

Ask permission first. Permission may be withheld.

No copyright is conferred therefore no copies should be made nor should they be distributed to others. Likewise no backup copy to be made.

The recording should be destroyed after a reasonable time, i.e. after reviewing and making notes, less than 3 months.

Turn off the recorder when requested.

Paraphrasing the University of Warwick policy: I believe that attendance in class is an important formative experience and that note taking during class is an important skill that must be practiced to be learnt. Therefore as a general point, recordings are not made to overcome class absence. Absentee students (whether due to illness, work, or other incapacity) have access to the slides and extensive notes provided on the website. 

Unless otherwise permitted by prior consent:

1. Permission is sought by whomever is recording part of a class.

2. Recordings are to be deleted after use.
3. No copyright is given.

4. No distribution allowed.

From time to time, if I (the lecturer) determine a need to record, photograph or video part of a class or exercise I will notify and seek the permission of those involved.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/aro/dar/quality/recordinglectures/
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/sas2/quality/recordinglectures

This statement does not negate UCD's guidelines for students with special access requirements (link).

Readings: The ISO and SDLC in the workplace

Fishman, C. (1996) They Write the Right Stuff. Fast Company.

Wareham, E. M. (1994) ISO 9000 and the very small firm. IEE Review, 40, 207-09.

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Read the articles and provide a thoughtful observation or question (post to your blog).

Exercise: Follow-up on the NATO Conferences on Software Engineering

Reflection on the key issues discussed in Naur & Randell "NATO Conference on Software Engineering," 1968 (link) and Randell & Buxton "Software Engineering Techniques; NATO Conference Proceedings," 1969 (link).

In no particular order...

• Operational problems
• Control
• Project failure
• Changing requirements
• Scope management
• Documentation
• Reacting to change
• Costs
• User involvement/input
• Software limitations
• Time to delivery
• Design standards
• Testing
• Design as art
• Scale of project
• Knowledge is a scarce resource
• Production problems
• Resistance to change
• Brittle nature of software
• Hardware limitations
• Interoperability of systems
• Ripple effect in society/market/users
• Management methods
• Communication
• Clear requirements
• Design process
• Coordination
• Team stability

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Click here to take a survey on the key issues

Exercise: Crowdsourcing research methods

Objectives (5') - S1-S2 

To quickly identify examples of interpretive research methods
To conduct independent research
To experience and reflect on group work
Note: This exercise helps you prepare for the research project which must employ at least two different research methods to conduct the empirical study (see ID Look, ID Learn, ID Ask, ID Try).

Transition (5')

Identify groups

1x IDEO cards to each student

Independent research starts (10') - S3 

In groups of 2 or 3

• Critically evaluate one of the research methods provided.
• Identify an actual example or extrapolate and suggest how the method could be used (without visual props). 
• 10' to read, research and prepare of which 5' quiet time.

Presentation delivery (40')

20x 2-minute presentations (introducing each member and systems experience) and field one quick Q&A on the subject matter.