From Students…

…to Professionals

The Capstone Experience

01/19: Project Plan

Dr. Wayne DyksenJames Mariani

Luke SperlingDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering

Michigan State UniversitySpring 2021

Project Plan

➢Functional Specifications

• Design Specifications

• Technical Specifications

The Capstone Experience Project Plan 2

Functional Specifications

• What does it do? (Not “how” does it do it?)▪ What’s your client’s problem?▪ What’s your solution?

• Includes▪ List of Objectives▪ Use Caseso Vignetteso Of How User Would Use of Your System

• Not Necessarily Complete• Understandable by End User• Initial Problem Statement• Usually Refined

The Capstone Experience Project Plan 3

Functional Specifications Examples

• Amazon▪ Detect and Predict Abuse and Fraud▪ On Amazon Seller Accounts▪ To Give Sellers Peace of Mind

• Delta Dental Data Science▪ Recommend Custom Insurance Benefits to Customers▪ Based on Significant Historical Data▪ With a Machine Learning Model

• Vectorform▪ Improve Remote Employee Training▪ With Collaborative AR Training Platform▪ That Integrates with Microsoft Teams

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Understandable by End User

Functional SpecificationsInteractions With Your Client

• Derived With/From Client

• Documented For Client

• Presented to Client

• Agreed Upon With Client

• Your Job to Capture the Client’s Intent!

The Capstone Experience Project Plan 5

Project Plan

✓Functional Specifications

➢Design Specifications

• Technical Specifications

The Capstone Experience Project Plan 6

Design Specifications

• What’s the user experience (UX)?▪ How does a user use it?▪ How does it look and fee?▪ What are the features?

• Includes▪ Business Process Flow▪ Specific Features▪ Use Cases▪ Screen Mockups▪ Data Flow Diagrams▪ Data Organization▪ Etc…

• Identifies All the Parts and Their Interactions• (Mostly) Understandable by End User• Usually Refined

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Design Specifications Examples

• Auto-Owners▪ Navigate Entire Site only with Voice▪ Ask Clarifying Questions if User Intent is Unclear▪ Dashboard for Admins to Track Analytics

• Rocket Mortgage▪ Gather User Feedback▪ Indicate Specific Events of Interest▪ Store Speakers’ Talk Information▪ Submit Talks for Acceptance

▪ United Airlines Airport Operations▪ Ensure All Arrival Tasks are Completed▪ With Real-time Detection of Aircraft Movements▪ Using a Computer Vision Model▪ Using Camera Systems in Airports▪ Give Real-time Notifications for Missed TasksThe Capstone Experience Project Plan 8

MostlyUnderstandable

by End User

Screen Mockups

• User Interface Only▪ Shows Layout, Buttons, Pull-Downs, Etc…▪ Non-Functional▪ No Back End

• Helpful for Developing▪ Functional Specifications▪ Look-and-Feel▪ Use Cases

• Can Create with…▪ Pencil and Paper▪ PowerPoint (Developer View)▪ Photoshop▪ Etc…

• Embed Mockups in Platform Frames▪ Web Browsers and Mobile Devices▪ Eliminate Shadows▪ See mockuphone.com

• NOT Screen Captures of Other Software

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Screen Mockups

• “Use” with Clients

▪ Show to Clients

▪ Go Through Use Cases with Clients

• “Cruder” may be better.

▪What?

▪Why?

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Screen Mockup Example

The Capstone Experience 11Project Plan

Screen Mockups Example

The Capstone Experience 12Project Plan

Screen Mockups Example

The Capstone Experience 13Project Plan

Design SpecificationsInteractions With Your Client

• Derived With/From Client

• Documented For Client

• Presented to Client

• Agreed Upon With Client

• Your Job to Capture the Client’s Intent!

The Capstone Experience Project Plan 14

Project Plan

✓Functional Specifications

✓Design Specifications

➢Technical Specifications

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Technical Specifications [1 of 2]

• How does it do it?• Identifies All the Parts and Their Interactions• Everything a Developer Needs to Write the Code• Includes Things Like…▪ Overall System Architecture▪ Machine Architectures▪ Software Technologies▪ Algorithms▪ Production Environments▪ Development Environments▪ SDK’s (Software Development Kits)▪ Network Topology▪ Database Schema▪ Continued…

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Technical Specifications [2 of 2]

• Includes Things Like…▪ Object Models and Class Diagrams▪ UML Diagrams▪ Pseudo Code▪ Function Prototypes▪ Schedule▪ Test Plan▪ Risk Analysis▪ Etc…

• Probably Not Understandable by End User• Usually Refined

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Technical Specifications Examples

• Herman Miller▪ Google Analytics▪ AWS Data Pipeline▪ AWS DynamoDB▪ Angular▪ Twilio

