Project Team Process Standards

The following document was adapted from the EGR386 (Spring 2000) American Project Team process standards. The original document written by Chad Davis, modified for the Wired Bliss Team by Mike Greene. The following changes have been made:

· Al references to the American Project Team have been changed to reference the Wired Bliss Project Team.

· The sections regarding interdisciplinary interaction and team manager interaction have been removed.

· The organizational chart has been removed.

· The liaison and project coordinator responsibilities have been replaced with team leader and project director positions.

· FAX and Client Contact guidelines were added to the communications section. Interface issues were removed.

· The Legal Issues section was changed to reflect the team leader position instead of team liaison.

1.2 Purpose Statement

The primary purpose of this document is to establish process standards for the Wired Bliss Wired Bliss project team. These include standards for the following:

· Team Management

· Team Communication

· Interface Management

· Producing Project Deliverables

· Changing Standards

Identifying and establishing team standards will allow our team to work more efficiently. Management standards will help project coordinators make quicker decisions. Communication standards will keep all team members informed of the status of the project. Interface management standards will ensure that all components of our project work together. Standards for project deliverables will significantly reduce the time that project coordinators spend organizing documents and presentations. Standards for changing standards will ensure that our team may modify this document if we find that any of these standards are inefficient or unfair to any of our team members.

This document is intended to be a reference manual for all members of the Wired Bliss project team. All members should follow the guidelines in this document throughout the duration of the project. This document will be the first resource for conflict resolution.

1.3 Team Information

The following table lists the members of the Wired Bliss Project team, and their contact information and responsibilities.

Table 1: Team Members

Team Member	Phone Number	Email Address	Responsibilities
Mike Greene	773-9119	Mg35@dana.ucc.nau.edu	Team Leader
Zane Miller	773-9119	Optimuspreyem@hotmail.com	Document Director
Sky Moule	523-2137	Sam38@dana.ucc.nau.edu	Presentation Director
Karl Martinson	522-9372	Kfm3@dana.ucc.nau.edu	Implementation

2. Management

2.1 Equitable Division of Labor

The workload for this project will be divided evenly between the four team members. This includes written project deliverables, presentations, research, design, and implementation. The skills matrix will be used to designate the lead team member for each particular task. The lead team member will be responsible for the completion of the task. The other team members will support the lead member based upon his or her ability.

2.2 Leader

The primary responsibility of a leader will be to work as an active team member within his or her project group. The leader will remain responsible for technical research, modeling, construction, and other areas of the project. The Leader will not only act as managers, they will participate in the project group to the same extent as other team members. The leader will also act as mediators and points of contact between group members groups. Leader will be responsible for keeping the group on task and for keeping the group updated about current project status.

2.2 Presentation Director

During the development of a presentation, the presentation director will:

· Enforce the standards set forth in this document.

· Ensure consistent slide formatting and organization.

· Ensure smooth subject transitions between slides and between presenters.

· Organize practice presentations.

· Inform all presenters of appropriate personal appearance for presenting.

Before a presentation begins, presentation director will:

· Check all equipment (e.g. the computer, the projector, the lights, etc.).

· Have all presentation slides prepared.

· Setup any other needed visuals (e.g. charts, models, etc.).

· Provide printed copies of the presentation for all professors and clients.

· Ensure that an electronic copy of the presentation is available in the class folder on Kongo.

· Send E-mail to the professor identifying the location of the electronic copy of the presentation on Kongo.

2.3 Document Director

The Document director will:

· Enforce the standards set forth in this document.

· Ensure the completeness of requirements of the document.

· Ensure that an electronic copy of the document is available in the class folder on Kongo.

· Send E-mail to the professor identifying the location of the electronic copy of the document on Kongo.

3. Team Communication

3.1 E-mail

When sending E-mail, carbon copy (i.e. CC) all team members that would be interested in the discussion, including professors and clients. This will keep team members informed of important aspects of the project and it will allow technical experts to provide additional information for other participants in a conversation. Many corporations use this standard to keep employees informed on current issues. We also hope that this will reduce the level of "corporate gossip" within our team.

3.2 Fax

The FAX machine is located in the administrative offices. Team members will be required to fill out a FAX cover sheet and submit it to the receptionist with the document to be faxed. Faxes are limited to five sheets per transmission. All faxes received will be placed in the ME 486 course folder in the front office.

3.3 Client Contact

The following are the basic guidelines for all client interactions:

· Proper English grammar is necessary, both spoken and written.

· All documents (letters, memos, e-mail, reports, FAX) should be submitted in a professional manner.

· Politeness, professional courtesy, and punctuality are a necessity.

· Documentation of all client meetings is required.

