1 SIGCSE Panel on Client-Sponsored Projects - T.C. Lethbridge Experiences with Client- Sponsored Projects (Project Assessment) Timothy C. Lethbridge University of Ottawa

2 SIGCSE Panel on Client-Sponsored Projects - T.C. Lethbridge Context: SEG 4000 at the University of Ottawa Capstone Project in Undergraduate Software Engineering Program –Full-year 4th-year project course Groups of 2-5 –Students must do their own project management –Other courses also have projects But in other courses, topics, technologies are often fixed –Students retain intellectual property unless they agree with their customer otherwise –They can be remunerated by customer But this is not normal, and is between them and the customer Must be distinct work from co-op work –Rules at:

3 SIGCSE Panel on Client-Sponsored Projects - T.C. Lethbridge The Customers/Clients It is an absolute requirement that students have customers: –“Each project is to have at least one defined customer – the person who has the problem you are solving” –Customer can be Somebody in a company The ‘open market’ o Students must in this case find people willing to beta test etc., to act as clients A professor (often in some other department) o Distinct from the professor who runs the course and marks the software engineering work

4 SIGCSE Panel on Client-Sponsored Projects - T.C. Lethbridge Who Finds the Customers? Students themselves –About 60% of the time –From their own contacts The professor running the course –The remaining 40% We haven’t had a problem finding customers

5 SIGCSE Panel on Client-Sponsored Projects - T.C. Lethbridge Evaluating the Course 25% by customer –Based on “customer satisfaction” –Simple forms filled out at half-way point and end –Questions: Is problem being adequately solved Quality of software Amount of communication with customer o For requirements, prototype evaluation, testing, etc. Remainder based on: –6 written reports (includes documentation) –Three Presentations –Software quality, project management, etc.

6 SIGCSE Panel on Client-Sponsored Projects - T.C. Lethbridge Conclusion SEG 4000 has been very successful –Students like it –Customers have been happy No problems with ‘bad’ groups or bad customers –Has run for 4 years now with same rules Workload for the co-ordinator has been rising –Per year: 70 students in about 24 groups We are under pressure to reduce it to a one-term course to save resources –Not enough time for a capstone SE project –I won’t let that happen!