▪ Mozilla / Firefox▪ JavaScript▪ HTML▪ C++▪ Mercurial▪ Phabricator▪ Windows / macOS / Linus

• TechSmith▪ C# / .NET Core▪ Azure▪ JavaScript▪ Docker

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Probably NotUnderstandable

by End User

System Architecture Example

The Capstone Experience 19Project Plan

System Architecture Example

The Capstone Experience 20Project Plan

System Architecture Example

The Capstone Experience 21Project Plan

Approach

• Break Big Problems Into Smaller Problems

• Identify Constraints

• Identify “Risks”—Things You Don’t…▪…Know

▪…Understand

▪…Know How To Do

• Consider Tradeoffs

• Select Appropriate Technologies

• Identify Core Features for a Prototype

The Capstone Experience Project Plan 22

Technical SpecificationsInteractions With Your Client

• Derived With/From Client

• Documented For Client

• Presented to Client

• Agreed Upon With Client

• Your Job to Capture the Client’s Intent!

Cannot be emphasized enough!

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Project Plan Summary

• Specifications

▪ Functional: What does it do?

▪ Design: How does it look and feel?

▪ Technical: How does it do it?

• Testing Plan

• Schedule

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How To’s [1 of 4]

• Quickly identify…▪ …what you don’t know,▪ …what you don’t understand, and▪ …what you don’t know how to do.

• Conceptually…▪ Start with functional specifications.

o Get agreement with client.o Include as first part of project plan.

▪ Do design specifications.o Get agreement with client.o Include as 2nd part of project plan.

▪ Do technical specifications.o Get agreement with client.o Include as 3rd part of project plan.

▪ Do schedule.▪ Do development, testing, and deployment.

• In CSE498, must do all three in parallel (and iterate).

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How To’s [2 of 4]

• Approach▪ Make Skeleton Document Immediatelyo Will Get You Organized and Focusedo Include “Under Construction” Sections (Totally Empty)

▪ Develop In Parallel When Possible But…o Complete Functional Firsto Complete Design Secondo Complete Technical Third

▪ Refine As Needed▪ Assign Sections to Team Members▪ Share with Cliento Ask For (Specific) Feedbacko Highlight What’s Newo Tricky Balance❖ Not Enough?❖ Too Much?

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“Is this what you had in mind?”

How To’s [3 of 4]

• Schedule Dictated By…▪ Course▪ Project Sponsor▪ Team▪ TAs

• Schedules > Major Milestones▪ 09/16: Status Report Presentations▪ 09/28: Project Plan Presentations▪ 10/19: Alpha Presentations▪ 11/16: Beta Presentations▪ 12/07: Project Videos▪ 12/09: All Deliverables ▪ Other Milestones By Educated Guesses

• Track To It At Least Weekly at Triage Meetings• Revisit Often and Revise If Necessary• Delivery Slippage == Graduation Slippage

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How To’s [4 of 4]

• “Living Document”

• Make Sure Your Project Plan Has…

▪ Cover Page

▪ Title

▪ Table of Content

▪ Page Numbers

▪ Headers and Footers

▪ Etc…

(That is, make sure your plan looks professional.)

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Interactions With Client

Client May Specify…• Requirements▪ Functional▪ Design▪ Technical Requirementso Operating Systemso Programming Languages and Environmentso Web Technologieso Etc…

▪ Legacy

• Milestones• Etc…(You may explore and propose other ideas.)

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Nota Bene: Project Plan

• Must Use Windows Microsoft Office▪ Word and PowerPoint▪ Included with Windows 10 VM.▪ Get it done now!▪ (Do not attempt to use anything other than Windows Microsoft Office.)

• How many…▪ …drafts will you write? Many.▪ …drafts will you share with your client? A Couple.▪ …final documents will you submit for CSE498? One

• Due Date▪ 11:59 p.m. ET, Wednesday, February 3▪ ~2.5 Weeks

• All-Hands Formal Presentations▪ February 4 – February 11▪ PowerPoint Template Provided

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Get on it, now!

Resources on the Web

• Other Links > DownloadsProject Plan Examples

▪ Fall 2019

oTeam Technology Services Group

oTeam United Airlines

▪ Spring 2020

oTeam MSUFCU

oTeam United Airlines Safety

• High Resolution Sponsor Logowww.capstone.cse.msu.edu/2021-01/projects/[team-name]/images/originals/sponsor-logo.pnghttp://www.capstone.cse.msu.edu/2021-01/projects/auto-owners/images/originals/sponsor-logo.png

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Project Plan

✓Functional Specifications

✓Design Specifications

✓Technical Specifications

The Capstone Experience Project Plan 32

Questions?

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