4. Deliverables Requirements

4.1 General Requirements

As stated in the D1 assignment specification¹, all deliverables "must be professionally prepared with attention given to clarity, ease of reading, and completeness." As such, errors involving any of the following will not be acceptable:

· Spelling

· Grammar

· Sentence structure

· Clarity or consistency

· Formatting or organization

To meet these goals, project coordinators are responsible for choosing qualified editors to edit and proof read each deliverable. Other team members are encouraged to volunteer editing skills whenever possible.

¹See EGR386 Spring 2000 D1 assignment specification in the EGR386 class folder on Kongo.

4.1.1 Software Tools

To ensure compatibility between team members, certain software tools will be required when creating deliverables. Use Microsoft Word 97 to create all documents. Use Microsoft Excel 97 to create all spreadsheets, graphs, and charts. Use Microsoft PowerPoint 97 to create all presentations. Do not use Microsoft Office 2000 to create any deliverables. Any software may be used to create pictures, diagrams, or other images provided that the images are saved in one of the following standard image formats:

· BMP

· GIF

· JPEG or JPG

Any mechanical or electrical schematics should be converted into one of these standard graphic formats before they are put into a presentation or document. Project schedules, timelines, and Gantt charts should be created with Microsoft Project 98. Microsoft Project 98 files may be directly inserted into a document without being converted into any other image format.

4.1.2 Version Control

All documents should be maintained with a version control system. This will allow the project director to save the history of a particular project as it progresses. This will also create backups of projects, which may be restored in case of a computer failure. Microsoft Word 97 contains a built-in version control feature. A new version of a document should be saved at every significant milestone during a project. The project coordinators will decide how to define a significant milestone. When a new version is saved the most recent copy of the file should be saved in the class folder on Kongo. The steps to save a new version of a document are as follows:

1. Click on the menu "File"

2. Click on the item labeled "Versions …"

3. Click the button labeled "Save Now"

4. Enter an explanatory comment to identify the version

5. Click the button labeled "Ok"

4.2 Appearance and Style

4.2.1 Character Formatting

Character formatting involves font sizes, font types, caption headings, quotations, bullet formats, and date formats. To ensure consistency throughout all documents, we have developed a standard. The following examples show the only character styles allowed during the creation of documents.

Character styles are listed as "Style Name, Font Face Name, Font Style, Font Size, Alignment":

· Normal font: Times New Roman, Regular, 12, Justified

· Quote: Times New Roman, Regular, 10, Justified

· Heading 1: Arial, Bold, 16, Left

· Heading 2: Arial, Bold, 14, Left

· Heading 3: Arial, Bold, 12, Left

· Heading 4: Arial, Bold, 11, Left

· Caption Times New Roman, Bold, 12, Left

The following character formatting rules must also be followed in the creation of all documents:

· Show dates in the format: "MM/DD/YYYY".

· Show dates on title pages in a more formal manner, such as: "Month DD, YYYY".

· Display measurements and calculations in decimal format with appropriate units, such as: 1.528 ms.

· Use italics and underlining conservatively.

· Do not use colored, bold, or blinking fonts unless it is necessary.

· Do not use Microsoft Word AutoFormat replacements. To turn this feature off:

1. Start Microsoft Word

2. Click the menu labeled "Tools"

3. Click the item labeled "AutoCorrect"

4. Click the tab labeled "AutoFormat As You Type"

5. In the section labeled "Replace as you type," uncheck every box from "Straight quotes with smart quotes" up to and including "Internet and network paths with hyperlinks."

· Use colons before beginning a bulleted or numbered list of items.

· Do not use semicolons.

· Do not use exclamation marks.

Use figures to draw attention to particular subjects that may not be accurately described with words. Figures should have a caption and a short description.

To create a caption for a table, a figure, or an equation:

1. Click the menu labeled "Insert"

2. Click the item labeled "Caption."

3. Select the choice that allows the creation of a caption for a table, a figure, or an equation.

Refer to the following sample figure as a guideline for inserting figures into documents.

4.2.2 Page and Paragraph Formatting

· Document coordinators will place headers, footers, and page numbers into documents. As such, any team member submitting text, diagrams, or charts to be included in a document need not use headers, footers, or page numbers in his or her section of the document. The document coordinators must number each page in its bottom right-hand corner.

· Justify all paragraphs. Use left, centered, and right alignment only on a document's title page.

· Follow each paragraph by a single blank line before beginning the next paragraph. If a heading follows a paragraph, insert two blank lines before that heading.

· Follow each heading by a single blank line before beginning the paragraph under that heading.

· Single-space all text.

· Print all Word 97 documents and PowerPoint 97 presentations on 8.5" x 11" paper.

· Place all deliverables in a three-ring folder to facilitate easy photocopying.

· Put a 1" margin on all four sides of each page.

4.2.3 Spelling and Grammar

Use the following spelling and grammar rules in the creation of all deliverables:

· Use spell checking.

