Technical Director Responsibilities

These important guidelines are for sponsoring companies, and their appointment of a Technical Director for a ELECOMP Capstone Design Team. Our electrical (ELE) and computer (COMP) engineering students, in their senior year, are very excited to work on real-world engineering problems with excellent corporate clients.

All electrical and computer engineering seniors in our department are required to work on a multi-disciplinary and team-oriented capstone design project, for 2 full semesters, over the academic year. This project will allow them to fully engage in the design process, teamwork and project management as well as use their problem-solving skills.

The following summarizes the key roles and responsibilities of those involved in ELECOMP Capstone Design Program:

• Capstone Design Program Director: Professor Harish Sunak. He recruits corporate sponsored projects, and department faculty advisors on as-needed basis, assigns students to teams depending on their “passion statement,” and stewards the URI/corporate relationship. He also oversees all activities, including instruction, and also posts the final grades, after suitable feedback and evaluation scores from the Technical Director of the project.
• ECBE Department Faculty Advisors: These advisors, approached on as-needed basis by the Program Director, provide their subject-matter expertise and knowledge specific to the project requirements. They provide guidance to the team as they execute their project. The onus is on the team to seek these advisors whenever needed. (ECBE stands for our department: Electrical, Computer & Biomedical Engineering)
• Technical Director: An individual from the sponsoring company, who serves as the technical point of contact for the team, represents the company’s interests, directs the team as they work on the project, and facilitates technology transfer during the project. He provides the subject-matter expertise and is the point of contact for the project from the industry side. The Technical Director also recruits other key subject-matter experts from within the company to further guide the team on specific key aspects of the project.

These “associate” Technical Directors will acknowledge that time and support will be required, as determined by the Technical Director; this could be significant depending on the importance of the project and the phase of the project.

The role of the Technical Director is extremely important in the learning process of our students and the success of the sponsored project. In order to help the his/her team achieve success, the Technical Director needs to:

• Mentor the team throughout the project, so that students can get a corporate experience.
• Mentor the students with new technology used in their company.
• Guide the team to meet benchmarks.
• Foster teamwork.
• Foster high quality communication and professionalism.

Expectations of the Technical Director

As a Technical Director, you can expect to spend an average of 3-5 hours per week working with your team and also for other support/emails to reports submitted by the team. This does vary, depending on the scope of the project and the number of students in the team, which can vary between 2 and 4 members. Fridays, 2-5pm, is dedicated capstone project time for the teams to work with their Technical Directors, either on campus or at the company facility. Depending on the availability of the team members, other mutually convenient times during the week, can be arranged. Have in mind that each phase of a project may require more or less supervision than another; more will be required during October and November, at the start of the project.

Some of the tasks expected are listed below:

• Provide a clear description of the project, with expectations, goals and Best Outcome for the team. See example of the Hayward Pool Products’ “Smart Water Feature Valve which regulated water flow via sensing and remote controls.” Go to “Current Academic Year projects”; it is the 3^rd project on the list.

• Present a 15-minute overview to all students on the 2^nd Friday after the Fall Semester starts in early September. Students will contact the Technical Director to set up a kick-off meeting soon after the teams have been formed by the Program Director. They will also provide their resume and “passion statement.” This will occur on the 3^rd Friday. This is an important meeting as it is the first opportunity for the team to gather information about the project background, requirements, and functional specifications. The Technical Director should be ready to provide the team with the project goals and initial requirements and define expectations. Work with the team to negotiate and approve a final project specification.
• Hold regular team meetings
  During the course of the project, the Technical Director will meet regularly with the team. Weekly meetings, on Friday afternoon or other times, are required so that the project time lines are met. During these meetings provide students with feedback, suggestions for improvement, and help them manage schedule, budget, etc. Experience has shown that meetings with the team on an as-needed basis, or waiting on the team to initiate meetings, are NOT good strategies.
• Regularly check the progress of the project
  The Technical Director should monitor the progress of the project. Weekly Progress Reports (WPRs) are submitted by the team every Sunday evening, starting in October of the Fall Semester. Feedback on these reports on Monday, is extremely important.
• Maintain open communication with the Capstone Design Program Director.
  The Capstone Design Program Director is the primary point of contact to address any issue related to the project. Maintaining open lines of communication throughout the project establishes a good foundation for a successful project outcome. Keep him informed about any major change in the project or any problem with the team.
• Provide guidance while writing reports and preparing oral presentations
  Written and oral communications are emphasized in this course. As part of the course deliverables, the team must submit 2 major Progress Reports each semester and give one final oral presentation, that is graded by the Program Director. The team is required to make a practice presentation to the Technical Director and others within the company. This is for possible improvement, and also to make sure that no material violates the Non-Disclosure Agreement, previously signed by the team members.
• Develop an effective team.
  The Technical Director should engage students to work effectively as a team by encouraging them to share their work in a manner that takes advantage of individual strengths, skills, and interests. Sometimes teams need help managing their schedule and workload.
• Participate in assessments.
  Technical Directors will be asked to provide scores regarding the team performance and the written Report, as well as the Individual Technical Contributions, of each team member. Other parameters will include: team participation, on-time attendance, project leadership, enthusiasm during team discussions, questions asked, hours worked during the reporting period, etc. A general assessment of the capstone program will be collected through a survey at the end of the year.

Tips for Success

To succeed as a Technical Director, and in the project, here are some suggestions that might help:

• If possible, have successful and experienced Technical Directors give training to new Technical Directors.
• Communicate regularly with the team and, whenever necessary, with the Program Director.
• Be available throughout the project.
• Set clear and achievable goals; define the Best Outcome of the project and how this will benefit the company in the near term.
• Provide the students with tools necessary to succeed.
• Demand constant professionalism and high performance from the team.
• Be realistic of what a team of 2-5 students can accomplish.
• Scope expectations of the project to about 400-600 hours/team per semester. (Each student is expected to work an average of 12 hours per week on the project. This amounts to 180 hours for a 15-week semester. For a team of 3 students, the total amounts to 540 hours per semester.)
• Recruit other key subject-matter experts from within the company to further guide the team on specific key aspects of the project. Also obtain their time commitment; this could be significant depending on the importance of the project and the phase of the project

We hope these guidelines will help you understand the critical role of a Technical Director and how to succeed in this role. We look forward to working with you and are open to any suggestions to improve.

• Contact the ELECOMP Capstone Program Director, Professor Harish Sunak, with any questions, comments or suggestions.

SUMMARY

Technical Director: Roles & Responsibilities

The involvement of the company is crucial for the success of the project and the learning process for the student.

Once the company fully commits to work with a team, it assigns a Technical Director, who serves as the technical point of contact for the team, represents the company’s interests, and assists the team as they work on the project.

To help the team succeed, the Technical Director must:

• Mentor the team so students can get a corporate experience.
• Help the students with new technology used in the company.
• Guide the team to meet benchmarks.
• Foster teamwork.
• Encourage high-quality communication and professionalism.

Previous Technical Directors recommend the following as best practices:

• Weekly meetings, of 1 to 2 hours.
• Weekly Progress Reports (WPR).
• Give feedback on WPRs.
• Designate one person to be the point of contact, usually the team leader.
• Hold the team accountable for its schedule.
• Propose a project doable in 30 weeks
• Make sure the team understands the Best Outcomes of the design Project and how these will add value to the company.