1. IE 8580 Module 1: Course Preliminaries
Lecture 1.2:
Capstone Design Project Overview

2. Scott J. Mason, mason@clemson.edu
Course Objectives
Identify capital projects industry opportunities to apply industrial engineering tools and techniques learned in the Master’s of Engineering with emphasis in Capital Project Supply Chain (“MEng”) curriculum
Apply a broad range of industrial engineering skills to solve these problems
Communicate the scope of and solution to these problems through both written and oral presentations
Document actual or potential savings in terms of ROI on MEng degree program costs
Scott J. Mason,

3. Scott J. Mason, mason@clemson.edu
Course Structure
Students work in teams of 1-3 members
Size of project team will correlate with project expectations and deliverables
Use IE 8580 discussion board for “Partner Wanted” ad?
Work with current employer or other firm to identify an applied project requiring MEng-specific skills
Potential for “project list” to be generated by companies to offer suggestions for project topics
Other student teams will iteratively define their project via regular discussions with course instructor (as quickly as possible)
Regular, frequent conference calls/online meetings with instructor early in the course will be necessary
Scott J. Mason,

4. Scott J. Mason, mason@clemson.edu
Project Roadmap
Define a general objective
Value Stream Mapping
Define/document the current “as is” situation and value to customer
Identify opportunities for improvement
Focus down to specific objective(s)
Estimate savings potential
Apply industrial engineering methods and techniques
Use MEng coursework and experience
Document (potential) improvements and resulting (estimated) savings
ROI and/or payback period in reference to degree cost
Scott J. Mason,

5. Scott J. Mason, mason@clemson.edu
Example Projects
Assessment of JIT inventory strategies for large capital project
Analyzing dispersed project execution office location options
Process improvement/re-design
Laydown yard design and sizing
Scott J. Mason,

6. Scott J. Mason, mason@clemson.edu
Course Structure (2)
Compile work into written PPT documents
Project Proposal Presentation
Final Project Presentation
PowerPoint-based oral presentation of results to MEng instructor
Interactive presentation with faculty feedback/input
Project client invited to attend final presentation or project team could make an additional (potentially higher level) briefing to client
Scott J. Mason,

7. Scott J. Mason, mason@clemson.edu
Course Requirements
Project Proposal Presentation
Early project definition and proposal submission can be accommodated if necessary
Three Project Status Updates
BlackBoard submission detailing
Prior week’s progress
Planned progress for this week
Issues or road blocks
May necessitate preemptive conference call with instructor
Scott J. Mason,

8. Course Requirements (2)
Project Final Presentation
Assessed by instructor for
Organization
Content
Content pertaining to project objectives, tasks, activities, and timeline
Deliverables
Delivery
Technical quality and accuracy
Completeness and clarity
Client acceptance (as documented by an to the instructor)
Scott J. Mason,

9. My “Unofficial” Course Project Goal
MEng project teams will strive to document actual or potential savings from their efforts in order to quantify their company’s ROI on their MEng degree program costs.
ROI could be measured against company’s existing rate for deciding on investment alternatives
Payback period could also be computed in terms of the length of the degree program
Scott J. Mason,

10. Scott J. Mason, mason@clemson.edu
Assessment Plan
Proposal presentations and final presentations all will be evaluated in terms of
Organization
Content pertaining to project objectives, tasks, activities, and timeline
Deliverables
Industrial engineering tools and techniques applied
Validity of the analysis and conclusions
Scott J. Mason,

11. What Makes a “Good” Project?
SMART
Specific
Measureable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely
Important to its owner
Ripe for IE skills application
Of interest to the student(s) pursuing it
Scott J. Mason,