· Use grammar checking with the pre-defined "Technical" writing style in Microsoft Word 97.

· Do not use first-person singular.

· Try to avoid the use of second person singular and second person plural.

· Do not write third person singular as "their." Write it as "his" or "her". For example, "It is each student's responsibility to do their work" is incorrect. The corresponding correct sentence is, "It is each student's responsibility to do his or her work."

· When using words that begin with an 'h', use the indefinite article 'an', not the article 'a'. For example, it is incorrect to say, "I have a hypothesis." The correct phrase is, "I have an hypothesis."

· Do not use contractions such as "don't," "can't," "would've," etc.

· Use a common tense throughout each document. The proposal phase generally uses the future tense such as, "We will do this and that." The design phase generally uses the present tense such as, "This is how this system works." The conclusion phase may use the present tense or the past tense. Regardless of the tense used, be consistent throughout the document or presentation.

· When writing a natural number (e.g. 1, 2, 3, ...) in a sentence, the number should be spelled out if that number is less than or equal to twenty.

4.2.4 Structure and Organization

It should be clear from the first through the last paragraph of a particular section what the purpose of that section is and how it fits into the overall purpose of the document or presentation. Surround direct quotations by double-quotes, not single-quotes. Quotations should not have any special font formatting, the quotation marks are sufficient to identify a short quotation.

Place direct quotations that are longer than four lines in a new paragraph with left and right margins that are each 1" narrower than the rest of the document. Single-space this paragraph regardless of the spacing of the rest of the document. Leave the font face unchanged from the surrounding text, but reduce the font size be one to two points relative to the surrounding text. This type of long quotation does not require beginning and ending double-quotes because it is already offset from the surrounding text. A long quote would look like the following:

This is an adequate font for a long quote, ten points being two points smaller than the surrounding text. In addition, include an explanation as to why the quote is necessary. Also, include who originally stated it. Be sure to determine if the quote is necessary to support a given point.

Use the following structural guidelines in addition to those above:

· Follow each sentence by a period and two spaces.

· Use the decimal numbering system such as the one used in the Table of Contents in this document.

· Use this document as a guideline for all deliverables.

· Provide explanations for tables and figures that state the purpose of the table or figure and what information it conveys.

· Use the pre-defined "Grid8" table format within Microsoft Word 97 for all tables in a deliverable.

· Cite all external sources with appropriate references and list them in a bibliography for the document.

4.3 Document Specifics

Give every document a title page that includes the document title, the Wired Bliss Team name, the current date, and the Wired Bliss Team logo. Also, give every document a table of contents, an index of tables, and an index of figures at the beginning of the document.

All paragraphs within a document should consist of complete sentences, a logical thesis statement at the beginning of the paragraph, and supporting sentences in explanation of the thesis. Each paragraph should end with an appropriate conclusion sentence that provides a smooth logical transition into the topic of the next paragraph.

4.4 Presentation Specifics

Give every presentation a title slide that includes the presentation title, the Wired Bliss team name, the current date, and the Wired Bliss team logo. Several specifics apply to the body of the presentation. Presentation coordinators should use the following general rules for creating presentations:

· use consistent formatting on all slides.

· Use WordArt only for headings, if at all.

· Use the same heading style on each slide.

· Use fonts that are large enough to be read from the back of the presentation room.

· On each slide, include the names of the people who worked on the slide in the slide's footer.

· Do not use more than four bullets per slide.

· Do not put a period at the end of a bullet if it does not make a complete sentence.

· End each slide with a sentence that provides a smooth logical transition into the topic of the next slide.

· Each presenter's last slide should provide a smooth transition into the topic of the first slide of the next presenter.

· Practice presentations before formally presenting them.

· Designate one of the presenters to introduce the remaining presenters.

The following issue concerning formal attire may affect team presentation grades. If our team as a whole does not follow these guidelines, our presentation grade could be lowered. Formal dress implies respectful and appropriate attire for a presentation. T-shirts and jeans are not acceptable. Short or long sleeved dress shirts are acceptable. Both male and female shirts should have collars. Male presenters are required to wear a tie and slacks. Female presenters are required to wear slacks or an appropriate dress.

5. Legal Issues

5.1 Procedure to Replace a Leader

If the ability of the leader is not consistent with the expectations of his or her project team, the leader will be subject to removal from his or her position. Removal of a leader from his or her position will require a majority vote of the project. The removed leader will incur no punishment and will be expected to remain an active member of his or her project team.

A leader may also choose to step down from his or her position, for any reason, thereby forfeiting his or her position to an alternate leader.

5.2 How to Make Modifications to This Document

The members of the Wired Bliss Team may make amendments to this document. The unanimous decision of the project team is required to amend, add, or remove any section from this document.