ECE 582: Electrical and Computer Engineering Design I

1
ECE 582 Electrical and Computer Engineering
Design I

• Memos, Documentation,
• and Team vs. Group

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Goals for this lecture

• Documenting Sources
• Memoranda Writing
• Discuss important issues in Team Writing
• Understand how to make it work
• Discuss teamwork experience to date

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Documenting Sources

• Chapter 14 in Pocket Book of Technical Writing
  by Finkelstein.

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Documenting Sources

• When to document sources
• Information is not common knowledge
• Idea used that you did not create
• Why document?
• Give formal credit
• Legal requirements
• Academic Standards
• Establish credibility

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How to Document Sources

• Parenthetical documentation
• Source citation in parenthesis/brackets
• The development of a requirement specification
  described in 2 allows engineers to create
  products based on clearly defined criteria rather
  than whimsy.
• List of references at the end
• Correspond to citations
• List of sources at the end
• Not cited, but used to develop ideas

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Examples

• Books
• 1 J. Eric Salt and Robert Rothery, Design for
  Electrical and Computer Engineers. New York, NY
  John Wiley Sons, INC., 2002.
• Journals
• 2 Changku Hwang, A Very Low Frequency,
  Micropower, Low Voltage CMOS Oscillator for
  Noncardiac Pacemakers, IEEE Trans. Circuits and
  Systems, vol. 42, Nov. 1995, pp 962-965.
• Electronic References
• 3 PIC18F1230/1330 Data Sheet. Microchip,
  http//ww1.
• microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/39758c.pdf
  
• (Accessed May 1, 2007)

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Memoranda Writing

• Chap. 18 Finkelstein
• Less formal than letters
• Often used for interoffice communication
• Also used to document certain events or
  agreements

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Outline

• Date The date the letter or memo will be sent
• To Recipients name, title
• From Senders name and organization/office
• (Often is signed or initialed by the sender)
• Re Refers to the subject or purpose
• Body First Paragraph A summary of what will
  follow.
• Follow-on paragraph(s) Supporting materials
  and explanations
• Summary paragraph Either a summary, a final
  pitch, or a line that invites a response.

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Teams vs Groups

• Work Groups
• Share space, interact frequently, personally
  acquainted
• Low interdependence to get work done
• Meetings focus on
• Sharing information
• Perspectives
• Best practices
• Discussing problems

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Teams

• Work Teams
• Assembly of people with complementary skills
• Committed to common purpose and goals
• Mutual accountability (team members responsible
  for results other than their own)

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Groups II

• May unintentionally work at cross purposes
• Members may compete
• Sum of whole the sum of the potential of
  individual participant

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Teams II

• Work products/services require joint efforts
• Decide among themselves how to proceed to
  accomplish work
• Synergistic benefit
• ? Sum of whole gt the sum of the potential of
  individuals

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Team Writing

• Motivation
• Grades
• Interest
• Graduation
• Experience something to talk about in a job
  interview

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Future Team Tasks

• Designate a team leader
• Qualified
• Listens to other members
• Ensure consistency
• Keep project on track

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Team Tasks II

• Identify skills of team members
• Courses taken
• Abilities / Interests
• Assign project areas who is responsible for
  what
• Project work

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Team Tasks III

• Document Assembly
• Individuals write sections of document for their
  assigned areas
• Team Writer integrates, modifies, rewords, or
  smoothes out to create a draft report
• All team members review entire document
• Independent review
• Understand complete system
• Correct problems found in review
• Create final report

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Teamwork Discussion

• What has been effective?
• What problems have been encountered?
• How were you able to resolve problems?